China stops work on two major dam projects of Pakistan after suicide bomb attack kills 5 civilians
A suicide bomber rammed his explosives-packed car into a vehicle in northwestern Pakistan on Tuesday, killing five Chinese nationals and their Pakistani driver, police and government officials said. (Image: AP Photo)
Chinese contractors have urged the Pakistan government to implement better safety and said work will resume only after being assured about the measures taken.
Chinese contractors halted construction on two major dam projects in Pakistan after a suicide bomb attack this week killed five Chinese engineers and a Pakistani driver. The companies are demanding Pakistan authorities take new safety measures before reopening sites where about 1,250 Chinese nationals are working.
The safety of Chinese workers is important to both Beijing and Islamabad, as terrorists are often targeted by Chinese citizens who remain hostile to outside influence.
A suicide bomber targeted workers on Tuesday by ramming an explosives-laden vehicle onto a mountain road near one of the dam sites. The suicide bomber detonated the explosives and plunged his vehicle into a deep gorge.
China Gezhouba Group Company has halted work on the Dasu Dam in the province and Power China has halted work on the Diamer Bhasha Dam, Pakistani news media outlets reported as well. AFP The report quoted a senior Khyber Pakhtunkhwa official.
“They have demanded new security plans from the government. About 750 Chinese engineers are engaged in the Dasu Dam project, while 500 are working on the Diamer Bhasha Dam,” he said.
The movement of Chinese engineers has been restricted to the premises where they live, close to the sites, he added. China this week repeatedly urged Pakistan to ensure the safety of its citizens.
Chinese engineers are still working at the Mohmand Dam site in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Resentment against China is not a new phenomenon in often-conflict Pakistan, even though Beijing is Islamabad’s closest regional ally and has readily provided financial assistance to the country.
China has signed contracts worth more than two trillion dollars worldwide under its Belt and Road investment plan, with billions of dollars invested in infrastructure projects in Pakistan.
But Pakistanis have long complained that they are not getting a fair share of the jobs or wealth created by the projects.
Tuesday’s attack prompted a flurry of diplomatic activity at the Chinese embassy in Islamabad, with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and the foreign and interior ministers immediately expressing condolences.
China’s Foreign Ministry declared the countries “iron-clad friends” but asked Pakistan to “take effective measures to ensure the safety of Chinese citizens, projects and institutions.”
The attack on Tuesday came days after militants attempted to attack the offices of the Gwadar deep-water port in the south-west. Gwadar deep water port is the base for Chinese investment in Pakistan.
In 2019, gunmen attacked a luxury hotel in Baluchistan province opposite the major Chinese-backed deep-water port in Gwadar, which provides strategic access to the Arabian Sea – killing at least eight people.
In June 2020, Baloch insurgents targeted the Pakistan Stock Exchange in the commercial capital of Karachi, which is partly owned by Chinese companies.
