‘Foreign Security Cell’ at CPO: Sindh CM reviews action plan for security of Chinese

KARACHI: The Sindh government, in order to register data of foreign nationals, particularly the Chinese, and provide them security, has established Foreign Security Cell at Chief Police Office (CPO) in the city with its 31 branches in all district headquarters.

This emerged on Friday in a meeting held under the chairmanship of Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah here at CM House which was attended by Advisor Law Murtaza Wahab, Chief Secretary Sohail Rajput, Home Secretary Saeed Mangnijo, IG Police Ghulam Nabi Memon, Adl IG CTD Imran Yakoob Minhas, Adl IG Karachi Javed Odho, Deputy DG Rangers, provincial heads of intelligence agencies and other concerned, said a statement.

The chief minister said the incidents like Karachi University where Chinese teachers were attacked in a suicide attack would not be allowed to happen again. “We have to strengthen the security of all foreign nationals, particularly the Chinese working on CPEC and other projects in the province,” he said, adding he had given guidelines to the police and other law enforcement agencies to chalk out a detailed foolproof security plan.

Syed Murad Ali Shah said provision of security to Chinese nationals working on CPEC and other projects was a joint responsibility of all the stakeholders concerned. “Any incident threatening the security of Chinese nationals employed on various projects will have an impact on national level,” he said, adding the Karachi University incident highlighted the vulnerability of Chinese nationals’ security working here.

The CM was told that at present, eight CPEC projects were running in six districts of the province where around 4,000 Chinese were working. In 2016, the Police had created a Special Protection Unit (SPU) to provide security cover to CPEC projects based in Sindh.

The Home Secretary said that Sindh Police, Pak Army, Rangers, FC and private security guards were providing security cover to the CPEC projects under the umbrella of Special Security Division (SSD) in the light of SOPs issued by NECTA.

It was disclosed that there were 214 projects, including 21 non-CPEC but government-sponsored and 193 non-CPEC projects privately sponsored where 2,300 Chinese were working.

IG Police Ghulam Nabi said that a Foreign Information Desk had also been established by the Special Branch at Karachi Airport to register the data of all foreign nationals, including Chinese. He added the FIA had been requested to provide 40 dashboard terminals for entry/exit data of foreign nationals and it was yet to be done.

The CM was told that a well-coordinated security mechanism for Chinese security was being prepared. The prime minister has formulated a national action plan for their [Chinese] security which has been developed for which a task force has been constituted under the ministry of interior.

The CM directed the IG police to keep the Chinese consulate in the loop for the proposed security arrangement and compiling of the data.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2022