Interior minister says govt to fulfil responsibility of protecting investors ‘at all costs’

Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi assured foreign investors that Pakistan was a safe country to invest in and that the government would “fulfil [its] responsibility of protecting them at all costs”, a press release from the ministry said on Sunday.

While Pakistan has made efforts to exploit its natural resources and has invited foreign investment in different projects, the security situation in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa often poses challenges, with foreign nationals being attacked over the past couple of years.

According to the press release, the interior minister met with a delegation of foreign investors in Lahore and discussed steps to ensure their security, noting the delegation’s input and assuring them that steps would be taken.

“Pakistan is a safe country for all kinds of investments,” Naqvi was quoted as saying. “The protection of investors is our government’s top priority and we will fulfil our responsibility of protecting investors at all costs.”

The press release quoted Naqvi as saying that the government had taken steps to ensure the security of investors and has taken “strict action” against violent miscreants.

“Action is being taken against these miscreants according to the law,” Naqvi emphasised. “A strategy has been formed to prevent such incidents from happening in the future.”

The press release did not refer to any incident in particular.

Earlier this month, Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Syed Asim Munir assured that the military would ensure a robust security framework and proactive measures to protect the interests and confidence of Pakistan’s partners and investors in Balochistan.

He made this assurance while addressing the Pakistan Minerals Investment Forum 2025, a two-day event to promote mining and mineral investment opportunities across the four provinces, Azad Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan.

“I firmly believe that Pakistan is poised to emerge as a leader in the global mineral economy,” the army chief said, according to PTV News.

He added that the army welcomed international institutions to share their expertise with Pakistan, explore investment opportunities and partner with the country in developing its vast resource potential.

In November last year, a suicide attack near Karachi’s airport, claimed by the outlawed Balochistan Liberation Army, left two Chinese citizens dead and injured ten others.

Separately, at least 20 miners were killed and seven were injured in an attack by armed men on a private coal mine in Balochistan’s Duki area in October.

In March 2024, Chinese workers were targeted in Besham, reportedly carried out by affiliates of either Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) or Islamic State-Khorasan (IS-K), resulting in five Chinese fatalities.

Five Japanese nationals were unhurt after their vehicle was targeted by a suicide bomber in Karachi in April last year.

At least four people, including three Chinese nationals, were killed while four others were injured in a suicide attack outside the University of Karachi’s (KU) Confucius Institute in 2022.

In January 2021, 11 coal miners belonging to the Shia Hazara community sleeping in their room were held at gunpoint, blindfolded and trussed up before being executed by unidentified attackers in the Mach coal field area. The militant Islamic State group had claimed responsibility for the killing.