CHINESE Ambassador to Pakistan Nong Rong and Chief of Army Staff Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa met at the General Headquarters on Monday and stressed the need to “thwart designs of all inimical forces challenging the resolve of Pakistan and China, particularly strategic cooperation between the two sides.”
The meeting was held in the backdrop of the July 14 incident in which at least nine Chinese nationals and four 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.
The tragic incident was, no doubt, part of the conspiracies being hatched by enemies of peace, progress and development as the manpower working on purely a developmental project was targeted.
The objective was to create misunderstanding and mistrust between the two sincere friends but credit goes to the leadership of the two countries for foiling designs of the enemies of Sino-Pak friendship.
One must appreciate the positive and significant contribution made by the Chinese envoy, Mr. Nong Rong, who remained instrumental in sorting out the issue in an appropriate manner.
Initial reports were troubling as the Chinese company stopped work and issue notices of termination of services to its Pakistani employees but it was because of the sincerity and commitment to the cause of friendship by the two sides that these were withdrawn and a firm decision has been taken to resume work on the project with same speed and zeal.
All this has sent a strong message to the forces inimical to Sino-Pak friendship that they cannot succeed in their designs to harm the cooperative relationship between the two countries which is scaling new heights with the passage of time.
