According to Radio Pakistan, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif traveled to Dasu in Upper Kohistan on Monday to meet with engineers from the Chinese firm involved in the dam project.
Days have passed since the March 26 suicide attack that claimed the lives of five Chinese engineers and their Pakistani driver as they were traveling from Islamabad to Dasu, the northwest Khyber Pakhtunkhwa region, where a hydroelectric dam was being built. The Shangla district of Bisham city, KP, is where the bus was attacked.
Significantly, this attack was one of several that took place in a few days that were directed at Chinese interests. These attacks included ones at the Gwadar Port Authority Complex and the Turbat naval facility, two locations crucial to the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). The increasing security concerns that Chinese personnel and projects in Pakistan face were highlighted by these recurrent strikes.
China demanded security for its citizens and a comprehensive investigation into the devastating bombing in response to the Bisham assault. Islamabad retaliated by announcing a prompt investigation to bring the “perpetrators and accomplices” to justice.
The Chinese Ambassador to Pakistan, Jiang Zaidong, reportedly joined the premier on his visit to Dasu, according to a report by the official television.
According to the source, the premier would convey his sympathies and support to the Chinese workers and engineers on the recent terrorist assault that targeted Chinese people in Bisham.
It stated, “On this occasion, the prime minister will also speak with Chinese engineers and laborers.”
Attack on Bisham
The bus was being attacked on the Karakoram Highway while it was traveling from Islamabad to Kohistan, according to the police. Bisham Sub Divisional Police Officer (SDPO) Juma Rehman told Dawn, “It was a suicide attack on the Chinese convoy and an explosive-laden vehicle approaching from Kohistan hit the bus.” The bus caught fire after the attack, according to SDPO Rehman, and plummeted into a ravine.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and members of his cabinet paid a visit to the Chinese embassy shortly after the bombing, assuring Beijing that its citizens would be secure and promising a thorough investigation into the suicide bombing.
On March 27, the government reaffirmed its commitment to vigorously confront terrorism by utilizing all of the state’s resources and apprehending those responsible as soon as possible. The government also made the decision to establish a joint investigative team (JIT) to look into the attack in response to the Chinese government’s demand that the event be looked into immediately and that those responsible be held accountable.
The Foreign Office then declared that the attack will not affect the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) or any other part of bilateral cooperation between China and Pakistan.
Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi met with a team of Chinese detectives investigating the Bisham incident on Friday. The minister visited the Chinese embassy in Islamabad, according to a statement released by the Ministry of Interior, where he updated the team on the investigation’s current status and gave them a briefing on the investigation’s ongoing work.
