ISLAMABAD: Pakistan will compensate the families of five Chinese nationals who lost their lives in a terror attack near Besham, Swat (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa) on March 25, 2024, with a total of $2.5 million, according to sources reported by Business Recorder.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, preparing for an upcoming visit to Beijing aimed at enhancing cooperation and launching the second phase of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), has directed that the compensatory payments be expedited.
Following the attack on a bus carrying Chinese workers from the Dasu hydropower project, the Chinese government called for a thorough investigation and enhanced security measures for its citizens in Pakistan.
The Pakistani government condemned the attack and vowed to bring the perpetrators to justice. Islamabad claimed the terrorists originated from Afghanistan, leading to some arrests. The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) described the attack, which resulted in six fatalities, including five Chinese nationals, as a deliberate attempt to disrupt Pakistan’s strategic relationship with China.
In response to security lapses, several police and security officials have been dismissed. Major General Ahmed Sharif of ISPR stated that the bomber, an Afghan national, carried out the suicide attack, a claim rejected by Afghanistan’s Taliban Defense Ministry.
In a similar incident in January 2022, Pakistan compensated 36 Chinese nationals affected by a terror attack on the Dasu project with $11.6 million.
Story by Mushtaq Ghumman
