Islamabad: China has proposed deploying its own security personnel to protect thousands of its nationals working in Pakistan, following several recent deadly attacks targeting Chinese citizens. The latest incident was a car bomb explosion outside Karachi Airport in October, aimed at Chinese investors and engineers working under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project, which left two Chinese nationals dead.
China has expressed frustration, viewing the incident as a significant failure of Pakistani security forces, particularly the military. In response, Beijing has requested a joint security management system that would permit it to deploy its own personnel for safeguarding Chinese nationals. According to media reports, this proposal was made during Chinese Premier Li Qiang’s visit to Pakistan last month when he attended the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) meeting in Islamabad.
This visit marked the first time in over a decade that a Chinese premier visited Pakistan, and Li Qiang was welcomed by Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif at the Noor Khan Airbase in Rawalpindi. Following several closed-door meetings, reports suggest that Pakistan’s local government may consent to China’s proposal to deploy its security personnel.
It is believed that Islamabad has received a written proposal from Beijing, which is under review by Pakistan’s security agencies. The proposal includes provisions allowing both nations’ security forces to be stationed in each other’s territories to assist in anti-terrorism efforts. However, several senior officials have voiced concerns, calling it a potentially grave step for Pakistan’s future sovereignty. A senior government official noted, “Pakistan would prefer to receive support from China in enhancing its intelligence and surveillance capacities rather than direct intervention.”
China is keeping the security cooperation discussions confidential, with the Karachi bombing investigation intensifying tensions as an insider was reportedly involved in leaking travel and route details of the engineers. This development has already raised concerns among other countries, including the U.S., which may also object to China’s increasing influence in Pakistan.
Meanwhile, on Thursday, Pakistan’s Foreign Office (FO) dismissed reports that China is pressuring Islamabad to allow Beijing’s involvement in security measures, calling these “rumors” and part of a “misleading agenda.” During a weekly press briefing in Islamabad, FO spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch said, “We do not respond to media speculation based on unreliable sources aiming to distort the nature of our relationship.”
She emphasized, “We will not allow any attempts to weaken the Pakistan-China strategic partnership.” Two major deadly attacks this year – one in March in Bisham, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, killing five Chinese citizens, and the other near Karachi Airport, which took two lives – have heightened security concerns.