Investigators from China join Pakistan bus blast probe that killed 9 Chinese

ISLAMABAD: A team of 15 Chinese investigators, accompanied by Pakistani officials, have launched a probe into a bus attack in the northwest Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province earlier this week, Pakistan’s foreign ministry said on Sunday.
The blast in Dasu on Wednesday killed 13 people, including nine Chinese nationals, when their bus, which was shuttling them to an under-construction dam site in the area, came under attack.
“The Chinese side was briefed regarding the progress in the ongoing investigation indicating the possibility of sabotage and about the care being provided to the injured,” the foreign ministry statement said.
The delegation from Beijing comprises representatives from the Chinese Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Commerce and criminal investigation and technical experts.
Earlier on Saturday, Pakistan’s Interior Minister Sheikh Rasheed Ahmed said that the government had reassured Beijing of providing “foolproof security” to its nationals involved in various infrastructure projects under the prestigious $62 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) initiative.
The assurances were formally communicated to Beijing during a lengthy phone call between Sheikh Rasheed and his Chinese counterpart, Zhao Kezhi.
Sheikh Rasheed added that the bus incident was orchestrated ahead of the China-Pakistan Joint Cooperation Committee (JCC) meeting that was canceled by Beijing after the blast “for maximum impact.”