Pakistan's Sindh province on Monday decided to raise a special force for the security of the multi-billion dollar China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), officials said.
The decision was taken at a meeting of the senior political and military officials in Karachi, the capital of Sindh, to review the overall security situation including the CPEC.
Several key projects in Karachi and other parts of Sindh province are part of CPEC, officials say. Last week the Chinese authorities agreed to include projects related to a railway service in Karachi, development of a port in Thatta district near Karachi and setting up of a special economic zone in CPEC.
The agreement was reached during the Joint Cooperation Committee on CPEC held in Beijing on Thursday. Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah led his government delegation at the meeting.
The Mondays meeting in Karachi approved establishing a force comprising of 1,000 retired soldiers of the Pakistan Army for security of CPEC, provincial Advisor Maula Bakhsh Chandio, told reporters after the meeting.
The meeting also decided on a crackdown on street crime and drug mafia in Karachi, which is the commercial hub of Pakistan.
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The meeting agreed to write to the federal government for the crackdown against illegal weapons, factories and shops.
--IANS
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