Pakistani province unable to protect Chinese workers

Police in Pakistan's Punjab province are considering withdrawal of security from Chinese people working on private projects apparently due to shortage of forces and excessive engagements in other security and law and order duties.

The authorities are planning to advise Chinese workers to hire private security guards before withdrawing police personnel, Dawn reported Friday.

The decision to review the security arrangements of Chinese nationals working at private projects was taken at a high-level meeting chaired by the provincial home minister Feb 2.

In the meeting, it was decided that a deadline would be given to the Chinese to arrange their own security across the province.

Officials said that the provincial government would only guard Chinese people working on its projects in future and all policemen deployed with other Chinese working on private projects would be withdrawn after an unspecified period of time.

Currently, there are 237 Chinese people working in provincial capital Lahore -- 85 working on 26 government projects and 152 associated with 45 private projects.

As many as 176 policemen and 578 private security officials are deployed with the Chinese on private projects while 113 policemen, 36 railway policemen and 108 private security men are guarding 85 Chinese involved in government projects.

In Punjab, there are more than 4,000 foreigners, the majority of them Chinese, working on 164 government and private projects. Around 3,000 personnel of the Elite Police Force and Special Protection Unit are deployed for their security.