Federal Minister for Planning, Development, and Special Initiatives Asad Umar stressed the importance of increasing security for projects funded by the Chinese, as the country’s investment in Pakistan continues to grow. Umar made the remarks on Thursday.
The federal minister stated, “The amount of investment flowing via the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) continues to grow.” “Apart from special economic zones, Chinese investors are investing in a variety of projects.”
Following a meeting of the Joint Coordination Committee (JCC) on the CPEC in Islamabad, the federal minister addressed a press conference in which he emphasised the need for increased security following the Dasu incident, in which at least 12 people, including nine Chinese nationals working on the hydroelectric project, were killed when a bus carrying them fell into a ravine following an explosion.
According to Shah Mahmood Qureshi, the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) of India and the National Directorate of Security (NDS) of Afghanistan were both implicated in the Dasu incident.
Umar went on to say that the Center has established a strategy to strengthen security for China-supported projects, and that China has also underlined the importance of boosting security for projects backed by their respective investors. A special cell inside the Ministry of Interior has been established to monitor the security situation in the country, he said, adding that both Pakistan and China remain committed to the CPEC project.
