A team of Chinese investigators arrived in Pakistan to join the probe into a suicide attack that killed five Chinese nationals earlier in the week. The attack occurred as the engineers and workers were en route to the Dasu Dam, the largest hydropower project in northwest Pakistan. A Pakistani driver also lost his life in the attack in Shangla, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. Beijing condemned the incident and urged Pakistan to conduct a thorough investigation to ensure the safety of thousands of Chinese nationals working on the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor.
Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi briefed the Chinese investigators on Pakistan’s ongoing investigations into the attack. Preliminary findings were shared with the Chinese embassy earlier, although no group has claimed responsibility for the attack yet. Chinese nationals working on CPEC-related projects in Pakistan have been targeted in the past. In July 2021, a suicide bomber killed 13 people, including nine Chinese nationals, near a bus transporting Chinese and Pakistani engineers and laborers. In response, Chinese companies temporarily suspended work on projects in the region, highlighting the security concerns facing foreign workers in Pakistan.
Pakistan has vowed to conduct DNA tests on the remains of the suicide bomber responsible for the attack on the Chinese workers, in an effort to gather more information about the perpetrator. The Chinese government has called for heightened security measures to protect its nationals working in Pakistan, as well as a thorough investigation to identify and hold those responsible for the violence. The attack on the workers heading to the Dasu Dam project has raised concerns about the safety of foreigners working on large-scale infrastructure projects in Pakistan, particularly along the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor.
The cooperation between Chinese and Pakistani investigators underscores the joint efforts to uncover the motives and perpetrators behind the recent attack. Pakistani officials have been collaborating with the Chinese embassy to share information and findings from their investigations, in order to address the security risks facing foreign workers in the country. The presence of Chinese nationals working on CPEC-related projects has made them vulnerable to attacks, as demonstrated by the recent incidents targeting Chinese workers in Pakistan.
The string of attacks against Chinese nationals in Pakistan underscores the security challenges facing foreign workers in the country, particularly those involved in large-scale infrastructure projects like the Dasu Dam. The willingness of Chinese investigators to join the probe and the collaboration between Chinese and Pakistani authorities signal a shared commitment to uncovering the truth behind the recent violence. Both countries are working together to ensure the safety of Chinese nationals working on CPEC projects and to hold those responsible for the attacks accountable for their actions.
