In call with Chinese counterpart, Imran assures full probe of bus explosion

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan on Friday assured his Chinese counterpart Li Keqiang of full cooperation in the investigation of this week’s explosion that claimed the lives of 12 people, including nine Chinese workers.

Wednesday’s blast sent the bus carrying Chinese workers to the site of the Dasu Hydropower Project crashing into a ravine in Kohistan district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, where, for several years, Chinese engineers have been working on projects as part of Beijing’s ambitious Belt and Road Initiative.

While initially, Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi had blamed the incident on a mechanical failure, Minister for Information Fawad Chaudhry Thursday revealed that traces of explosives had been detected during the initial investigation.

Fawad further said the prime minister was “personally supervising all developments” and the government was in “close coordination” with the Chinese embassy in Islamabad.

Later that day, Beijing announced it will dispatch investigators to Pakistan, urging Islamabad to punish the perpetrators if it was a terrorist attack.

Today, Keqiang in a phone call with Imran, called on Pakistan to assist the task force, mobilise all necessary measures to find out the facts, and bring those responsible to justice, Chinese state-owned broadcaster CGTN reported.

He further expressed hope that Pakistan will take concrete and effective measures to strengthen the protection of Chinese personnel and institutions and prevent a repeat of similar events in the future.

Imran assured Keqiang that “no effort would be spared to fully investigate the incident,” according to a statement by Prime Minister’s Office.

He expressed condolences over the loss of precious lives of Chinese workers.

CPEC MEETING POSTPONED:

Meanwhile, a joint meeting on the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, which was scheduled for today, has been postponed to a later date after Eidul Adha, said Asim Saleem Bajwa, chairman of the CPEC Authority.

The Dasu project is part of CPEC, a $65 billion project aimed at connecting China’s northwestern Xinjiang province to the port of Gwadar in Balochistan.

Islamabad is a close ally of Beijing, and a large number of Chinese nationals are based in Pakistan to supervise the infrastructure projects. The government has created a special security division for the security of CPEC and its workforce.

In April, a bomb explosion at Zaver Pearl Continental Hotel in Quetta killed at least five people. Chinese ambassador Nong Rong was staying at the hotel but was not present there when the blast occurred.

The proscribed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan had claimed responsibility for the attack.

The Afghanistan-based group has recently claimed a string of attacks not only in tribal regions along the Afghanistan border but also in the cities, including Islamabad.

There have been signs in recent months that the TTP has been regrouping along the Afghan border, claiming frequent clashes with security officials.