Chinese nationals move Pakistani court against police harassment

Karachi: Six Chinese nationals in Pakistan petitioned a high court against police harassment, including demanding money and putting restrictions on their movement in the name of security.

They filed the plea in the Sindh High Court in Karachi on Friday, where a two-judge bench heard the case.

The bench issued notices to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and others, including the Chinese Embassy in Pakistan and its consulate in Karachi and relevant federal and provincial law officers.

Xu Hui, Deng Huan and four other Chinese nationals filed the petition through their counsel, submitting that they came to Pakistan after fulfilling all required legal formalities and invested a significant amount of money and resources in various business ventures and sectors in the country.

It is the first time Chinese nationals have approached a high court against harassment by police in Pakistan.

The petitioners cited Sindh's chief secretary, the provincial home secretary, the inspector general of police, and other senior police officers as respondents.

They maintained it was the responsibility of the respondents to protect and provide a secure environment for all foreign nationals legally residing and investing in the country.

Counsel for the foreign nationals Rehman Mehsud told the media that his clients had decided to approach the court after being subjected to harassment, bribery demands, invasion of privacy and other problems in the name of security.

“They have complained that they are practically prisoners in their own homes, policemen enter their bedrooms without knocking, some take bribes for providing transportation if they want to go out,” he said.

The petitioners alleged that the Sindh police had harassed them for six to seven months, unjustifiably restricting the movements of Chinese nationals in Karachi and Sindh and detaining them within their residences under the pretext of "security issues," without clear legal grounds or specific incidents to justify such actions.

They further alleged that policemen stationed at their residences would allow them to leave upon paying illegal demands of Rs 30,000 to Rs 50,000.

The petitioners claimed their troubles began at the airport, where officials refused them entry despite possessing all required legal documentation, demanding bribes instead.

The petitioners claimed they were forced to wait for hours under officials' orders, unable to return home without bulletproof vehicles, for which they had to pay substantial amounts.

They also said that the police allegedly threw stones at Chinese nationals’ cars, smashing their rear screens, and argued that they were not allowed to lodge complaints/FIRs against such offences, the Dawn newspaper reported.

They said that an incident of theft of Rs 2 million took place at the house of one of the petitioners in October 2024, but the police station concerned had refused to register an FIR.

The petitioners further submitted that their previous attempts to seek redressal of grievances had received no positive response.

They maintained that alleged harassment, unlawful detainments, unjustified restrictions on movement, and even illegal gratifications directly infringed upon their universally recognised fundamental rights that were also guaranteed under the Constitution of Pakistan. These severely impacted their ability to conduct business and engage in essential professional and personal activities.

They urged the court to declare alleged detention, harassment and restriction on their movement illegal and unconstitutional. They asked it to order relevant authorities to devise and implement appropriate protective measures to ensure the lawful movement and security of Chinese nationals.

The petitioners also sought a high-level joint inquiry against the officials involved in the acts, and strict and exemplary actions against the culprits.

After a preliminary hearing, the bench issued notices to the three respondents, the deputy attorney general and advocate general of Sindh for a date to be fixed after four weeks, according to the report.

Several Chinese nationals have been working in Pakistan in a private capacity and on various projects undertaken by the Chinese government and their security is a huge issue due to attacks by the militants against them.

The government introduced a strict security routine for Chinese nationals after two of them were killed in a suicide bomb attack last year near the Karachi airport in an attack claimed by the banned Baloch Liberation Army, a separatist group.