According to Media reports, two days following a suicide attack that resulted in the deaths of five Chinese nationals at a hydropower project in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan a Chinese company has suspended civil works and made redundant hundreds of workers at another hydropower project in the same province.

The Dasu hydropower project in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province witnessed an incident in which a vehicle packed with explosives targeted a bus transporting personnel, resulting in the death of six individuals.

Since 2021, the region has experienced a second suicide attack targeting individuals linked to a China-backed project, marking a concerning trend in the area.

Dawn reported that the Power Construction Corporation of China (PCCC), the overseeing company of the Tarbela 5th Extension Hydropower Project in the same province, has made the decision to suspend operations and terminate employment for over 2,000 workers due to security concerns following the recent attack, citing government sources.

The general secretary of the Awami Labour Union at the project reassured that despite the suspension of work, the delay in the project's completion timeline would be minimal. The Tarbela extension project (T5) is set to be completed by May 2026, with financial backing from the World Bank and the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank. According to labour laws, the affected workers are entitled to receive half of their salaries until they are summoned back to resume their duties.

The Dasu hydropower project, where the fatal attack took place, lies approximately 300 km north of Islamabad and is under development by China Gezhouba, funded by the World Bank. Chinese nationals working on this project have been previously targeted, experiencing a similar attack in July 2021 that resulted in casualties among both Chinese and Pakistani workers.

China strongly condemned the suicide bomb attack and called for an investigation into the incident. Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has ordered a comprehensive joint investigation to identify the perpetrators and guarantee the safety of Chinese personnel engaged in various projects in the country.

The presence of Chinese workers in Pakistan is a component of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), a multi-billion dollar initiative intended to boost connectivity and economic cooperation between the two nations.

Image source: Indian Express