Chinese consular hall in Islamabad temporarily closed due to ‘technical issues’

PTI, Feb 15, 2023, 5:24 PM IST

 Credit: Twitter/@CathayPak

China has temporarily closed down the consular service hall of its embassy in Pakistan due to “technical issues”, days after advising Chinese citizens in this country to be cautious due to the deteriorating security situation.

The embassy announced this on its website, refraining from providing specific information about the nature of the “technical issue” or the timeline for the closure.

A notification issued today clarified that the ‘Consular Service Hall’ instead of the ‘Consular Office’ was closing, and that visa services would remain unaffected.

Pakistan has seen a rise in terror attacks since late last year when the Pakistani Taliban group, Tehreek-e-Taliban-e-Pakistan, called off a fragile truce with the government. Further, last week’s failed talks with the IMF have worsened an already fragile economic situation, raising additional security concerns.

Various militant groups in Pakistan have frequently attacked Chinese nationals working on the ambitious China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), aiming to paralyse a major segment of Beijing’s Belt and Road infrastructure initiative. India has opposed the CPEC on the grounds that it passes through Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), thus constituting a violation of India’s territorial sovereignty.

The CPEC is a $65 billion network of roads, railways, pipelines, and ports in Pakistan connecting China to the Arabian Sea.

The BRI is expected to help Pakistan expand and modernise its economy.

A female suicide bomber last April killed three Chinese teachers in Karachi along with their local driver, targeting nationals from Pakistan’s most important partner and seeking to undermine a relationship on which Islamabad’s financial survival largely depends.