Gilgit-Baltistan tightens security for foreigners: NOC checks, night curbs for Chinese

Gilgit-Baltistan police have ordered tighter security for foreign nationals in the region, above all Chinese citizens working on CPEC and other projects, after a high-level meeting in Gilgit on Saturday 10 October, Dawn reported on Sunday. The report links the step to a review of protective arrangements, not to any specific incident.

Inspector General of Police Dr Akbar Nasir Khan chaired the meeting at the Central Police Office, Gilgit, and warned that negligence over the safety of foreign nationals, particularly Chinese citizens, would not be tolerated, according to Dawn.

What changes on the ground

The police leadership agreed on these measures, as reported by Dawn:

• Fresh threat assessments in every district, with gaps to be fixed within a set time.
• Advance notice and verification for the movement of Chinese nationals in Gilgit, Skardu, Diamer and other districts, with security checks along the way.
• A review of Special Protection Unit (SPU) deployments, checkposts and key entry points.
• Re-verification of residential NOCs for foreigners and security audits of the places they are approved to live.
• Enforcement of NOC conditions and driving licence rules, and closer monitoring of movement, especially at night.
• District-level records of foreigners, and the National Counter Terrorism Authority's standard security procedures applied in full.

The meeting was attended by the DIGs for headquarters and the Gilgit range, the AIGs for Special Branch and operations, the SSP of the SPU and the Gilgit district SDPOs.

Who it covers

The focus is on foreigners living and working in GB: engineers and staff on CPEC and non-CPEC projects, people in private mining, and foreign business people. Dawn's report gives no count of how many foreign nationals are in the region.

What it means if you are travelling to GB

October is the tail of the tourist season on the Karakoram Highway, Hunza and Skardu. The new rules are aimed at resident foreign workers, but travellers may see:

• more checkposts and identity checks at district entry points, particularly after dark;
• foreign visitors asked for their papers and a valid driving licence if they drive themselves;
• longer stops for vehicles carrying foreign nationals.

Pakistani tourists should keep their CNIC at hand and plan to cover long stretches in daylight. Check the forecast before setting out on mountain roads: GB is in a rain and thunderstorm spell until 15 October, with light snow possible on high ground (live conditions on our Gilgit weather and Skardu weather pages, and the full outlook on our weather today page).

We will update this story if GB police or the provincial government publish the new rules for foreign visitors.