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After attacks on Chinese, Pakistan pledges more security
- Incidents like a suicide bombing in 2021 that killed nine Chinese nationals have prompted concerns for those working and living in Pakistan
- More recently, a Chinese employee at a major hydropower project was arrested under blasphemy laws, which carry the death penalty
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Pakistan’s president on Friday assured Beijing’s foreign minister that his country will boost security for all Chinese nationals working on multibillion-dollar projects in the cash-strapped South Asian country.
China has been demanding more security from Pakistan for its nationals living and working in the Islamic country since 2021, when a suicide bomber killed nine Chinese and four Pakistanis in an attack in Pakistan’s volatile northwest.
More recently, a Chinese national working on the Dasu Dam, a Chinese-funded hydropower project and the biggest of its kind in Pakistan, was arrested on blasphemy charges after an angry mob accused him of insulting Islam when he criticised a colleague for taking too much time to pray during working hours.
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Pakistan’s controversial blasphemy laws carry the death penalty, and sometimes even a mere suggestion of blasphemy is enough to entice mobs to violence or lynching. The Chinese man was subsequently released under a court order but it remained unclear if he would face trial or be deported home.
02:23
1 Chinese national killed, 2 injured in targeted shootings at Pakistan clinic
1 Chinese national killed, 2 injured in targeted shootings at Pakistan clinic
President Arif Alvi pledged more security for Chinese workers during a meeting Friday with visiting Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang.
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