suicide bomber in a car fitted with explosives hit a van carrying Chinese experts working on a hydel power project in Dasu, killing all six of them as well as the Pakistani driver. The Chinese citizens were going to the Dasu Hydropower Project site from Islamabad in three vans in a convoy accompanied by security personnel.

“The Chinese came from Islamabad. There were six security vehicles in the convoy. About one and a half hours before their scheduled arrival at the destination, the assailant hit one of the vans killing all six Chinese passengers at the spot,” a local police official told The News on Sunday, adding, “Counter-Terrorism Department will investigate the matter.”

A timeline of recent attacks shows that there has been a surge in attacks against Chinese interests in Pakistan since the new government took over. A few days ago, militants tried to enter the Gawadar Port Authority complex. Security forces claimed later that they thwarted the attack, killing all the terrorists. Two soldiers were also martyred in the operation. In Balochistan, the Balochistan Liberation Army has always claimed responsibility for attacks on the Chinese. In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the intelligence agencies have been pointing fingers at some factions/ splinter elements of the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan.

Following Bisham the attack, Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif held a meeting to review the security measures and formed a joint investigation team composed of personnel from security and intelligence agencies to probe into the incident and point out the security lapses.

“Terrorism is a trans-national threat. It has been instrumentalised by the enemies of Pakistan to stymie Pakistan’s progress and development. The acts targeting Pakistan-China friendship are aimed at creating mistrust between the two iron brothers,” the prime minister stated.

Chief of Army Staff Gen Asim Munir, who was also present in the meeting, remarked that the enemies of Pakistan had underestimated the resilience and grit of the state and the people of Pakistan. “We shall fight terrorism with all our might, to the very end,” he said.

The Chinese embassy in Islamabad immediately reacted to the attack. It urged Islamabad “to thoroughly investigate the matter, and severely punish the perpetrators.”

In July 2021 in a similar incident a car fitted with explosives had hit a van carrying Chinese engineers, killing over a dozen people. Security protocols were then reviewed to ensure that there were no more attacks of the kind.

“Irrespective of the identity of those executing the attack on the ground, it is clear that foreign elements bent upon destabilising Pakistan and disrupting the CPEC are behind it,” says Dr Talat Shabbir, director of the China Pakistan Study Centre. Dr Shabbir, also associated with the Institute of Strategic Studies, Islamabad, says the attack has been carried out at a time when Pakistan is trying to revive the CPEC spirit.

“The way forward is to plug the loopholes in security arrangements and prevent such incidents from happening in future. Without addressing this core challenge of security, we cannot expect any foreign investment in Pakistan,” Shabbir adds.

China has invested around $65 billion in various projects during the past decade. After the July 2021 incident the government of Pakistan had paid nearly Rs 3 billion in compensation to the heir of the deceased Chinese engineers. A special security cell to protect the Chinese was also set up after the incident.

According to some media reports, there have been as many as 238 terrorist attacks in the KP and Balochistan in the first quarter of 2024 killing 422 people. These have been 33 attacks on Chinese personnel and project sites in the past five years.

“Some elements want China to withdraw from Pakistan,” says security analyst Imtiaz Gul. “This looks like an unannounced war against Pakistan, where strategic installations and investment sites are targeted,” he adds. Gul says Pakistan must overcome its internal weaknesses and control such elements rather than blaming external elements.

He says the Afghan Taliban are reluctant to act against the TTP and anti-Pakistan groups that shelter on Afghan soil. “If some elements from TTP are involved in these activities from Afghanistan this will also damage Kabul-Beijing relations. China was the first country to recognise the Afghan Taliban government, open its mission in Kabul and help it financially.

The writer can be reached at vaqargillani@gmail.com