On July 14, local residents and rescuers gathered at the scene of a bus explosion in the Kosistan area of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province in northern Pakistan. Nine Chinese citizens and three Pakistani citizens were killed when the shuttle bus to the China-invested Dasu Hydropower Project exploded and fell into a ravine. Photo: VCG

On the way to the Chinese-invested Dasu Hydropower Project, a shuttle bus in northern Pakistan exploded, killing nine Chinese citizens and three Pakistani citizens. As the reasons behind the incident are not yet clear, further investigations are urged-whether it is an accident caused by a mechanical malfunction or a bomb attack that terrorists may orchestrate.

Chinese experts said that the investigation may take some time, but they believe that a high degree of trust between the two countries will produce true, reliable and convincing results.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Pakistan announced that a bus carrying Chinese workers in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province fell into a gully after a mechanical failure caused a gas leak and an explosion. The ministry said that Chinese workers and Pakistani workers are going to work on an ongoing project, and further investigations are underway.

The Pakistani government and people express their sincere condolences to the families of the Chinese and Pakistani workers who lost their lives in the incident, and pray that the injured will recover as soon as possible.

The Chinese Embassy in Pakistan confirmed that Chinese workers are on the bus to the Dasu Hydropower Project. The project is located in the Kohistan region in northern Pakistan and was constructed by the China Gezhouba Group. The Chinese Embassy requires Pakistan to spare no effort, treat the wounded at all costs, strengthen the security of Chinese institutions, projects and personnel, and find out the truth of the incident as soon as possible. The Chinese Embassy condemned the attack, expressed deep condolences to the victims, sympathized with the injured, and stated that it would work with Pakistan to properly handle the aftermath.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said at a press conference that China was shocked by the bombing attack in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and condemned it. He added that China expresses condolences to China and the Pakistani people affected by this incident. As a large-scale energy infrastructure project, Dasu Hydropower Station has the advantages of low construction cost and large power generation.

The power station generates approximately 12 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity annually, effectively filling the current electricity gap in Pakistan. The project also provided about 8,000 jobs for the local area and helped the area build local water supply, technical colleges and other public facilities.

Attack or accident?

According to reports, due to multiple terrorist attacks in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (where the explosion occurred) in recent years, there are still differences in the analysis of whether the bus explosion was a terrorist attack or a mechanical failure. Chinese experts urge Pakistan to find out the truth as soon as possible and announce the results of further investigations.

Li Wei, a national security and counter-terrorism expert at the China Institute of Modern International Relations, said that in his opinion, the explosion is more likely to be caused by a mechanical failure. If it is a terrorist attack, there are three options: a roadside bomb, a motorcycle suicide attack, or a human bomb attack.

Li Zhaoxing said that the Chinese project is well protected by the Pakistani army and police. Vehicles carrying Chinese employees are usually followed and led by Pakistani military vehicles, especially in sensitive areas such as Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Li said that if it were a roadside bomb, the Pakistani police car would be the first target.

He added that if it is a motorcycle attack, it is easy to identify because there will be a wrecked motorcycle at the scene. "Since there is no information in this area, this possibility can be ruled out," he said.

As for the manned bomb, Li Zhaoxing said that anyone boarding a vehicle for a China-Pakistan cooperation project must go through strict security checks. Moreover, most of the passengers are Chinese employees, so the chance of anyone carrying a bomb on the bus is extremely low. In addition, the on-site photos indicate otherwise. Li said that the bus in this accident looks very old and may have been out of control.

However, some Chinese experts questioned why a mechanical failure caused such a huge explosion. The area where the explosion occurred is bordered by Kashmir, located on the upper reaches of the Indus River, with dangerous mountain roads. According to media reports, local terrorist organizations have frequent activities and it is difficult to eliminate them. Long Xingchun, a senior researcher at the Institute of Regional and Global Governance at Beijing Foreign Studies University, said that if it is a terrorist attack, it may not necessarily target Chinese citizens. This may be an attempt by terrorists to put pressure on the Pakistani government and military.

A similar guess is that Qian Feng, director of the research department of the National Institute of Strategic Studies at Tsinghua University, said that he also tends to believe that the Baluchistan terrorists and the Pakistani Taliban may be supporters of the bomb attacks. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province is the most turbulent region in Pakistan because it borders Afghanistan and is home to the Pakistani Taliban, experts say.

Qian said the organization gained fame by attacking the Pakistani government, civilians and military. In recent years, the terrorist organization has targeted Chinese projects in Pakistan and launched attacks on Chinese tourists and businessmen because they know that Pakistan attaches great importance to China-Pakistan relations and aims to use these attacks to undermine relations between the two countries. , Qian said.

On April 21, a car bomb exploded in the parking lot of a luxury hotel in Quetta, the capital of Balochistan Province, Pakistan, killing 5 people and injuring 12 others. No Chinese citizens were injured in the incident. The Pakistani Taliban later claimed responsibility for the attack.

Qian said that the activities of the Pakistani Taliban have weakened due to the Pakistani government's continuous efforts to combat terrorism, but have recently increased. One possibility is the consequence of the US withdrawing troops from Afghanistan.

Wang Shida, deputy director of the Institute of South Asia, Southeast Asia and Oceania of the China Institute of Modern International Relations, pointed out that while the security situation in Pakistan has been improving and violent attacks have been declining, attacks on Chinese targets have been on the rise in the past two years.

In May 2017, two Chinese nationals were kidnapped by armed men disguised as police officers in Quetta City in Balochistan province in southwestern Pakistan and killed a few days later.

Wang explained that this is mainly due to the smooth progress of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). Some people inside and outside Pakistan don't want to see this, and always try to create vicious incidents to delay progress.

Long said that hydropower plants are a key project of any country and are also what the Pakistani government is eager to protect. Under normal circumstances, the Pakistani government will ensure that these projects are well protected. He believes that this time the military provided protection and the accident happened before there was no response.

Wang Yi said that the Pakistani military and police attach great importance to the safety of Chinese citizens and have set up special security forces. In the past two or three years, Pakistan has repeatedly attacked Chinese targets without causing major casualties. Pakistan’s efforts.

The biggest concern is the impact of the deterioration of the situation in neighboring Afghanistan: there are a large number of anti-Pakistan organizations in Afghanistan. If the situation further deteriorates, more international and regional terrorist organizations may enter Pakistan, and the hostile forces Wang said, targeting Chinese citizens and China and Pakistan. The power of the Economic Corridor (CPEC).

Long believes that after this incident, the Pakistani government will strengthen the security protection of Chinese companies and Chinese citizens, because the destruction of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor is the last thing they want to see.

"This incident will not undermine Sino-Pakistani relations. China will stand firmly on the side of the Pakistani government to combat terrorism and support them in punishing the people behind this attack," Long said. Editor/Xu Shengpeng