Federal Cabinet 'okays' deployment of FC in Azad Kashmir

ISLAMABAD: The federal cabinet on Thursday approved the deployment of Frontier Constabulary (FC) in Azad Kashmir for security of Chinese nationals, ARY News reported citing sources.

According to sources, the federal cabinet has approved the deployment of the Frontier Constabulary (FC) in Azad Kashmir to ensure the security of Chinese citizens and power houses.

The FC will be deployed for an initial period of three months to maintain law and order in the region, sources added.

Sources said that Azad Kashmir government had requested the deployment of the FC to assist the police in maintaining peace and security in the region.

The FC will be responsible for providing foolproof security to Chinese citizens and power houses, including the Neelum-Jhelum, Mangla, and Gul Pur power houses, sources said.

Six platoons of the FC will be deployed in Azad Kashmir, sources said.

Earlier, Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif directed all the security agencies to ensure fool-proof security arrangements for the Chinese nationals working on various projects in Pakistan.

The prime minister said he had decided to personally review the meetings with respect to the overall security of the country especially the security of the Chinese nationals.

The directives days came after at least five Chinese nationals were killed in a terrorist attack in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s (KP) Shangla distrct.

District Inspector General (DIG) of Malakand said that a suicide bomber rammed an explosives-laden vehicle into a convoy of foreign nationals that was on its way from Islamabad to their camp in Dasu, Shangla.

“Five Chinese nationals and their Pakistani driver were killed in the attack,” the police officer said.