Pakistani Authorities Doing their Best for Security of Chinese ; Work on Dasu Project to Resume Soon; Spokesperson China

Beijing; Spokesperson of Ministry of External Affairs China Mr Zhao Lijian in his press conference has expressed satisfaction on how Pakistani Authorities are dealing with the situation after the bus blast in which 9 Chinese workers died and many injured. He responded to different questions on the subject and admitted that Pakistani officials are leaving no stone unturned to reach to the culprits.

Here are the questions by media and answers by the spokesperson on July 19, 2021;

AFP: Can you confirm whether Pakistani Foreign Minister Qureshi was in Beijing on Sunday? Reports say he was here for some kind of emergency briefing. And also is there any update on what the Chinese investigation team that it sent to Pakistan has found about the bus blast?

Zhao Lijian: a cross-departmental joint working group to Pakistan led by the Foreign Ministry arrived in Islamabad on the early morning of December 16. In the past few days, the working group has been working non-stop together with the Chinese ambassador to Pakistan, pushed Pakistan to treat the injured, carried out investigation, and strengthened security for the personnel of Chinese projects. They also visited the injured and mourned the deceased together with high-level Pakistani officials, conducted on-site investigation, visited the staff on the ground, and guided the company to strengthen safety precautions. All this work has achieved effective outcomes.

The Pakistani side has done a lot of work to deal with the incident, properly keeping the bodies of the victims, transferring the injured in time and providing the best treatment to the injured. After the working group arrived, the Pakistani side offered full assistance to it, and said it would spare no effort to carry out the investigation and strengthen security measures for all Chinese projects in Pakistan.

As for the progress of the investigation, competent Pakistani authorities are making full efforts to investigate the incident and have informed the Chinese side of the preliminary investigation. Relevant technical experts from China and Pakistan have also jointly inspected the site and are still in the process of further investigation.

Twenty-seven Chinese personnel were injured in the incident, and Pakistan has provided the best medical treatment to them. One seriously injured person has undergone craniotomy and is under medical observation. Twenty-six others are recovering from the injuries. The Chinese Embassy in Pakistan and the cross-departmental joint working group in Pakistan are working with the Pakistani side to properly handle the matter concerning the bodies of the nine victims.

PTI: Earlier in response to the question related to the bus blast in Pakistan, you spoke about the difference between Pakistan Taliban and Afghan Taliban. Does China suspect that the Pakistan Taliban is behind this blast?

Zhao Lijian: As I just said, the incident is under further investigation. The instigator and the nature of the incident has not yet been determined. There has been no conclusion yet.

Prasar Bharati: A follow up question on this blast. So within the span of a few days after this blast, there was this incident of the kidnapping of Afghan ambassador’s daughter in Pakistan. Looking at the situation and back-to-back incident related to terrorism, is China concerned about its investments and its people in Pakistan? Second, The Chinese company has suspended Pakistani workers from the Dasu hydropower project. What was the reason? Is there suspicion to do with their suspension?

Zhao Lijian: The Chinese side has repeatedly stated its position on China-Pakistan relations and the CPEC. This is an isolated incident. We believe that Pakistan is fully capable of protecting the safety and security of Chinese personnel and property in Pakistan.

As to the kidnapping in Pakistan of the daughter of the Afghan ambassador to Pakistan by unknown personnel, we strongly condemn the kidnapping and wish the victim an early recovery. We are convinced that the criminals will be brought to justice as soon as possible.

On your second question, what you mentioned is non-existent. After the attack on the Dasu Hydropower Project bus, on-site work was temporarily halted so as to channel more resources into handling the emergency such as rescuing the injured and attending to the matters of the deceased. At the same time, efforts were made to comb through security risks and shore up security measures. Work at project will be resumed once the conditions are ripe.

As to the Pakistani employees with the project, we understand their contracts are still valid and they remain at their posts. Pakistani Foreign Office Spokesperson also made the matter clear in a statement on July 18 and reaffirmed the two sides’ commitment to timely completion of the Dasu Hydropower Project and other bilateral cooperation projects.

Some people are under the false impression that the Dasu Hydropower Project is under the framework of the CPEC. I’d like to clarify the matter here. It is not a CPEC project, but just a economic cooperation project between China and Pakistan.