RAWALPINDI, Aug 24: A Chinese attaché was taken into custody by Airport Security Force (ASF) after he tried to enter the International Passengers Departure Lounge on a “fake protocol entry pass” at Benazir Bhutto airport on Friday, though later he was freed, sources said.

A senior security official  asking not to be named said that the Chinese attaché who was identified as Mr Jiang Ying Peng was spotted acting suspiciously by the ASF official as he entered the departure lounge, during check-in of Chinese Southern Airlines flight on Friday by showing a protocol entry pass at the gate.

As he walked inside the lounge he was intercepted by ASF security staff, who asked him to show his protocol pass, if he had been an attaché, in addition to his original embassy card having his photograph.

After a brief reluctance he handed over the protocol entry pass and his original embassy card. After verification, the protocol entry pass turned out to be the first secretary’s pass. It was issued to the first secretary Mr Evan Zhoongsi.

At this stage, the ASF staff took Mr Jiang Ying Peng into custody, confiscated the protocol pass and shifted him to the ASF’s control room. “Though he tried to get the pass back,  his effort proved unproductive as it was confiscated by the ASF,” the senior security official said.