Dasu bus incident investigation in 'final' stage: Rashid

All Chinese workers in Pakistan would be provided fool-proof security, says Rashid during phone call with minister

ISLAMABAD:

Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid on Saturday said that investigation of the Kohistan bus tragedy has reached its final stage and the perpetrators will be 'exposed and brought to justice'.

At least 13 people – nine Chinese nationals and four Pakistanis – were killed and more than two dozen others wounded Wednesday morning when a shuttle bus they were travelling in plunged into a deep ravine after an explosion on board.

The bus was ferrying the Chinese and Pakistani workers to an under-construction tunnel site of the Dasu Hydropower Project in the remote Kohistan district of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province.

Addressing the media in Islamabad, Rashid said the highest security institutions of the country are investigating the incident and a fifteen-member Chinese team is also involved in the process.

Elaborating further, he said relevant security institutions of the country have also been directed to provide more effective security to Chinese nationals and projects in Pakistan.

#Live: Interior Minister @ShkhRasheed addressing a news conference in Islamabad https://t.co/R9JxgFPhwu

— Radio Pakistan (@RadioPakistan) July 17, 2021

Chinese investigation team being provided full support, Rashid assures Chinese minister

Earlier today, the interior minister assured Chinese Minister for Public Security Zhao Kezhi that the investigation of the Kohistan bus tragedy was underway at the highest level on the directions of Prime Minister Imran Khan.

“The Chinese investigation team is being provided full support,” Rashid said. “All Chinese workers in Pakistan would be provided fool-proof security," the minister said during a telephone call with the Chinese minister.

The two sides also agreed that no hostile element could spoil the relationship between the two countries.

Expressing their regret over the loss of precious lives in the unfortunate accident, the two ministers discussed the progress of the investigation and also agreed to complete the probe on a priority basis.

“Pakistan and China’s friendship is tried, tested. We are iron brothers,” the interior minister said.

Read More: China asks Pakistan to conduct thorough probe into Dasu incident

Earlier, PM Imran also spoke with his Chinese counterpart Li Keqiang and assured him that the government of Pakistani would spare no effort to fully investigate the incident.

"He [prime minister] assured that no effort would be spared to fully investigate the incident," said a statement from the Prime Minister's Office detailing the telephone call between the two premiers.