Rawalpindi: The plan to kill the Chinese engineers was hatched in Afghanistan, said Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director General (DG) Maj-Gen Ahmed Sharif while addressing the media on Tuesday.
Maj Gen Sharif started the press briefing by addressing recent tensions with Afghanistan and attacks mounted from Afghan territory against Pakistan.
“A sad incident took place on March 2 in Bisham where a suicide bomber targeted a car of Chinese engineers working on Dasu dam, as a result of which, five Chinese citizens and a Pakistan got killed. This suicide bombing also connects to across the border [in Afghanistan]; the planning of this terrorism [act] was done in Afghanistan. Terrorists and their facilitators were also being controlled from Afghanistan and the suicide bomber was also an Afghan [national],” he said.
In March, a suicide attack on a group in Bisham tehsil of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Shangla killed five Chinese nationals and a Pakistani citizen.
The Chinese embassy asked Pakistan to “severely” punish the perpetrators of the attack and take effective measures to ensure the safety of its citizens working in the country, institutions, and projects.
Maj Gen Sharif started that, “TTP terrorists are continuously committing acts of terrorism in Pakistan,”
Investigation revealed Afghan soil was used to plan the attack on the Chinese nationals in Dasu, the DG ISPR said, adding that Gwadar Port Complex also came under attack.
He also highlighted that, “In the war on terrorism, our soldiers and workers and law enforcement agencies have been martyred in huge numbers,” “everyone knows that Pakistan tried its best for peace in region and especially in Afghanistan. Pakistan’s role has been the most vital for peace in the region.”
Gen Sharif said the army strongly condemned “this ugly game of terrorism” and is “taking all necessary actions to bring its facilitators to justice.”
The Pak Army spokesperson said that links of recent terrorism “extend to terror hideouts in Afghanistan”.
He reminded that Pakistan had helped Afghanistan and reminded that one of the pledges made by the interim government in Kabul was to not let Afghan soil be used for any terror acts.
“But there is concrete evidence that TTP terrorists are still using Afghan soil to launch attacks in Pakistan,” Gen Sharif said. “In this regard, the FO has registered 12 protests and the army chief has taken a clear stance that Pakistan has its reservations on hideouts of banned outfits [in Afghanistan].
He said that. “Pakistan will leave no stone unturned to eradicate terror networks and provide protection to its citizens at all costs.”
He also added that the purpose of the armed forces “is to establish peace in the country”. To ensure this, he said, “we will go to every extent to suppress the terrorists and their patrons and enablers.”
