RAWALPINDI: Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Bajwa reaffirmed Pakistan Army’s support for the security of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, a flagship project of China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said on Monday.
According to the military’s media wing, the COAS said this during a meeting with China’s Ground Forces Commander General Han Weighou at the General Headquarters (GHQ) on Monday. Both military leaders discussed matters related to regional security and professional interest, ISPR added.
The visiting general appreciated Pakistan Army’s achievements in the fight against terrorism and continued efforts for regional peace and stability.
Earlier, upon his arrival at the army headquarters, the visiting general was presented a guard of honour by a smartly turned out contingent. To pay homage to the martyrs of the Pakistan Army, the visiting general also laid floral wreath at the Martyrs Monument.
CPEC is a 3,000-kilometre network of roads, pipelines and railways to connect Gwadar port to Kashgar in the Xinjiang autonomous region of China. The over $50 billion project intends to rapidly modernise Pakistan’s infrastructure, improve energy ecosystem and establish special economic zones.
Last month in Balochistan, which is at the centre of the infrastructure projects, three terrorists were killed and five people were martyred in an attack on a luxury hotel in Gwadar. A Special Security Division was established in 2017 for the security of the joint project as well as protecting Chinese nationals working in Pakistan.