Jobs and People

Five Chinese nationals killed by suicide bomber were headed to work at Dasu hydropower

Five Chinese nationals killed by suicide bomber were headed to work at Dasu hydropower
(photo courtesy Water and Power Development Authority)

On March 26, a suicide bomber in northwest Pakistan rammed a car loaded with explosives into a vehicle, killing six people headed to work at the Dasu hydropower project.

Five Chinese nationals and their Pakistani driver were killed, police and government officials said. The five were construction works and engineers, local police chief Bakhat Zahir said.

Authorities said the bodies were transported to a nearby hospital and that security forces started a search in the area to look for accomplices. Police also launched an investigation into the attack.

As Hydro Review reported in January 2024, Pakistan’s Water and Power Development Authority owns and will operate the 4,320 MW Dasu project on the Indus River in Upper Kohistan district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. WAPDA said electricity generation from the project is scheduled to commence in 2026.

Dasu is to be completed in two stages of 2,160 MW each, and construction work is progressing on 13 sites for stage 1. Stage 1 will provide 12 billion units of electricity, while Stage 2 will contribute 9 billion units clean, green and low-cost hydroelectricity to the National Grid every year.

On March 27, WAPDA issued a statement that Chairman Engr Lt Gen Sajjad Ghani (Retd) visited the Dasu Hydropower Project today to express solidarity with the Chinese engineers and the workers. In addition, China’s Ambassador to Pakistan, H.E. Mr. Jiang Zaidong and Chairman Ghani spent time with Chinese workforce at the project site.

At the construction camp of China Gezhouba Group Company (CGGC) — contractor for the Dasu Hydropower Project — the chairman condemned the tragic incident, offered condolences on behalf of WAPDA over the loss of lives. “Our sympathies are with the bereaved families in this time of trial. The law enforcement agencies are vehemently investigating the terrorist incident, and we hope the culprits found involved in it, will soon be brought to justice. WAPDA is in close coordination with the quarters concerned to further beef up the security arrangements in order to avoid such untoward incident in future,” he said.

No group claimed responsibility for the attack, but suspicion is likely to fall on Baluch separatists, who have claimed previous such attacks. The Baluchistan Liberation Army wants independence from the central government in Islamabad.

Pakistan’s top political and military leadership denounced the attack.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif visited the Chinese Embassy where he met with the Chinese ambassador, Jiang Zaidong, a government statement said. It said Sharif condemned the attack, saying those who orchestrated the attack would be punished and a high-level investigation will be conducted into the attack. “The sympathies of the entire nation, including me, are with the families of the Chinese citizens” who were killed in the attack, he said.

In a statement, the Chinese Embassy condemned the attack and said it has requested Pakistan to “thoroughly investigate the attack and severely punish the perpetrators.”

Earlier, Pakistan’s Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi also condemned the attack in a statement and offered condolences to the families of the deceased. He wrote: “The enemy has targeted Chinese citizens who are the friends of Pakistan,” without elaborating who he was referring to. He also vowed to “deal with an iron hand” with those responsible and expressed hope the attack wouldn’t negatively impact Pakistani-Chinese relations.

Thousands of Chinese nationals work in Shangla on projects relating to the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, which includes megaprojects such as road construction, power plants and agriculture. The CPEC, also known as the One Road Project, is a lifeline for Pakistan’s cash-strapped government, currently facing one of its worst economic crises. The project is part of China’s Belt and Road Initiative, a global endeavor aimed at reconstituting the Silk Road and linking China to all corners of Asia.

This article contains reporting from the Associated Press.