Six were murdered in the Bisham suicide assault, five of them were Chinese
Tuesday in the Shangla district’s Bisham region, a suicide bomber targeted a convoy, killing at least six persons, five of them Chinese nationals, according to a top police official.
According to DIG Malakand Mohammad Ali Gandapur, a suicide bomber crashed an explosives-laden car into a convoy of Chinese engineers traveling from Islamabad to their camp in Dasu, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.
“Five Chinese nationals and their Pakistani driver were killed in the attack,” Gandapur stated.
Soon after the incident, a sizable group of law enforcement officers arrived at the scene and roped off the area. As officials look into the attack, traffic on the highway has stopped.
In order to express sympathy for the deaths of Chinese nationals in the suicide assault, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif paid a visit to the Chinese Embassy in Islamabad and spoke with Chinese Ambassador Jiang Zaidong.
The Chinese embassy issued a statement in which it vehemently denounced the terrorist assault and asked Pakistan to look into it properly and take tough measures against those who carried it out.
The statement said, “The Chinese Embassy and Consulates General in Pakistan vehemently denounce this terrorist attack, offer their sincere condolences to the victims and their bereaved families, and are doing everything in their power to work with the Pakistani side to handle the aftermath.”
In addition to stating that the Chinese side is taking all necessary steps to ensure the safety of Chinese citizens, institutions, and projects in Pakistan, as well as to ensure that such incidents will not happen again, the statement said that the Chinese embassy and consulates general in Pakistan have promptly launched an emergency plan.
Chinese nationals and businesses in Pakistan are kindly reminded by the general consulates and embassy of China in Pakistan to closely monitor the security situation, bolster security alerts, fortify security protocols, and take all reasonable safety precautions.
Nine Chinese nationals and four Pakistanis perished and over twenty others were injured in July 2021 after an explosion on board the shuttle bus they were riding in caused it to plummet into a steep ravine.
The Chinese and Pakistani laborers were being transported by bus to the distant Kohistan area of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province, where a tunnel for the Dasu Hydropower Project was still under construction.
The incident was orchestrated, according to then-foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, by the National Directorate of Security (NDS) of Afghanistan and the Indian intelligence organization Research and Analysis Wing (RAW).
The military’s media branch, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), released a strongly worded statement later that evening, stating that “the whole nation stands in solidarity with our Chinese brothers and unequivocally condemns this cowardly act.”
It said that the recent terrorist attacks in Pakistan, particularly those that occurred in Gwadar, Turbat, and Besham, are heinous crimes meant to undermine the country’s internal security. “The military forces successfully prevented the first two assaults, but the most recent incident at Besham claimed the lives of six innocent people, five of whom were Chinese.
Targeted intentionally to impede our growth and cause discontent between Pakistan and its strategic friends and partners, most notably China, are key projects and sensitive areas essential to Pakistan’s economic prosperity and the well-being of its people. Motivated by self-interest, certain international actors actively support and encourage terrorism in Pakistan. Even with their seeming innocence, these components are consistently revealed as sponsors of terror.
“Such horrible acts of violence against foreigners, the military forces, and innocent civilians will not weaken the will of the Pakistani people, security forces, and allies to eradicate the threat of terrorism from our nation. Being on the front lines of the war on terror, Pakistan is arguably the only country that is taking on the global terrorist network head-on with complete commitment and unwavering tenacity.
“We will make sure that everyone who has helped terrorism, whether directly or indirectly, is held accountable and receives their just desserts with the steadfast backing of the strong nation and our unshakable ally China. Together, we can overcome evil and misfortune. INSHALLAH
I am a dedicated student currently in my seventh semester, pursuing a degree in International Relations. Alongside my academic pursuits, I am actively engaged in the professional field as a content writer at the Rangeinn website.
