Beijing reaffirms support to Islamabad in hunting down Dasu attack perpetrators

BEIJING: China has said that it will continue supporting Pakistan in hunting down and punishing the terrorists responsible for the deadly Dasu suicide attack on Chinese nationals.

Addressing a press conference on Monday, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Mao Ning once again reaffirmed its commitment to continue working with Pakistani authorities to strengthen security cooperation and ensure the safety and security of Chinese personnel.

Commenting on the press conference held by Pakistani officials in relation to the suicide attack that killed several Chinese nationals in March, the FO spokesperson said: "We attach great importance to the important press conference made by Pakistan.

Her remarks refer to a joint press conference held by Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi along with National Counter-Terrorism Authority (Necta) officials wherein the minister called on Afghanistan to hand over the militants involved in Dasu attack in which six people including five Chinese nationals were killed after a suicide bomber rammed into their vehicle in Bisham.

In view of the investigation report, the interior minister said that the TTP operated the Besham terror attack on Chinese citizens from inside Afghanistan.

“[Pakistan has formally] requested the interim government in Afghanistan to arrest the leadership of [banned] TTP,” he added.

Over the past two years, Islamabad has repeatedly conveyed its serious concerns to Kabul over the presence of terror outfits, including the banned TTP, inside Afghanistan.

These terrorists pose a grave threat to Pakistan’s security and have consistently used Afghan territory to launch terror attacks inside Pakistani territory.

During the presser, Necta chief Tahir Rai revealed that the explosive-laden vehicle that had hit the bus carrying the Chinese national was Japan-assembled and reached Pakistan via Afghanistan.

The official also said that 11 suspects have been arrested in this case so far.

Continuing on her press conference in Beijing, Chinese FO spokesperson Ning termed the menace of terrorism as a "common enemy" of humanity and a tumour for regional development and stability.

She further underscored that China calls on countries in the region to strengthen counter-terrorism cooperation, root out terrorist organisations, remove their breeding ground and protect the common security and development interests of all countries.