The entire Pakistani nation is shocked over dastardly terrorist attacks targeting Chinese nationals and interests in the country, which are surely aimed at harming the enviable friendship between the two neighbours and a bid to undermine ef-forts of the government to bring the economy back on track. Five Chinese nationals and their Pakistani driver were killed in suicide bombing of a bus in Bisham tehsil of Shangla district on Tuesday. And earlier in the day, a paramilitary soldier was martyred when the security forces foiled an attack on a naval base in Turbat, killing all four terrorists.
The nature of both the incidents shows how emboldened are terrorists as they successfully attack important targets in the presence of heightened security necessitating revision of the security protocol for high risk projects, buildings and foreign nationals, especially those working on vital development projects. In Bisham, the suicide bomber rammed his explosive-laden vehicle into a convoy of 13 vehicles, nine of them carrying Chinese nationals and three escorting vehicles of the para-military Frontier Corps. The security arrangements for Chinese nationals were strengthened after a similar attack in July 2021 that killed 13 people including nine Chinese nationals when their bus fell into a gorge after an explosion in Upper Ko-histan. It should be a matter of serious concern for the security agencies to find out how the enemy succeeded in replaying the tragic episode despite the presence of a dedicated security team and how such incidents can be avoided in future. It is a universal truth that the security forces throughout the world cannot prevent suicide attacks but the risk and danger can surely be minimized through greater vigilance, comprehensive arrangement for intelligence gathering and periodic combing opera-tions in risk-prone areas. It is now a foregone conclusion that Chinese nationals and projects remain special targets for the enemy as three attacks in a week were directly/indirectly targeted against Chinese interests. The attacks on Gwadar Port Authority Complex, Naval air base and now Bisham assault all were apparently aimed at undermining the China-Pakistan cooperation. India is on record having created special mechanism and structures to harm the historic initiative of China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and there are now reasons to believe that the Afghanistan’s National Directorate of Security (NDS) has joined hands with RAW in hatching conspiracies against CPEC and overall economic interests of Paki-stan. Also it is not a coincidence that the wave of terrorist attacks in Pakistan has surged after decision of the government to repatriate all Afghans living illegally in Pakistan. It is also important to note that after Pakistan was forced to carry out an intelligence-based operation inside Afghanistan (in the face of non-cooperation of the Taliban Government to take any action against TTP elements involved in terrorist attacks in Pakistan), Afghan authorities openly issued threats to Pakistan. The timing of the Bisham attack is particularly important as Chinese engineers were targeted ahead of the expected visit of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to China. As part of its strategy to kick-start economic revival, Pakistan authorities are hoping to enlist further cooperation of our great neighbor in augmenting the framework of the CPEC and expediting implementation of ongoing projects and programmes. The attack is, perhaps, aimed at shifting the focus of the visit from development to secu-rity. Pakistan wants expeditious implementation of development plans, especially hydel power projects, which are so vital for accelerating the pace of socio-economic progress, but the work on Dasu project remained suspended for about six/seven months in the wake of the 2021 attack and a repeat of suspension could delay the project with attendant consequences. Re-acting to Bisham tragedy, China has demanded that the Pakistani side conduct a thorough investigation into the attack, se-verely punish the perpetrators and take practical and effective measures to protect the safety of Chinese citizens and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who visited Chinese embassy after the incident, assured the Chinese side that the government would hold a high-level and swift probe into the attack and take the culprits and facilitators to the task. The ISPR also pointed out that strategic projects and sensitive sites vital for Pakistan’s economic progress and the well-being of its people were being targeted as a conscious effort to retard our progress and sow discord between Pakistan and its strategic allies and partners, most notably China. Beijing surely understands this but one hopes practical steps would be taken through mutual consultations to foil designs of the enemy and carry forward the process of development and mutual cooperation successfully.
