Beijing, Nov 19 China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) will send troops to Pakistan to conduct a joint anti-terrorism exercise amid reports that Beijing is increasingly concerned about recurring attacks by militants targeting its nationals working on the CPEC projects.
The exercises will be held from late November to mid-December, the Ministry of National Defence announced Tuesday.
The Chinese troops will be drawn from the Western Theatre Command, which guards the Line of Actual Control (LAC) with India and the China-Pakistan boundary.
Coded “Warrior-VIII,” the exercise will focus on joint counter-terrorism clean-up and strike operations.
The two sides will engage in multi-level and mixed training across various specialities and organise live troop drills in accordance with the actual combat process, the state-run Xinhua news agency reported, citing the ministry.
Significantly, the military drills, the eighth edition between the all-weather friends, are being held amid reports that China is pressing Pakistan to permit its forces to provide security for hundreds of Chinese personnel working in the USD 70 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).
The Chinese workers are facing increasing attacks by the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), which is opposed to Chinese presence in Balochistan province.
BLA along with the Islamic militant group Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) stepped up attacks against the Chinese nationals and the Pakistan military in Balochistan and neighbouring Khyber Pakhtunkhwa bordering the Taliban-ruled Afghanistan.
The attacks against the Chinese nationals are being carried out by suicide bombers of the BLA escalated despite Pakistan creating a Special Security Division (SSD) comprising 34 and 44 Light Infantry Divisions, with 15,000 troops each, according to recent reports by Pakistan daily Dawn.
The SSD is also supported by 32,000 security personnel from the Frontier Corps, police, and Levies.
The recurring attacks included a recent suicide bomb attack near Karachi airport in which six people including two Chinese engineers were killed and 17 others injured.
According to media reports, Pakistan is averse to having Chinese personnel on its soil apprehending political repercussions.
“China will continue to support Pakistan in fighting terrorism,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian told a media briefing here on Nov 11 while replying to a question about whether China is satisfied with the security protocols for its nationals and projects in Pakistan.
“We are firm in our commitment to protecting the safety and security of Chinese nationals, projects and institutions overseas”, he said.
This year’s exercise is the eighth joint exercise of the series between the Chinese and Pakistani militaries, with the aim to consolidate and deepen practical exchanges and cooperation, as well as enhance the capability for conducting joint counter-terrorism operations.
The last joint exercise in this series was held in 2019, the Chinese Defence Ministry said.(Agencies)
