China proposes own security: report

Islamabad, Beijing in talks for joint security system

ISLAMABAD:

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

Last month's airport bombing in Karachi killed two Chinese engineers, the latest in a string of attacks against the Beijing's interests. The attacks have worried China, which has pushed Pakistan to begin formal negotiations for a joint security management system.

Reuters spoke to five Pakistani security and government sources with direct knowledge of the previously unreported negotiations and demands. "They (Chinese) want to bring in their own security," one official, who sat in on a recent meeting, said on condition of anonymity.

A written proposal sent to Islamabad by Beijing, and forwarded to the security agencies for review, mentioned a clause, allowing the dispatching of security agencies and military forces into each other's territory to assist in counter-terrorism missions and conduct joint strikes.

The dispatching would be done after discussions, but Pakistani agencies were averse to the proposal, one official said. Neither Beijing nor Islamabad confirmed the talks officially.

The source, and two other officials, said there was a consensus on setting up a joint security management system, and that Pakistan was amenable to Chinese officials sitting in on security meetings and coordination.

But there was no agreement on their participation in security arrangements on the ground. The first official said Pakistan had asked China for help in improving its intelligence and surveillance capabilities instead of direct involvement.

A spokesman for China's foreign ministry told Reuters it was not familiar with talks on a joint security scheme, but added, "China will continue to strengthen cooperation with Pakistan and make joint efforts to do its utmost to maintain the security of Chinese personnel, projects and institutions."

The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) declined to comment. The interior and planning ministries did not respond to repeated requests for comment. But in a statement last week, the interior ministry said both sides agreed to develop a joint strategy to prevent similar incidents in the future.

The nature of the Karachi bombing has angered Beijing. The official said that the investigators believed the attackers had "inside help" in securing details of the itinerary and route of the engineers, who had returned from a month off in Thailand.