China welcomes verdict in Dasu attack case

China appreciated Pakistan’s efforts to get to the bottom of last year’s terrorist attack in Dasu, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and bring the perpetrators to full justice, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson said on Tuesday.

Spokesperson Mao Ning told her regular media briefing at the International Press Centre (IPC) that Pakistan carried out the investigations in the July 14, 2021 attack with utmost seriousness. “This is much appreciated by China,” Mao told reporters.

A court in Pakistan awarded capital punishment to two accused over the Dasu terror attacks, recently. “Now that the suspects had been held accountable, we now know that justice has prevailed. There are fellow compatriots who lost their lives in the attack and they can now rest in peace,” Mao said.

The foreign ministry spokesperson remarked that China would remain firmly supportive of Pakistan’s counter-terrorism efforts and expressed the hope that the safety of Chinese nationals, institutions, and projects in Pakistan would be duly protected.

She emphasised that the Chinese side would further increase inputs in improving risk alerts, enhance emergency response capabilities and work with relevant countries in resolutely protecting the security of overseas Chinese nationals, institutions, and projects.

Responding to a question, the spokesperson said that she was not aware of reports about the use of bulletproof vehicles by Chinese workers working for China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). However, she added that both sides were in close communication to uphold the security of Chinese nationals.

While responding to another question, she termed untrue the reports of a protest in Gwadar against CPEC projects. “These reports are untrue. The organisers have said in public that the protests are not targeting Chinese side or the CPEC,” she added.

The spokesperson remarked that the Gwadar port was a flagship port of CPEC, with focus on people’s livelihood. “In all the projects that China has in this zone, China had assisted in building primary schools, training academies, hospitals and also the solar panels donated by China, improving the lives of people.”

She noted that China always followed the principles of mutual respect and consensus and consultation. “China is ready to work with Pakistan for high-quality development of CPEC and to ensure the smooth running of all projects in Gwadar port to deliver more benefits to the people,” she added.