China urges Pakistan to 'severely punish perpetrators' of Shangla attack

• China requests Pakistan to “thoroughly investigate” attack.
• Chinese embassy expresses deep condolences to victims.
• "All necessary steps being taken to avoid such incidents in future."

Strongly condemning the suicide attack on the Dasu Hydropower Project staff, Chian on Tuesday urged Pakistan to “severely punish” perpetrators' of the terrorist attack.

At least six people including five Chinese nationals were killed after their vehicle was attacked in Shangla's Besham city. According to the Malakand's deputy inspector general of police (DIG), a suicide bomber crashed his vehicle full of explosives into the car in which the Chinese nationals were travelling.

In a statement, the Chinese Embassy in Pakistan said: “At around 1pm on 26th March local time, a Chinese company’s bus carrying staff on the Dasu Hydropower Project in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province was hit by terrorist attack. 5 Chinese citizens and 1 Pakistani citizen were unfortunately deceased.”

The embassy and Consulates General in Pakistan expressed deep condolences to the victims and sincere sympathy to the bereaved families. It further said that they were making every effort to handle the aftermath together with the Pakistani side.

The embassy further said that it has launched an emergency plan immediately, requesting the Pakistani side to “thoroughly investigate the attack and severely punish the perpetrators”.

All necessary measures were being taken to protect the safety of Chinese citizens, institutions and projects in Pakistan, and to ensure such incidents will not happen again, it added.

In addition to this, the embassy reminded Chinese citizens, enterprises in Pakistan to pay close attention to the security situation, enhance security alerts, strengthen security measures, and make every effort to take safety precautions.

It was not the first time that Chinese nationals came under attack in Dasu, the site of a major dam, as 13 people, including nine Chinese nationals, were killed in an explosion in 2021.

Chinese engineers are currently working on a number of projects in Pakistan with Beijing investing over $65 billion in infrastructure works as part of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) under Beijing's wider Belt and Road initiative.

No one claimed responsibility for Tuesday's attack, nor was there a claim for the 2021 attack.

Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar condemned the fresh attack and said Pakistan would continue to fight against the militants.

In a statement, the Foreign Office said that the life and safety of Chinese nationals in Pakistan was of paramount importance.

"Pakistan will continue to work with our Chinese brothers in ensuring the safety and security of Chinese nationals, projects and institutions in Pakistan," it said in a statement.