The recent suicide attack in Gwadar on a motorcade carrying Chinese nationals in addition to the horrific Dasu bus incident that claimed the lives of nine Chinese engineers leaves little doubt that terrorist groups have added China’s citizens in Pakistan to their hit list. China is a crucial ally for Pakistan and clearly efforts are being made by our enemies to derail this long standing relationship, which must be thwarted at all costs. However, so far, Pakistan’s response, both diplomatic and in terms of action taken to track down and capture the perpetrators of these attacks has left much to be desired. Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi trying to sell the theory that the bus exploding was the result of a fault in the vehicle rather than a bomb, only to concede later that it was in fact an act of terrorism was an easily avoidable faux pas. China however is naturally taking the matter much more seriously, its embassy in Islamabad issuing a strongly worded statement asking Pakistan to take “practical and effective measure”. Moreover, it has deputed their State Councilor and Minister of Public Security to continue the investigation based on ‘fact and evidence’. It is therefore clear that not only is China quite upset over its citizens falling victim to terrorism on Pakistani but the lax attitude shown by the PTI government, has irked them further.
An uptick in terrorism in the country owning to the deteriorating situation in Afghanistan that has escalated the threat level posed by groups such as the TTP coupled with elements such as the Baloch Liberation Army poses serious national security challenges. More attacks would surely jeopardize CPEC, a crucial economic activity generator whose success is of paramount importance to both countries. Intelligence based operations must therefore be carried out to ensure the safety of Chinese citizens. Pakistan must remain a peaceful country where foreign nationals feel safe. Otherwise, it will become increasingly difficult to maintain healthy strategic ties with useful allies, not to mention the economic impact if countries such as China start pulling out their investments.
