Dasu attack verdict shows commitment to counter terror: FO

Says ‘ironclad’ Pak-China partnership will never be undermined by hostile forces

Pakistan on Monday said that proactive investigation, prosecution and the judgment in Dasu terrorist attack case demonstrated the country’s abiding commitment to counterterrorism.

“We have noted the judgment passed by the relevant court and details released by the local police. While specific queries may be directed to the relevant authorities, the proactive investigation, prosecution and judgment in this case have once again demonstrated Pakistan’s abiding commitment to counterterrorism,” Foreign Office Spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch said in response to a question regarding the verdict in last year’s terrorist attack on Chinese engineers working on the Dasu hydropower project.

“We again extend our deepest condolences to the victims’ families and remain committed to the safety and security of Chinese workers, projects and institutions in Pakistan,” she added. “The ironclad Pakistan-China All-Weather Strategic Cooperative Partnership will never be undermined by hostile forces,” the Spokesperson maintained.

The statement from FO comes days after an anti-terrorism court in Hazara awarded a death sentence to two men after convicting them for planning the attack. Mohammad Hussain and Mohammad Ayaz of Matta tehsil in Swat district were charged with planning the bus bombing, which killed 13 people, including nine Chinese workers on July 14, 2021. Responding to a question at a weekly press briefing today, Baloch said that the FO had noted the judgment passed by the relevant court and the details released by the local police.

Thirteen people – including nine Chinese nationals, two personnel of the Frontier Constabulary and two locals – were killed and 28 others sustained injuries when a coach carrying them to an under-construction tunnel site of the 4,300-megawatt Dasu hydropower project fell into a ravine in the Upper Kohistan area after an explosion last year. The Chinese and Pakistani nationals worked on the Dasu hydropower project in the Upper Kohistan district. Although the Foreign Office had initially termed the incident an accident, the government later said traces of explosives had been found and that “terrorism could not be ruled out.”