PESHAWAR, Pakistan – A devastating event unfolded on Tuesday as a suicide bomber killed five Chinese nationals and their Pakistani driver. The officials reported that an explosive-filled car targeted a vehicle in Shangla, a district of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. The attacked vehicle was carrying engineers and construction workers who were employed at the Dasu Dam, Pakistan’s most significant hydropower project.
Local police and government officers recovered the bodies and transferred them to a nearby hospital, followed by an extensive search operation in the area for potential accomplices. Investigation around this act of terror was initiated promptly, though no specific group claimed responsibility for the act. The likelihood of Baluch separatists being involved is strong because of their history of similar previous attacks.
This attack came shortly after Pakistani security forces eliminated eight militants from the Baluchistan Liberation Army when they threatened a convoy of Chinese citizens at Gwadar port in Baluchistan. The BLA has a record of advocating independence from the Pakistan government in Islamabad.
The political and military leadership of Pakistan swiftly condemned this act of violence. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif visited the Chinese Embassy and denounced the attack. While offering his condolences to the victim’s families, Sharif promised a comprehensive investigation and guaranteed that the perpetrators would face severe punishment.
Similarly, the Chinese Embassy also voiced their condemnation and urged Pakistan to take strict action against the culprits. This tragic incident also received denouncement from Pakistan’s Interior Minister, Mohsin Naqvi, who expressed that this direct attack on Chinese friends of Pakistan is despicable.
There has been a significant increase in violence against Chinese laborers working on CPEC-related projects in Pakistan. However, the government ensures that such acts of violence will not deter their determination to uproot terrorism from their country.