Khanewal, Pakistan, April 11: Five Chinese engineers were deported to China. The Chinese engineers attacked Pakistani policemen in Khanewal last week when they were stopped from visiting a "red-light" area. They were brought to Lahore from where they were deported to China.

The engineers, who were deported on Tuesday, include the company’s country project manager Xu libing, administation officer Tian Weijun, mate¬rial and equipment engineer Wang Yifan, financial affairs manager Wang Yifan and field engineer Tan Yang, Reported Pakistan Newspaper Dawn, citing a letter written by Khanewal district administration to the Punjab Government. The engineers had violated the security protocol and were unhappy with restrictions on their movement.

Chinese engineers and workers engaged in the construction of M4 Motorway from Bahawalpur to Faisalabad, had clashed with security personnel for trying to stop them from leaving their camp without a security squad. Several video clips making rounds on social media showing Chinese engineers aggressively approaching police officials and attacking them.

Khanewal Commissioner Bilal Butt formed a committee comprising Khanewal Deputy Commissioner Muzaffar Sial and District Police Officer Rizwan Umer Gondal to probe the matter. According to the findings of the committee, the workers should have realised the sensitivity of the situation as the in which camp they reside is in sensitive area. The company must be directed to ensure SOPs regarding security, committee said.

According to the police, The infuriated engineers cut power supply to the police camp established within the main construction camp, said the police. The Chinese workers had stopped work on the project and abandoned heavy machinery and vehicles on various roads in the area. Whereas the Chinese engineers claimed that the Police officials first refrained them from performing their duty and then attacked them. They wrote a letter to Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif narrating their side of the story. They also accused the security in-charge of attempting to hit the Chinese workers with his vehicle. However police officials denied all the allegations of the Chinese officials. In 2016, a clash occurred between the police and Chinese workers because of the same issue. That time also Chinese workers were forced to stay in their camps at night.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Apr 11, 2018 12:02 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).