Chinese nationals: Senate body seeks briefing over security

China expresses concern over threats directly linked to its citizens

ISLAMABAD:

The National Counter Terrorism Authority (Nacta) will give an in-camera briefing to a Senate panel next month in the wake of a renewed Chinese appeal for special security arrangements for its 9,000 or so nationals working on several mega projects in Pakistan.

On Thursday, a senior official of Nacta informed the Senate Standing Committee on Interior that lawmakers could not be briefed in front of media persons due to the sensitivity of the matter. “We will only give an in-camera briefing,” a Nacta official said.



The panel chairman Senator Talha Mahmood summoned Nacta officials for foolproof security cover to Chinese residing in Pakistan.

Nacta officials, however, revealed that there were 8,956 Chinese working in Pakistan and the number of security personnel guarding them was 12, 596. As many as 1,530 security personnel had recently been recruited to provide foolproof security cover to the Chinese working on Diamer-Bhasha dam, they added.

“Foreigners’ security plan is being revamped — it has emerged as an urgent concern for foreigners,” a senior official said. The Crisis Management Cell (CMC), a subsidiary department of the interior ministry, has already recommended provincial governments to make special security arrangements for over 7,000 Chinese workers. These workers are engaged in several mega projects in Gilgit-Baltistan, Gwadar and Sindh.

Licence policy issue

The panel was informed in the meeting that all provinces want to keep with them the power for issuance of arms licenses under the 18th amendment. Two provinces — Sindh and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa — have issued over 17, 000 and 79, 256 licences, respectively after enacting fresh legislation, said the additional secretary ministry of interior Hamid Ali Khan.

Punjab also issued 2,482 licences including 133 arms licences of prohibited bore for Nandipur power project. Balochistan issued 1,132 arms licences, he added.

The new arms policy has already been sent to Prime Minister’s Office after the law ministry found anomalies in it, saying the provinces want to issue licences themselves under the 18th amendment, he added. The policy may be discussed by the cabinet.

Bulletproof vehicles issue

Interior ministry officials also informed lawmakers that 1, 100 no objection certificates (NOCs) for bullet-proof vehicles have been issued during the last government’s tenure. While the present government has so far issued 138 NOCs, while a scam of fake NOCs has also been unearthed recently involving issuance of as many as 49 fake NOCs.

Action against interior minister

Two members of the Senate — Senators Mukhtiar Ahmed and Fateh Hasni — requested the chairman to write to the prime minister seeking legal action against Interior Minister Chaudhary Nisar Ali Khan, who has failed to appear before the committee many times.

To deliberate on this issue in detail, the committee has summoned senior civil servant Fawad Hassan Fawad, currently a close associate with the Prime Minister’s Office.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 26^th, 2014.