MANSEHRA: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Inspector General of Police (IGP) Zulfiqar Hameed on Saturday said that ensuring the security of Chinese nationals working on energy and other development projects across the province remained his department’s top priority.

“You should carry out your work with complete peace of mind and without any security concerns, as we have put in place a multi-layered security system for your protection,” he told Chinese engineers working on the Balakot hydropower project.

Accompanied by Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of Police Hazara Range Nasir Mehmood Satti, the IGP visited various sections of the project and reviewed the security arrangements.

Mr Hameed said the Chinese nationals were contributing to Pakistan’s development by executing major energy projects aimed at helping meet the country’s growing electricity needs and further strengthening the Pakistan-China friendship.

Reviews security measures at Balakot hydropower project

“Our personnel will never hesitate to lay down their lives to ensure your safety and security,” the IGP said.

Meanwhile, Mr Hameed also visited the digital facilitation centre in Balakot and told the ceremony that the police department was not only at the forefront of the fight against militancy but also providing digital facilitation services to citizens across the province in a better and more effective way.

“We are carrying forward the legacy of our martyred personnel, who laid down their lives while combating militancy in the province. At the same time, we have launched welfare schemes and public services that benefit both the families of police personnel and the general public,” he said.

The IGP said the police were continuing their operations against terrorists across the province.

“Hazara is generally a peaceful division, and the police have established facilitation centres throughout the region to provide quality services to the public through a one-window operation,” he said.

He said a total of 19 Police Facilitation Centres (PFCs), including six in Mansehra, one each in Torghar, Kolai-Palas and Upper Kohistan, two each in Lower Kohistan and Battagram, and three each in Abbottabad and Haripur, were established to provide services under one roof.

Meanwhile, an oil shop and a hotel were gutted, while a tourist coach was reduced to ashes after a fire, reportedly triggered by an explosion during the refuelling of petrol, engulfed part of the Barawai tourist resort in Kaghan Valley on Saturday.

“We have launched an investigation. According to initial findings, two shops and a coach were destroyed, while tourists rushed to safer places as the fire spread rapidly through the area,” a police official said.

Witnesses said the fire apparently broke out when petrol was being illegally dispensed into a container, triggering an explosion that caused the flames to spread to nearby buildings.

A tourist coach parked near the site, an oil shop and a hotel caught fire, forcing tourists, traders and local residents to flee to safety.

The witnesses alleged that Rescue 1122 personnel reached the scene without a fire tender and initially struggled to control the blaze, which continued to rage for several hours before it was brought under control.

“We heard an explosion, although it was not very powerful. Soon afterwards, flames and thick smoke rose high into the sky,” an eyewitness said.

According to the police, personnel rushed to the site after receiving information about the incident and cordoned off the area while the fire was still burning.

“We have secured the area and deployed personnel to keep tourists and residents away from the site because petrol and other petroleum products are highly inflammable,” a police report stated.

The police registered a case and launched an investigation into the alleged sale of petroleum products from the shop without adequate safety precautions.

“If the investigation establishes that petroleum products were being sold without the required license and government approval, those responsible will be acted against in accordance with the law,” the report said.

An official of Rescue 1122 said the department’s station in Naran didn’t have any fire tender.

Published in Dawn, July 19th, 2026