Pakistan to Provide $2.5 Million To Families Of Deceased Chinese Engineers

Pakistan’s Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) has sanctioned $2.5 million in compensation for the families of Chinese workers who lost their lives in a suicide bombing in the Shangla District of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province in March. The attack, which occurred on March 26, claimed the lives of five Chinese workers and their Pakistani driver en route to the Dasu hydropower project.

Pakistan has pledged to identify those responsible for the attack and enhance security measures for Chinese personnel and projects within its borders. While the Pakistan army has attributed the bombing to an Afghan-origin suicide bomber, the Taliban in Kabul refute these claims.

Read more: Unknown Attackers Injure PTI Spokesperson Raoof Hasan

The ECC’s approval of compensation, totaling $2.58 million along with Rs. 2.5 million allocated for the Ministry of Water Resources, was presided over by Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb.

Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi announced forthcoming safety protocols for Chinese nationals in Pakistan in response to the incident.

The Dasu attack marked the third assault on Chinese interests in Pakistan within a week. China’s substantial investment exceeding $65 billion in various sectors in Pakistan under its Belt and Road initiative underscores the strategic importance of these projects. Preceding the Dasu incident, attacks on March 20 at a critical port in Balochistan and on March 25 at a naval air base were claimed by the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA).