ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has decided to establish a special force for the security of foreigners, Pakistani state media reported on Saturday, days after militant attacks targeted foreign nationals in the South Asian country.

The decision was made at a meeting presided over by Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi to review the law-and-order situation in the federal capital territory.

The development came days after a suicide attack targeted a van carrying Japanese nationals, who were on their way to work in the southern Pakistani city of Karachi.

During the meeting, the interior minister directed authorities to ensure foolproof security of foreign nationals in Islamabad, the state-run Radio Pakistan broadcaster reported.

“Special attention should be given to the security of all important offices and places including the red zone in Islamabad,” the report read.

During the meeting, Islamabad police chief, Ali Nasir Rizvi, also gave a detailed briefing on the law-and-order situation in the capital.

Pakistan has witnessed militant attacks on foreign nationals in recent months, particularly the Chinese working in Pakistan on projects relating to the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), a major segment of Beijing’s Belt and Road infrastructure initiative.

Late last month, five Chinese nationals and their Pakistani driver were killed in northwest Pakistan, when a suicide bomber rammed his explosive-laden car into the bus carrying them to Dasu Dam, the biggest hydropower project in Pakistan, where they worked.

The attack came less than a week after Pakistani security forces killed eight Balochistan Liberation Army separatists who opened fire on a convoy carrying Chinese citizens outside the Chinese-funded Gwadar port in the volatile southwestern Balochistan province.

CAIRO: A high-level Egyptian delegation was in Israel for talks on Friday amid a new diplomatic push for a truce in the Gaza war and the release of Israeli hostages held by Hamas.

The visit followed a trip to Cairo on Thursday by Israeli army chief Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi and Shin Bet domestic intelligence service head Ronen Bar.

Officials in Israel described the latest moves as “an attempt by Egypt to restart the talks” after previous mediation efforts led by Qatar broke down. They told the Egyptian delegation that Israel was ready to give hostage negotiations “one last chance” to reach a deal before moving forward with an invasion of the southern city of Rafah.

“Israel told Egypt that it is serious about preparations for the operation in Rafah and that it will not let Hamas drag its feet,” one official said.

Egypt is concerned about a potential influx of Palestinian refugees from Gaza if the war continues with the long-threatened Israeli offensive into Rafah, and has taken an increasingly active role in the negotiations.

“The Egyptians are really picking up the mantle on this. Egypt wants to see progress, not least because it’s worried about a prospective Rafah operation,” the official said.

Israel was increasingly looking past Qatar as a main broker, according to the official, after it failed to respond to Israeli demands to expel Hamas leaders from its territory or curb their finances.

“Qatar is still involved but in a lesser capacity,” the official said. “It’s clear to everyone they failed to deliver, even when it came to expelling Hamas or even shutting down their bank accounts.”

Hamas officials said they still considered Qatar a key mediator, alongside Egypt.

White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said he saw fresh momentum in the talks.

“I believe that there is a renewed effort … to try to find a way forward,” he said “Do I think that there is … new life in these hostage talks? I believe there is.” 

No new proposals

An official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Israel had no new proposals to make, although it was willing to consider a limited truce in which 33 hostages would be released by Hamas, instead of the 40 previously under discussion.

“There are no current hostage talks between Israel and Hamas, nor is there a new Israeli offer in that regard,” the official said. “What there is, is an attempt by Egypt to restart the talks with an Egyptian proposal that would entail the release of 33 hostages — women, elderly and infirm.”

According to Israeli media reports, Israeli intelligence officials believe there are 33 female, elderly and sick hostages left alive in Gaza, out of a total of 133 still being held by Hamas and other Palestinian militant groups.

There was no decision on how long any truce would last but if such an exchange were agreed, the pause in fighting would be “definitely less than six weeks,” the official said.

The visit by the Egyptian delegation came a day after the United States and 17 other countries appealed to Hamas to release all of its hostages as a pathway to end the crisis in Gaza. Hamas vowed not to relent to international pressure.

Hamas said it was “open to any ideas or proposals that take into account the needs and rights of our people.” However it stuck to central demands Israel has rejected, and said it criticized the statement for not calling for a permanent ceasefire and the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza.