China fears envoy in Pakistan might be attacked; asks more security

ISLAMABAD: China has asked Pakistan to step up security of its newly-appointed ambassador in Islamabad in the wake of threats to his life from a terrorist organisation, according to media reports.

The Chinese Embassy made the request in a letter written to the Interior Ministry on October 19, saying a member of the banned terrorist group East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM) has sneaked into Pakistan to assassinate its ambassador.

The letter, circulated in the local media, was written by the focal person for the multi-billion dollar China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) Ping Ying Fi who asked the Interior Ministry to "enhance the protection" of the ambassador and other Chinese working in the country.

This, the letter says, will not only help foil the nefarious designs of the terrorist but will also help in getting to other terrorists involved in the plot.

China has appointed Yao Jing, who has served as Chinese Ambassador to Afghanistan, as its new envoy to Pakistan. Yao replaced Sun Weidong, who served as China's Ambassador to Pakistan for three years and recently returned to his country.

In the letter, Ping shared details of the terrorist's passport and demanded his immediate arrest and handover to the Chinese Embassy. It identified the terrorist as Abdul Wali.

The Interior Ministry and the Chinese Embassy have declined to comment on the letter.

The ETIM largely operates from China's restive Muslim- majority Xinjiang region, bordering Pakistan.

The security of Chinese officials in Pakistan is a major issue and the Army has been tasked to provide security to the Chinese working on various projects, including the CPEC.

The CPEC, which traverse through Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, will connect Xinjiang with Pakistan's seaport Gwadar through a network of rail, road and pipeline.