SHANGLA: China has demanded a thorough probe into the deadly blast and security for its citizens after five Chinese nationals working on the Dasu dam project perished in a suicide bombing in Bisham on Tuesday.

In response, Islamabad has announced a swift probe to hold the “perpetrators and accomplices” accountable for the attack.

Besides five Chinese citizens, one Pakistani national the driver was also killed after a suicide bomber rammed into the bus transporting staff of the Dasu dam project in Bisham, Shangla district, on Tuesday afternoon.

According to police, the bus was travelling from Islamabad to Kohistan when it came under the attack on Karakoram Highway. “It was a suicide attack on the Chinese convoy and an explosive-laden vehicle approaching from Kohistan hit the bus,” Bisham Sub Divisional Police Officer (SDPO) Juma Rehman said. SDPO Rehman said that following the attack, the bus caught fire and fell into the ravine.

“A huge amount of explosives were used in the attack, the force of which threw the bus into the ravine,” he said. The officer said that police cordoned off the area to collect evidence. “We have also collected body parts of the suspected suicide bomber from the site,” SDPO Rehman said.

Bisham SHO Bakht Zahir Khan said that the blast was so intense that it completely destroyed the bus. “We found some of its part on nearby trees which showed the intensity of the blast,” he said. He said the Chinese nationals travelling in other buses were shifted to safer places from the site.

Meanwhile, work on the Dasu project was suspended following the attack, as colleagues expressed grief over the tragic fate of the five engineers and their driver.

The official sources confirmed that the Chinese engineers and their Pakistani counterparts did not attend follow-up duty shifts, and night shifts to express sorrow for the killing of their co-workers in an attack earlier in the day.

“The multilayer security of the Chinese national executing the Dasu dam, and the residential campus has further been enhanced following the suicidal attack on engineers of one of the flagship energy projects of Sino-Pak friendship,” Irfanullah Mehsud, deputy commissioner of Upper Kohistan said.

The suicide attack evoked a strong response from Beijing, which asked Islamabad to punish the perpetrators. ’The Chinese Embassy and Consulates General in Pakistan strongly condemn this terrorist attack, express deep condolences to the victims and sincere sympathy to the bereaved families, and are making every effort to handle the aftermath together with the Pakistani side,“ a statement by the embassy said.

It said an “emergency plan” had been launched immediately, requesting the Pakistani side to thoroughly investigate the attack and severely punish the perpetrators. The statement said the Chinese mission in Pakistan was taking “all necessary measures to protect” the Chinese citizens, institutions and projects in Pakistan.

In a similar statement, the media wing of the Pakistan Army said that the incident was aimed at hurting the Sino-Pak ties. The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said that the series of incidents over the past few days, including the Gwadar and Turbat attacks, were aimed at destabilising the country.

“Strategic projects and sensitive sites vital for Pakistan’s economic progress and the well-being of its people are being targeted as a conscious effort to retard our progress and sow discord between Pakistan and its strategic allies and partners, most notably China,” the statement read.

The army, without naming any country, blamed ‘foreign elements’ for aiding and abetting terrorism in Pakistan. It, however, pointed out that the “elements patronising terrorism in Pakistan were being continuously exposed”.

“With the unwavering support of the resilient nation and our iron-clad ally China, we will ensure that all those involved in aiding terrorism, directly or indirectly, are held accountable and find their due comeuppance. Together we will prevail over adversity and evil,” it maintained.

President Asif Ali Zardari condemned the attack on the Chinese nationals in Bisham and expressed his deep grief and sorrow over the casualties.

The Foreign Office also expressed commitment to bring the perpetrators to justice. “Today’s attack was orchestrated by the enemies of Pakistan-China friendship. We will resolutely act against all such forces and defeat them,” FO said.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif along with his cabinet members visited the Chinese embassy to assure Beijing about security for its citizens and promise a comprehensive probe into the suicide bombing.

As he arrived at the embassy to offer condolences, PM Shehbaz asked the Chinese envoy to relay his condolences to the China president, the premier, and the families of the deceased. He, however, assured the envoy of a high-level probe into the explosion.

“We will not let such nefarious attempts to undermine the Pak-China friendship succeed. The enemies of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor have again tried to interrupt it through such cowardly attempt but the enemy will never succeed in its evil designs.”

The Chinese ambassador thanked the prime minister for visiting the embassy and showing personal interest in the investigation of the incident. Mohsin Naqvi, the interior minister who was accompanying the PM, also vowed a comprehensive probe into the explosion.