PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government on Tuesday decided that if the need arose, it would use helicopters for the movement of Chinese engineers within the province as a precautionary security measure.

The decision was made in a meeting here regarding security arrangements for Chinese nationals and other foreigners working in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in the wake of the recent terrorist attack on a convoy of Chinese engineers in Karachi, according to an official statement.

Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur chaired the meeting, which was attended by chief secretary Nadeem Aslam Chaudhry, Inspector General of Police Akhtar Hayat Khan Gandapur, additional chief secretary (home) Abid Majeed, and other senior officials of the relevant institutions.

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The meeting decided about the immediate purchase of additional vehicles for the security of Chinese nationals and said if the need arose, helicopters, including those of the provincial government, and hired helicopters, would be utilised for the movement of those foreigners.

The chief minister said that the provincial government valued China’s cooperation in the development of the province. He said Chinese engineers played a crucial role in implementing key development projects in both the country and the province.

Officials briefed him regarding security arrangements for Chinese nationals working in the province, and the relevant issues and challenges.

They said that Chinese nationals were working on 24 development projects in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

The officials said a special security unit had been established to ensure the security of those Chinese nationals, and a total of 8,578 personnel had been deployed for their security.

They added that those personnel were responsible for guarding workplaces, residences, and movement of Chinese nationals.

The officials said the Foreign Security Dashboard was fully operational to oversee the security of Chinese nationals and other foreigners.

The chief minister said his government accorded utmost importance to the security of Chinese nationals working in the province.

“There will be no compromise on the security of Chinese nationals in the province,” he said.

Mr Gandapur said negligence or laxity in ensuring the security of foreign nationals would not be tolerated.

He urged authorities to diligently perform their duties in that regard.

The chief minister said coordination between the relevant institutions regarding the security of Chinese nationals should be improved.

He said relevant commissioners, regional police officers, and the special security unit should hold at least two meetings every week regarding security arrangements for Chinese nationals, conduct a weekly security audit, and take necessary measures to improve security in the light of the audit.

Mr Gandapur said reports of these meetings should be sent to the inspector general of police, chief secretary, and the Chief Minister’s Secretariat.

He said road clearance and other security measures for the movement of Chinese nationals should be ensured in all respects.

“The district police officers and officials from the Special Branch must ensure visibility of all foreign nationals present in the province. Any foreign national found without an NOC or necessary documents should be sent back,” he said.

Published in Dawn, October 9th, 2024