Beijing pushes Pakistan for joint security following attack on Chinese workers in Karachi

The plan to deploy Chinese security personnel faces resistance from Pakistani authorities

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A member of the Airport Security Force ASF stands guard near the wreckage of vehicles after an explosion near Jinnah International Airport in Karachi, Pakistan on October 6. Photo: Reuters

Published: 9:47pm, 12 Nov 2024Updated: 12:55am, 13 Nov 2024

Beijing is pushing Pakistan to allow its own security staff to provide protection to thousands of Chinese citizens working in the South Asian nation, during talks after a car bombing in Karachi that was seen as a major security breach, sources said.

Last month’s airport bombing in the southern port city that killed two Chinese engineers returning to work on a project after a holiday in Thailand was the latest in a string of attacks on Beijing’s interests in Pakistan.

The attacks, and Islamabad’s failure to deter them, have angered China, which has pushed Pakistan to begin formal negotiations for a joint security management system.

Reporters spoke to five Pakistani security and government sources with direct knowledge of the previously unreported negotiations and demands on condition of anonymity, as the talks are sensitive, and reviewed a written proposal sent by Beijing to Islamabad.

“They [Chinese] want to bring in their own security,” said one official, who sat in on a recent meeting, adding that Pakistan had not so far agreed to such a step.

A written proposal sent to Islamabad by Beijing, and forwarded to Pakistani security agencies for review, mentioned a clause allowing the dispatching of security agencies and military forces into each others’ territory to assist in counterterrorism missions and conduct joint strikes.