China has urged for a “thorough investigation” following the death of five of its citizens in an assault on a convoy in Bisham tehsil of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Shangla, as reported by Dawn.
According to Geo News, the deputy inspector general of police (DIG) for Malakand stated on Tuesday that a suicide bomber rammed his vehicle, packed with explosives, into the car carrying the Chinese nationals.
The attack resulted in the deaths of five Chinese nationals. Additionally, a Pakistani driver who sustained injuries was transferred to a local hospital, where he also passed away due to his injuries.
The official further mentioned that the Chinese nationals were engineers traveling from Islamabad to the Dasu camp in Kohistan.
The Chinese embassy in Pakistan has called for investigations into the attack and urged for “severe punishment” for those responsible.
“The Chinese embassy and consulates in Pakistan have immediately launched emergency work, demanding that the Pakistani side conduct a thorough investigation into the attack, severely punish the perpetrators and take practical and effective measures to protect the safety of Chinese citizens,” the embassy said in a statement.
According to Dawn, in a previous incident in July 2021, 13 people, including nine Chinese nationals, lost their lives when a coach transporting them to an under-construction tunnel site of the 4,300-megawatt Dasu hydropower project plunged into a ravine in the Upper Kohistan area following an explosion.
Despite initially labeling the incident as an accident, the Pakistan government later acknowledged the presence of explosives, with the then information minister stating that “terrorism could not be ruled out.”
In November 2022, an anti-terrorism court in Hazara sentenced two individuals to death after convicting them of plotting the attack.
Pakistan’s Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR) stated in a release that the Bisham incident, along with recent terrorist attacks in Turbat and Gwadar, were “dastardly acts aimed at destabilising the internal security situation.”
“The whole nation stands in solidarity with our Chinese brothers and unequivocally condemns this cowardly act,” it added.
Pakistan’s Foreign office stated the attack was orchestrated by the “enemies of Pakistan-China friendship,” reiterating that the government would “resolutely act against all such forces and defeat them,” as reported by Dawn.
“The people and government of Pakistan stand shoulder-to-shoulder with our Chinese friends in this difficult time and extend sincere condolences to the families of the Chinese nationals killed in the attack,” the Foreign Office said in a statement.
“Pakistan and China are close friends and iron brothers. The life and safety of Chinese nationals in Pakistan is of paramount importance. Pakistan will continue to work with our Chinese brothers in ensuring the safety and security of Chinese nationals, projects and institutions in Pakistan,” it concluded.