OE Watch Commentary: Significant Chinese investments in Pakistan as part of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) since 2013 appear to have helped relations between the two sides become even closer, but disputes related to CPEC projects over the past couple of months have caused major issues, including suspension of funding for some projects. The excerpted article from Dawn reports on the murder of a Chinese businessman and while he was not involved in a CPEC project, it could have an impact on an already strained China-Pakistan relationship.
The article from Dawn, a widely read English-language newspaper in Pakistan, reports on the shooting in Karachi on 5 February which targeted two Chinese businessmen, killing one. The article notes how Pakistani authorities reported that the attack was carried out by “an unidentified lone assailant” and that the shipping firm where the two men worked is “not part of any CPEC-related project.” They did report, however, that “the two Chinese nationals worked for Cosco Shipping.” The China Ocean Shipping Company (Cosco) is one of the largest maritime shipping companies in the world and the Chinese man killed was reportedly its executive in Pakistan.
Pakistan created the Special Security Division a few years ago to protect CPEC projects and workers and the article mentions how the “Chinese nationals were provided with three personnel from the police’s foreigners’ security cell,” but that on the day of the attack “they did not take with them the head constable on duty” and that this was “against the security standard operating procedures.” As the investigation into the shooting continues, it will be worth watching what impact it could have on China-Pakistan relations. End OE Watch Commentary (Stein)
A Chinese national, working for a local shipping firm in a senior position, was gunned down in what police described as a targeted attack carried out by an unidentified lone assailant on Monday…Officials emphasised that the firm was not part of any CPEC-related project as it had been working in Pakistan since the early 1990s.
Karachi’s South-Zone Deputy Inspector General Azad Khan told Dawn that the two Chinese nationals worked for Cosco Shipping the office of which was located in the city’s Lalazar area…They lived in the same locality.
The officials said the two Chinese nationals — 45-year-old Chen Zhu and Ye Fan — after having lunch at a restaurant in Clifton were returning to their office when at around 2.15pm they stopped their car near Zamzama Park…one of them had sat in the car and the other was still outside it when an attacker came in a vehicle and opened fire on the Chinese national sitting on the driving seat. The officials said as soon as the attacker opened fire the other Chinese national — a young trainee of the company — started running to save his life. The attacker fired shots also at him but he remained unhurt…The deceased sustained two bullets in the head.
…According to a police spokesperson, Sindh police chief A.D. Khowaja has directed Raja Umar Khattab of the police’s counterterrorism department to investigate the incident…Mr Khattab said surveillance cameras installed in the vicinity were out of order. DIG Azad Khan told a press conference that the firm, Cosco Shipping Lines Pak (Pvt) Ltd, had no connection with the CPEC project. It had been working in Pakistan since the early 1990s…
He said the Chinese nationals were provided with three personnel from the police’s foreigners’ security cell…On Monday, they did not take with them the head constable on duty, Noor Zaib, which is against the security standard operating procedures…Mr Khattab, however, told Dawn that the head constable had performed duty on Sunday because a delegation had arrived. Therefore, the Chinese nationals had allowed him to take a day off on Monday…