Pakistan blames Indian and Afghan spy agencies for bus blast that killed Chinese workers

Name: Pakistan says suicide bombing behind July bus blast that killed 9 Chinese nationals
Uploaded: 2021-08-13T10:00:08.000Z
Duration: 3 min 34 s
Description: Pakistan says suicide bombing behind July bus blast that killed 9 Chinese nationals

‘Clear nexus’ seen between Pakistani Taliban and the intelligence services of the two neighbouring nations, Pakistan’s foreign minister says

China denounces use of terrorism for geopolitical gains and calls for a united front to uphold regional security interests

3-MIN READ3-MIN

The wreckage of a bus carrying Chinese and Pakistani workers is seen at the bottom of a ravine after the vehicle plunged into it following a blast in Pakistan’s northwest Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province on July 14. Thirteen people were killed, including nine Chinese workers. Photo: Xinhua

Sarah Zheng

Published: 6:00pm, 13 Aug 2021Updated: 11:30pm, 13 Aug 2021

Pakistan has blamed India and Afghanistan for a bus blast last month that killed nine Chinese nationals, prompting a call by Beijing that no one should use terrorism for geopolitical gains.

Releasing a report on an investigation into the attack, Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi on Thursday said that an umbrella group of militants under the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) was responsible for the deadly violence, and there was a “clear nexus” with Indian and Afghan intelligence agencies.

China’s foreign ministry did not directly name any group in its statement on Pakistan’s investigation, but said that the two countries needed to strengthen their security cooperation to ensure the safety of China’s personnel and institutions for its projects in the country.

03:34

Pakistan says suicide bombing behind July bus blast that killed 9 Chinese nationals

Thirteen people were killed in the July 14 attack on a bus carrying Chinese and Pakistani workers to the Dasu hydropower project, part of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor under construction in the northern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. Dozens of others were wounded, including at least 28 Chinese.

“Terrorism is the common enemy of all mankind. China firmly opposes any force using terrorism to seek geopolitical gains and calls on countries in the region to collaborate on eradicating all terrorist organisations so as to uphold the common security and development interests of all countries,” ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said in a statement.

Qureshi said Pakistan had data evidence to back up its findings that the intelligence agencies from the two neighbouring countries were involved.

“As per our investigation, Afghan soil was used for this incident … about its planning and its execution, we’re seeing a clear nexus between [Afghan] NDS and [Indian] RAW,” Qureshi said.