ECC green lights $2.58 million compensation package for Chinese killed in Dasu attack

• ECC also approves Rs70.484 billion for Ministry of Water Resources.
  
• ECC also approves $8 million summary for Roosevelt Hotel. 
• Fund to be used to pay severance, operational expenses of hotel.

ISLAMABAD: The Economic Coordination Committee of the Cabinet (ECC) Thursday green-lit a $2.58 million compensation package for Chinese nationals who were killed in the Dasu terror attack, reported The News on Friday.

The publication, citing a government statement, reported that the decision was taken in a meeting chaired by Finance Minister Senator Muhammad Aurangzeb at the Finance Division.

Minister for Power Sardar Awais Ahmad Khan Leghari, Minister for Industries and Production Rana Tanveer Hussain, Minister for Economic Affairs Ahad Khan Cheema, Minister of State for Finance and Revenue Ali Pervez Malik, governor SBP, chairman SECP, federal secretaries, and other senior officials of the relevant ministries attended the meeting.

The committee approved Rs70.484 billion for the Ministry of Water Resources as cover for hydropower projects.

Two summaries seeking $8 million in government support for the Roosevelt Hotel in New York and Rs184.509 million for the Pakistan Nuclear Regulatory Authority (PNRA) were also approved.

The committee approved a summary presented by the Ministry of Aviation seeking permission to utilise $8 million available with the National Bank of Pakistan to pay severance and other operational expenses of the Roosevelt Hotel.

Ahead of the meeting, The News had reported on Thursday that the ECC was likely to approve the compensation package for the employees of a Chinese company who were killed in the terror attack on March 26 in Dasu.

The Inter-Ministerial Committee (IMC) had sent the recommendation to the ECC based on the GDP per capita and purchasing power parity.

The amount will be transferred to the account of the Pakistan embassy in Beijing, which will then transfer the payments to the families of the victims via appropriate channels.

The IMC's recommendations came almost two months after a terror attack in Shangla claimed the lives of at least six people — five Chinese engineers and one Pakistani — working on the Dasu Dam.

The victims were killed when an explosive-laden vehicle hit the bus carrying them on the Karakoram Highway in the Bisham area.

Following the attack, Islamabad assured Beijing of providing foolproof security to Chinese nationals and apprehending those involved in the attack.

It is important to note that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is expected to visit China next month to hold talks on phase two of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor. The Pakistan authorities are attaching high importance to the visit.