Pakistani police have detained more than a dozen people in connection with the bombings. (document)
Islamabad:
Pakistan’s prime minister has ordered at least five senior police officers to be punished for dereliction of duty after a suicide bomber killed five Chinese engineers at a major dam site last month, the information minister said on Saturday.
The attack in the northwest province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa forced PowerChina and China Gezhouba to suspend construction on two dam projects, where explosions killed five workers and a Pakistani driver and plunged their truck into a deep ravine.
Hundreds of Chinese are working at construction sites for the Dasu and Diamer Bhasha dams, which are located in mountainous areas about 100 kilometers (62 miles) apart.
Information Minister Attaullah Talal said a committee appointed by Prime Minister Sherbaz Sharif found a district official, three district officials and the safety director of the Dasu dam project to have “neglected their duties” in the discharge of their duties.
“The prime minister has ordered immediate action against these officials,” Talal told a news conference in Lahore, without specifying what punishment they would receive.
“The prime minister himself will oversee the security of China (nationals). Those who show negligence will be held up as role models.”
Talal said that issues related to the safety of Chinese citizens will be “taken with the utmost seriousness and no mistakes will be tolerated.”
China Electricity Corporation’s operations in Diamer Bashar have resumed, while China Gezhouba Group Corporation’s operations in Dasu remain closed.
Pakistani police have detained more than a dozen people, including Afghan nationals, in connection with the blast.
Beijing is Islamabad’s closest regional ally, regularly providing financial aid to its troubled neighbor and pouring more than $2 trillion into infrastructure projects.
However, Pakistanis have long complained about not receiving their fair share of jobs or wealth created by the projects.
The safety of Chinese workers is a major concern for both countries, as Chinese workers are often targeted by militants hostile to outside influence.
Last week’s attack came days after militants attempted to attack offices at the deep-water port of Gwadar in the southwest, considered a cornerstone of Chinese investment in Pakistan.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
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