Bus carrying 9 Chinese language engineers and 4 Pakistanis engaged on a hydropower undertaking was attacked in July 2021.
Islamabad, Pakistan – A Pakistani anti-terrorism courtroom has awarded loss of life sentences to 2 males accused of killing 13 individuals in a suicide assault final 12 months, together with 9 Chinese language engineers engaged on a hydropower undertaking.
4 Pakistani nationals have been additionally killed within the July 2021 assault when a bus carrying them fell right into a ravine following an explosion, which additionally left greater than 20 individuals injured.
The bus was carrying the employees to the Dasu Hydropower Undertaking in Higher Kohistan, a area in Pakistan’s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.
Pakistan’s then international minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi had mentioned the assault was carried out by members of Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), an armed group often known as the Pakistani Taliban.
Qureshi had additionally alleged the assault was deliberate in Afghanistan.
In a press launch on Monday, police in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province mentioned the courtroom delivered its verdict final week, issuing the loss of life penalty on 13 counts to Muhammad Hasnain and Muhammed Ayaz.
Addressing a information convention in Abbottabad metropolis on Monday, police officers mentioned 4 accused males have been acquitted within the case as a result of an absence of proof towards them. They added that 4 different suspected attackers might have sought refuge in Afghanistan.
In a press release on Monday, Pakistan’s international ministry mentioned the decision demonstrated Pakistan’s “abiding dedication to counterterrorism”.
“We once more prolong our deepest condolences to the victims’ households and stay dedicated to the protection and safety of Chinese language staff, tasks and establishments in Pakistan,” the assertion mentioned.
Beijing has not but responded to information of the decision.
Chinese language authorities had condemned the assault, demanding Pakistan catch the culprits and make sure the safety of its nationals within the South Asian nation.
China has invested greater than $60bn within the China-Pakistan Financial Hall undertaking as a part of its bold Belt and Street Initiative throughout Central and South Asia.
A police official concerned within the investigation into final 12 months’s suicide assault advised Al Jazeera that greater than 450 Chinese language engineers have been engaged on the Dasu Hydropower Undertaking.
The previous couple of years have seen a rise within the assaults on Chinese language nationals and their installations, largely in its largest province of Balochistan the place a separatist motion has been happening for many years.
In April this 12 months, three Chinese language lecturers and their Pakistani driver have been killed in a suicide assault at a college in Pakistan’s largest metropolis of Karachi. The assault was claimed by Baloch rebels.
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