China joins probe into suicide attack on its nationals

ISLAMABAD: Chinese investigators arrived in Pakistan on Friday to join a probe into the killing of five Chinese nationals in a suicide attack, Pakistan’s interior ministry said, seeking to stem assaults threatening Islamabad’s drive to modernise the economy.

Tuesday’s incident was the third major attack in little over a week on China’s interests in Pakistan, where Beijing has invested more than $65 billion in infrastructure projects as part of its wider Belt and Road initiative.

Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi met the Chinese team of investigators at Beijing’s embassy and briefed them on the investigation so far, the statement said.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the latest attack, in which a suicide bomber rammed a vehicle into a convoy of Chinese engineers working on a hydropower project at Dasu in Pakistan’s northwest, killing six people.

Meanwhile, briefing a special investigation team of China, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi Friday expressed the government’s resolve to bring culprits of Bisham terrorist attack to justice at all costs

The development comes after a terror attack in Shangla’s Bisham city claimed the lives of at least six people, including five Chinese engineers, working on the Dasu Dam, earlier this week.

The victims were killed when an explosive-laden vehicle hit the bus carrying them on the Karakoram Highway in the Bisham area on Tuesday.

During his interaction with the Beijing’s probe team at Chinese Embassy in Islamabad, the security czar informed them about the progress made so far in the investigations into the tragic incident.

Measures pertaining to protection of Chinese nationals and overall security were also discussed on the occasion.

The federal minister also met the Chinese ambassador and updated him on the probe into Besham incident.

In the meantime, civil work at the sites of the Dasu and Diamer-Bhasha Dams has been temporarily suspended by the Chinese companies overseeing operations due to security concerns.

Approximately 991 Chinese engineers were working on both projects, while the local staff has been told to stay at home till further instructions, an official working on the project confirmed to the publication.

Similarly, GM Diamer-Bhasha Dam (DBD) Nazakat Hussain also confirmed that the Chinese company had suspended work on the dam. He said around 500 Chinese nationals were engaged in DBD but the FWO staff continues to work. Around 6,000 locals are busy in dam construction.

He hoped that the situation would normalise in a few days, leading to the return of Chinese employees. The Diamer-Bhasha Dam would produce 4,800 MW of electricity through hydropower generation.

However, the GM of Mohmand Dam Asim Rauf told The News that 250 Chinese continue to work on the Mohmand Dam and they have not stopped work. “Chinese have shown satisfaction over the security situation in the project area and they are working on the site,” the official said.

Meanwhile, China vowed to continue to develop bilateral cooperation with Pakistan and complete second phase of China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) with high quality development in collaboration with Pakistan.

It has announced to resume work forthwith on the Tarbela Dam extension project where work was halted in the wake of killing of five Chinese engineers in the Bisham suicide attack four days back.

The Chinese administration has issued instructions for resumption of work in the project. The Power Construction Corporation of China that is engaged on the project has issued a circular on Thursday asking workers and office staff to be back to work after short time suspension. They would be paid the remuneration of the suspended days. Chinese Foreign Ministry in its an earlier statement assured Pakistan in clear terms that China would continue to develop bilateral cooperation and promote the second phase of CPEC with high quality development in collaboration with Pakistan. Anti-Pakistan social media claimed that following the attack a Chinese company stopped civil works and let go of hundreds of workers at the hydropower plant. The Thursday order from the Chinese construction company dispelled the negative campaign that was perpetrating on the social media.

Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif, Foreign Minister Senator Muhammad Ishaq Dar, Interior Minister Syed Mohsin Naqvi and Information Minister Ataullah Tarar, immediately upon receiving report about the incident rushed to Chinese embassy by calling off their schedule.