Terror Strikes: Attack on Chinese Convoy in Pakistan

An unknown attacker drove an explosives-laden vehicle into a convoy of Chinese engineers in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, hours after Baloch rebels attacked a naval base in the Turbat area in Baluchistan province.

A suicide bomber hit his explosives-laden vehicle into a convoy near Besham City in the Northwestern province of Pakistan Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), resulting in the deaths of five Chinese nationals and a Pakistani driver.

This terrifying event occurred on Tuesday (March 26) as the convoy was traveling from Islamabad to Dasu, where a significant hydroelectric dam was being built by a Chinese company, approximately 270 km (167 miles) from the capital. The violent incident took place on the main highway that connects Pakistan to China.

“Our rescue team has successfully recovered the bodies of all six individuals” stated Mr. Bilal Faizi, spokesperson for the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Rescue 1122 department.

Rescue officials reported that the vehicle transporting the Chinese nationals plunged into a ravine following the explosion. At least two bodies were severely burned, complicating the identification process.

As of now, no militant group has claimed responsibility for the attack. China, a close ally of Pakistan, has made substantial investments in various projects in the South Asian nations including Pakistan. However, the security of Chinese nationals working on these projects is frequently jeopardized by several armed groups in the region. In 2021, a bomb attack on a bus in Dasu resulted in the deaths of 13 people, including nine Chinese nationals. Dasu is approximately 80 km (49 miles) further Northwest of Besham, where Tuesday’s (March 26) suicide attack occurred, marking the third such incident in a week.

Earlier, on Monday night (March 25), separatist fighters launched an attack on a naval airbase in the Turbat area of the Southwestern province of Baluchistan. The attack resulted in the death of at least one paramilitary soldier. Officials stated that all five terrorists were also killed in retaliatory gunfire.

The Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), known for its involvement in numerous attacks on Pakistani and Chinese interests in the region and beyond, claimed responsibility for the Turbat naval base attack.

A week earlier, the BLA carried out another attack in Gwadar, a port city in Baluchistan, resulting in the deaths of two soldiers and eight BLA fighters. Gwadar is a key component of the $62 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project, which is Pakistan’s most ambitious infrastructure and investment endeavor in recent years.

In a statement, President Mr. Asif Ali Zardari condemned the attack on Chinese nationals, stating, “Anti-Pakistan elements will never succeed in harming the Pakistan-China friendship.”

Interior Minister Mr. Mohsin Naqvi while commenting on the tragic incident stated that “enemies” had targeted the citizens of Pakistan’s extremely trusted friendly country and its people. “This was not just an attack on Chinese citizens but also on Pakistan,” Interior Minister Mr. Mohsin Naqvi added.

Prime Minister Mr. Shehbaz Sharif, who assumed power for the second time earlier this month, is expected to visit China next month.

Beijing promptly condemned the incident as a terrorist attack and urged Pakistani authorities to apprehend the perpetrators.

The victims were en route to the Chinese-funded Dasu hydropower project, which is under construction in the district of Kohistan when a bomber traveling from the opposite direction struck their convoy.

In a statement, the Chinese Embassy in Islamabad called for the Pakistani government to promptly conduct a comprehensive investigation into the deadly bombing.

The Chinese embassy urged Pakistani authorities to “take practical and effective measures to protect the safety of Chinese citizens, institutions, and projects to prevent such incidents from happening again.”

Prime Minister Mr. Shehbaz Sharif visited the Chinese Embassy to offer condolences over the deaths of Chinese nationals in the suicide attack, as stated by the PM’s office in Islamabad.

The Foreign Ministry of Pakistan condemned the brutal killing of Chinese citizens. “The Basham attack was orchestrated by the enemies of Pakistan-China friendship. We will resolutely act against all such forces and defeat them,” the Pakistani foreign ministry stated in a declaration. “Pakistan will continue to collaborate with our Chinese counterparts to guarantee the safety and security of Chinese nationals, projects, and institutions in Pakistan”, said in a statement issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Mr. Mushahid Hussain Syed, the head of the Islamabad-based independent Pakistan-China Institute, characterized the heartbreaking attack as a “monumental security breach”. The former Pakistani senator criticized the current allied government in comments posted on X (Twitter), stating that Islamabad’s commitments to provide “foolproof security” to Chinese workers “ring hollow” in the face of repeated high-profile attacks on them.

This is not the first time Chinese nationals have come under attack in the mountainous region. In mid-2021, a suicide car bombing targeted a bus convoy of Chinese engineers working on Pakistan’s largest hydropower project, resulting in the deaths of nine Chinese nationals and three of their local colleagues.

Thousands of Chinese engineers and laborers are currently employed in Pakistan, with many working on projects related to the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).

The CPEC is an integral part of Beijing’s expansive Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) infrastructure program.