Islamabad [Pakistan]May 27: Pakistan has asked the Afghan Taliban regime to hand over terrorists of the outlawed Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) involved in the attack on a Chinese engineer in Shanla district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, ARY News reported.
The attack, which took place on March 26 in Bhisham city in Shamra district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, killed five Chinese engineers and one Pakistani national.
The incident occurred when the convoy was travelling between Islamabad and the hydroelectric dam construction site in Dasu, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.
The Inspector General (DIG) of Malakand said a suicide bomber rammed a Chinese convoy in a vehicle laden with explosives, ARY News reported.
Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, speaking at a press conference along with officials from the National Counter-Terrorism Authority (NEQTA), said Pakistan has raised the issue with the Afghan interim government and urged it to take action against terrorist activities taking place on its territory.
The interior minister added that the TTP had orchestrated the Shangla terror attack from inside Afghanistan.
“We have urged the Afghan interim government to arrest the leaders of the banned TTP,” he said.
Following the attack, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif instructed the authorities concerned to utilise all national resources to conduct a thorough joint investigation into the suicide attack on Chinese nationals in Shangra.
Prime Minister Sharif chaired a high-level emergency meeting in the aftermath of the Chinese attack and further praised law enforcement agencies and local residents for their swift response to the attack, saving many lives that could have been lost.
“Terrorism is a cross-border threat that has been used by Pakistan’s enemies to sabotage Pakistan’s progress and development. The acts targeting Pakistan-China friendly relations are particularly aimed at creating distrust between the two iron brothers,” he said.
However, Naqvi, while briefing reporters on Sunday, added that investigating agencies were preparing their investigation report and there was concrete evidence that the TTP had used Afghan territory to carry out the terror attack on the Chinese engineers, Al Jazeera reported.
He added that he wanted friendly relations with Kabul, “which is only possible if they cooperate with Islamabad.”
Referring to Pakistan-China relations, the Interior Minister said Pakistan attaches great importance to its relations with China and added that the two friendly countries support each other in various international forums.
“The safety of Chinese people is very important to us,” he said.
Meanwhile, NACTA national coordinator Rai Tahir said the investigation into the Bhisham attack was making progress with the recovery of a mobile phone near the vehicle used in the attack.
It is pertinent to mention that Pakistan has seen a surge in terrorist activities, especially in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan provinces, since the outlawed terrorist organisation Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan ended its ceasefire with the government in November 2022, according to an ARY News report. (News Agency)
