Kohistan Accident Was Not A Terrorist Attack: FM Qureshi

Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi told his Chinese counterpart that the preliminary investigation into the bus accident near the Dasu Hydropower Project in Kohistan District, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, was not the result of a terrorist attack, according to a statement on the Chinese Foreign Ministry’s website.

The statement said that Shah Mehmood Qureshi met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on the sidelines of the SCO Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Dushanbe.

According to the statement, the Chinese Foreign Minister called for the immediate arrest and severe punishment in case of tragedy, terrorism.

However, Shah Mehmood Qureshi said that the preliminary investigation revealed that the incident was not a terrorist attack.

The statement further said, “Shah Mehmood Qureshi said that the initial investigation revealed that it was an accident and no trace of the terrorist attack was found.”

The Chinese Foreign Minister called for an investigation into the incident and told Shah Mehmood Qureshi, “We are concerned about the deaths of Chinese in Pakistan and hope that Pakistan will soon find out the matter and to prevent such incidents in the future,” the statement further read.

The statement quoted the Chinese foreign minister as saying that if the incident was a “terrorist attack”, the perpetrators should be arrested immediately and severely punished.

He stressed that “lessons should be learned from the incident and China-Pakistan cooperation will further strengthen security measures so that all projects can be completed on time”.

According to the statement, Shah Mehmood Qureshi said that China is Pakistan’s “most important friend and reliable ally and China’s loss is Pakistan’s loss”.

He further said that Pakistan would spare no effort to rescue and treat the injured, fully investigate the incident, share the progress of the investigation with China and make every effort to ensure the safety of Chinese personnel in Pakistan.

Bus ‘Accident’: 12 killed, Including 9 Chinese Engineers

At least 12 people, including nine engineers and two Frontier Corps (FC) personnel, were killed and several others injured in an attack near the Dasu hydropower plant in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Upper Kohistan district.

Initial reports from officials revealed contradictions, but Babar Awan, the prime minister’s adviser on parliamentary affairs, called it a “cowardly attack” in the National Assembly and said it would lead to “special measures between Pakistan and its neighbours.”

Hours later, the Foreign Office denied reports of an attack, saying the bus had fallen into a ditch due to “technical glitches”, which resulted in a gas leak and an explosion.

Kamran Bangash, Special Assistant to the Chief Minister for Information, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, in a statement to the media, said, “A high-level delegation has left for Upper Kohistan. We will brief the people and media on the ground realities.”

Conflicting information

Immediately after the incident, Upper Kohistan Deputy Commissioner Arif Khan Yousafzai said that the incident took place around 7.30 am when a bus carrying 30 workers from camp to the plant site.

He said that local engineers, including Frontier Corps personnel, were on board the bus when the incident took place.

The Foreign Office later said in a statement that the bus fell into a ditch due to a mechanical malfunction, which resulted in a gas leak and an explosion.

“Pakistan and China are close friends. Pakistan attaches great importance to the safety of Chinese citizens, projects and institutions,” the statement said.