MUZAFFARABAD, July 11: The federal government has warned the Azad Jammu and Kashmir and the provincial governments to take adequate security measures to protect Chinese nationals.

“The (federal) interior ministry feels that security for the Chinese is insufficient or unsatisfactory in some districts and needs to be upgraded to avert any untoward incident,” an official told Dawn here on Wednesday.

The fresh warning followed the one issued earlier this week whereby all the five governments were asked to provide highest security to foreigners in view of the situation in Islamabad.

Azad Kashmir’s Inspector-General of Police Shahid Hasan said that his department had already taken stringent measures to provide extra security cover to the Chinese working at the Mangla Dam upraising project in Mirpur.

“We have reinforced the already dedicated security cover in the light of federal government directives,” he said.

The IGP said that around 50 Chinese workers, engaged at the Mangla reservoir extension project, were living in a separate residential colony, which was protected by a police force led by a senior official.

“Security forces have been strictly ordered not to leave any loophole in the security of foreigners, particularly the Chinese,” he said.