26 October 2004	Tuesday	11 Ramazan 1425

RAWALPINDI, Oct 25: Government has directed the law- enforcement agencies to step up security at Japanese embassy in Islamabad and other installations in the country in wake of recent Chinese hostage crisis, a security source told Dawn on Monday.

The source said Japanese authorities had asked Pakistan not only to beef up security around Japanese installations across the country, but also provide security to its nationals working on different projects.

In view of the request, the federal government have also directed the agencies to enhance security for the Japanese engineers and experts working on different projects, especially in the NWFP and Balochistan, he added.

Japanese experts have been working on several health, community development and solid waste management projects.

Foreign Office Spokesman Masood Khan, when contacted, said he had no knowledge of any such request by the Japanese authorities regarding enhanced security.

Meanwhile, when a senior security official was contacted, he said security for all the foreigners either residing in Islamabad or other parts of the country had already been tightened after the killing of a Chinese engineer. However, he said in line with the government's latest instructions the security had been stepped up further for the Japan embassy.