Pakistan arrests 11 militants in deadly attack on Chinese engineers

Pakistan detains 11 militants linked to fatal attack on Chinese engineers

Photo : AFP

Pakistani officials have announced the arrest of eleven militants linked to the deadly suicide attack in March that targeted Chinese engineers.

In response to these arrests, Beijing has urged Islamabad to continue its investigation. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning emphasized on Monday the importance China places on Pakistan’s progress in the matter.

"China supports Pakistan in fully uncovering the details of the incident and ensuring that all perpetrators are brought to justice," she stated.

The suicide attack, which occurred on March 26, claimed the lives of five Chinese engineers and their Pakistani driver. They were traveling to work at the Dasu dam in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province when a suicide bomber drove an explosive-laden vehicle into their convoy.

Pakistan has accused Afghanistan of being a base for militants who launch attacks on its soil, an allegation the Taliban has consistently denied. Islamabad asserts that the suicide bomber in this case was an Afghan national.

"The attack on Chinese engineers in Shangla (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa) is not isolated. Multiple attacks have been carried out by Afghan nationals in Pakistan, with their bodies identified as such," explained Abdullah Khan, a researcher at the Pakistan Institute of Conflict and Security Studies, in an interview with VOA.

Due to increasing security threats, Pakistani officials have implemented protocols that require Chinese nationals to register their residential addresses and provide information about their movements within the country.

Both Baloch separatist groups and Islamist militants have targeted Chinese interests and personnel in the resource-rich regions of Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. These groups have previously claimed responsibility for attacks on Chinese nationals and projects.

Earlier this month, the Pakistani army announced that it was conducting 100 intelligence-based operations daily as part of its counterterrorism efforts.

In 2021, Islamist militants attacked a bus carrying workers to the same hydropower project, killing 13 people, including at least nine Chinese nationals. The perpetrators were subsequently sentenced to death.

No group has yet claimed responsibility for the latest suicide attack in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. On May 23, Pakistan announced that it would pay $2.58 million in compensation to the victims of the March attack.

Pakistan hosts numerous Chinese workers involved in projects under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), which includes $62 billion in Chinese investments. However, Pakistani officials have noted a slowdown in these projects in recent years.

Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif is scheduled to visit Beijing in early June to encourage China to revitalize the CPEC initiative, according to media reports.