Another heinous act of terrorism leashed out in Bisham that cost at least six innocent lives, including five Chinese nationals, when a suicide bomber ramped a bomb-laden car into a convoy of Chinese engineers that was on its way from Islamabad to their camp in Dasu, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. According to the police, five Chinese nationals and their Pakistani driver were killed in the attack. The Intelligence and Law Enforcement agencies launched investigations into the cowardly act to apprehend the culprits involved in the killing of the Chinese nationals working on an important energy project vital for energy security and the economic revival of the country.
The giant of terrorism, anti-Pakistan elements, and foreign agencies have joined hands on a single-point agenda to destabilize the country after the Pakistani government refused to back down before terrorist outfits and launched a nationwide Counter Terrorism campaign in the country. Unfortunately, the enemies of Pakistan once again succeeded in their nefarious designs by hitting foreign nationals on Pakistani soil to make headlines in the international media. Despite multiple successes against the monster of terrorism in Balochistan, North Waziristan, and the KP’s border regions, the Pakistani LEAs could not completely protect the vital aspect of the country’s security architecture involving Chinese engineers working on the projects relating to multiple billion dollars China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) spread across the country from Gwadar to Gilgit Baltistan.
In the past 72 hours, the first two attacks targeted a Naval Air Base and a Gwadar Strategic Port used by China in the southwestern region of Balochistan where Chinese engineers are working on multiple infrastructure projects. Dasu is also home to a major dam being constructed through Pak-China cooperation which previously came under attack in 2021, when a blast on a bus killed 13 people including nine Chinese nationals. The government has condemned the recent terrorist attacks and pledged to strengthen the security measures to protect Chinese nationals working on multiple development and CPEC projects in the country.
The recent terrorist attacks against Chinese engineers have significant political and economic implications for the country. These incidents have raised concerns about the security of foreign nationals working on critical infrastructure projects, particularly those associated with the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). The CPEC is a cornerstone of China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) aiming to improve regional connectivity, and multilateral and transit trade through magnificent road, rail, and seaport infrastructure which can transform the highly improvised South Asia into one of the most developed and well-connected trade regions in the world. Politically, these attacks could potentially strain the relationship between Beijing and Islamabad. It possibly spoils Pakistan’s tourism and sports which are already at the lowest web and foreign teams and tourists avoid visiting Pakistan due to security concerns. Economically, such events can lead to delays or increased costs in infrastructure projects due to heightened security measures and potential hesitancy from foreign investors. Although such attacks are unlikely to derail the Pak-China relationship yet such incidents affect foreign investment and lower global confidence in the country.
The current upsurge in terrorist activities must be viewed in the context of Pakistan’s military strikes against the TTP’s infrastructure inside Afghanistan. Historically, terrorist outfits have always targeted Pakistan’s vital strategic interests and caused unimaginable losses to the country ranging from the PNS Mehra attack to GHQ, PAC Kamra, APS tragedy, and multiple attacks on Chinese nationals working on important projects in the country. Yet the state’s response had always been lax and apologetic in respect of the implementation of policy measures whether it is the execution of the National Action Plan (NAP), prosecution and the hanging of the terrorists and dealing with the financiers, sympathizers, and supporters of terrorists in and outside of the country.
There had been no repeat of 9/11 and 26/11 in the US and India respectively while Pakistanis witnessed Dhaka fall, APS, and Peshawar Police lines like massacres every other day. The nation does not know, whether it is the fault of the public, the weakness of the government, the impotence of the security institutions, or the confusion of our strategists that our nation is always stung by known snakelets at a very common but vital aspect. The Nation also asks why the helicopters and air fleets are only reserved for the VIPs and bureaucrats. What is the alternative if road convoys are insecure in the country? The time has come for the nation to ask the leaders and institutions to stop their personal and institutional business and take care of the national interests otherwise the time will not wait for us.
