China has urged Pakistan to conduct a thorough investigation into a suicide bombing that claimed the lives of five Chinese nationals working on a dam project in Pakistan’s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.
The attack occurred when a suicide bomber targeted a convoy of Chinese engineers travelling from Islamabad to a camp in Dasu, where the dam project is located, international media quoted a local police officer as saying.
The victims of the attack included five Chinese construction workers and engineers, along with the Pakistani driver of the vehicle.
The incident is widely viewed as an attempt to disrupt the close relationship between China and Pakistan, upon which Pakistan’s economic stability heavily relies.
China has been investing billions of dollars in energy, infrastructure, and other projects in Pakistan as part of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, under the broader framework of the Belt and Road Initiative.
Many of these projects involve the deployment of hundreds of Chinese engineers and technicians, particularly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan provinces.
Following the attack, the Chinese Embassy in Islamabad immediately initiated emergency measures, urging the Pakistani government to conduct a thorough investigation, punish the perpetrators severely, and take effective measures to ensure the safety of Chinese citizens in Pakistan.
Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif vowed to conduct a high-level investigation into the incident and bring the culprits to justice.
