New evidence has surfaced about the abduction and reported murder of two Chinese nationals by the militant Islamic State (IS) group in Quetta.The Interior Ministry has cancelled the visa of a South Korean national who it had earlier linked to the abduction incident. Reports have surfaced that the Chinese national had gone to Quetta and were engaged in preaching under the garb of learning Urdu from a Korean national, Juan Won Seo, owner of ARK Info Tech.The Ministry has said that they were offered security but they refused to accept the offer and that they are not sure that the couple had been killed or were only missing.
There are two implications for the government.Firstly, there is a need to know clearly who is coming into Pakistan, where they are travelling and what is their business.The second is more serious; foreigners are being killed and kidnapped on Pakistani soil and there is no clarity on why.That they were breaking the requirements of their visa’s is no justification for them going missing, or being killed.If we do not keep on top of our security or have reliable intelligence, we only damage our own reputation and economic benefit.
While the lack of clarity on the part of the Ministry over what really happened (was it IS? Are they alive?) is disturbing, there is only so much that we can even blame the government for at this stage.It is no secret or surprise for people travelling to Pakistan that parts of Pakistan are not safe.There is need for some individual human culpability here.Disregarding ones visa guidelines, deviating from legal business to “preaching”, and refusing security, are hardly smart decisions to make in a foreign land.But there still one hole in the story.
What were they preaching and to who? The Korean link leads to speculation of Christian evangelicalism.South Korea is second to the US in sending missionaries to other countries.
It was found that the two dead Chinese nationals were preaching Christianity, it’s the IS terrorists who should be blamed for their assault on them.We need our moral compass straight on this, these are times of change, and all sorts of new influences will be imported in once CPEC is ready.Preaching using a business permit is illegal, but killing, kidnapping and violence by vigilantes and terrorists is ethically and morally many degrees worse. http://nation.com.pk/editorials/19-Jun-2017/new-evangelicals
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