A Pakistani official disclosed on Friday (Mar 29) that China had ceased construction on two significant dam projects in Pakistan following a suicide bombing in the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province earlier this week, which resulted in the deaths of five Chinese engineers.
According to a senior official from the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa interior department, who spoke to the news agency AFP, “They have demanded new security plans from the government.”
The attack
On Tuesday (March 26), Pakistani police reported that a suicide bomber targeted a convoy of five Chinese engineers working on a dam project in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The engineers, along with their Pakistani driver, were en route from Islamabad to their camp at the dam construction site in Dasu when the bombing occurred. The incident claimed the lives of the engineers and the Pakistani driver. This marked the third significant attack on Chinese interests in Pakistan within a week. The previous assaults targeted a Pakistan naval air base and a strategic port utilized by China in Balochistan province, where Beijing has substantial investments in infrastructure projects.
China called upon Pakistan to conduct a thorough investigation into the suicide bombing.
Call for a joint probe
Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, on Wednesday, advocated for a joint investigation by military and civilian officials into the attack. Information Minister Attaullah Tarar informed Reuters that Prime Minister Sharif chaired a meeting of military and civilian officials to assess security measures for safeguarding Chinese nationals and their interests. However, no further details regarding the meeting were provided.
No group has claimed responsibility for Tuesday’s suicide bombing.
Dasu, the location of a major dam, has previously experienced attacks, notably a bus explosion in 2021 that resulted in 13 casualties, including nine Chinese individuals. Nonetheless, no group took responsibility for that incident.
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