BEIJING/PESHAWAR: A top law enforcement source reported on Tuesday that police had detained over a dozen individuals, including Afghan nationals, in relation to a suicide bombing that claimed the lives of five Chinese engineers and their driver last week.
A bomber struck and destroyed the car carrying the engineers and their Pakistani driver as they were making their way to the Dasu hydroelectric project, which was being built in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa by a Chinese company.
The police source told AFP, “More than a dozen suspected individuals have been taken into custody,” on condition of anonymity. “Among the apprehended suspects are some Afghan nationals.”
Islamabad has attributed the current surge in assaults in Pakistan to Afghanistan, blaming the Afghan Taliban regime for its alleged inability to control militants who support their cause. The Kabul-based Taliban government has consistently denied providing terrorists with a safe haven.
The senior police source did, however, state that “initial evidence suggests the involvement” of the Taliban’s domestic chapter in Pakistan, which is believed to have strong ties to the Afghan Taliban. Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), as the group is known, has openly denied any role in last Tuesday’s attack.
Islamabad was quick to respond diplomatically in response to the incident, wanting to safeguard the billion-dollar investments Beijing had promised as part of its “Belt and Road” plan.
Amidst an increase in attacks, China stated on Tuesday that it was fully in favor of Pakistan’s counterterrorism efforts.
At his routine briefing, Wang Wenbin, a spokesman for the Chinese foreign ministry, stated that China “firmly supports Pakistan’s counterterrorism efforts.”
The spokesman declared that China would offer all support required for the investigation into the terrorist act in Dasu.
“China has been in close communication with Pakistan since the attack,” the statement stated. “We hope that Pakistan will get to the bottom of what happened with the utmost resolve and efforts.”
Wenbin stated that China strongly protected Chinese nationals, projects, and institutions abroad in terms of safety and security. He declared, “The terrorists will pay the price,” and added, “China will provide Pakistan the necessary assistance in the investigation of the case.”
At a Monday visit to Chinese laborers at the Dasu construction site, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif pledged that Pakistan “will not leave any stone unturned” to ensure their safety.
“I will not rest until we have put in place the best possible security measures,” he stated to employees. “I promise that the offenders will be apprehended by our capable hands very shortly.
