Army chief assures China of ‘full support, security’ of Chinese workers in Pakistan

China’s ambassador to Pakistan Nong Rong speaks to Pakistan's army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa in Rawalpindi on July 19, 2021. (ISPR)
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Updated 20 July 2021
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Army chief assures China of ‘full support, security’ of Chinese workers in Pakistan

  • Chinese ambassador to Pakistan Nong Rong calls on Pakistan army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa
  • Nine Chinese workers were killed in a bus attack in northwestern Pakistan last week

ISLAMABAD: China’s ambassador to Pakistan Nong Rong called on Pakistani army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa on Monday, who assured the Chinese official about the security of the country’s citizens working in Pakistan.
Nine Chinese workers employed at the Dasu Hydropower Project were killed in a bus attack in northwestern Pakistan last week. The project is part of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), a $65 billion investment plan aiming to link western China to the southern Pakistani port of Gwadar.
Beijing had initially called it a bomb attack but backed away from the assertion after Pakistan stated it was an accident. Later Beijing sent a team to help investigate the matter jointly with Pakistan.
“In wake of the recent Dasu bus incident involving Chinese citizens, COAS [chief of army staff] extended heartfelt sympathies and deepest condolences to the government and the people of the Republic of China, particularly the bereaved families,” the Pakistani military’s media wing said in a statement. “COAS said that Pakistan Army greatly values its brotherly relations with our time-tested friend and also assured full support /cooperation and security of Chinese citizens working in Pakistan.”
“COAS said that while we work for peace, we need to stay strong to thwart designs of all inimical forces challenging our resolve particularly those threatening China-Pakistan strategic cooperation,” the statement added. “Both agreed on need for continuous engagement and coordination for peace and stability in the region.”
The blast in Dasu occurred when a bus came under attack while it was on its way to the under-construction dam site in the area. Thirteen people in total were killed.


Pakistan, seven Muslim nations back Palestinian technocratic body, stress Gaza-West Bank unity

Updated 15 January 2026
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Pakistan, seven Muslim nations back Palestinian technocratic body, stress Gaza-West Bank unity

  • The National Committee for the Administration of the Gaza Strip was announced on January 14
  • Muslim nations call for consolidation of the ceasefire and unimpeded humanitarian aid into Gaza

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and seven other Muslim-majority countries on Thursday welcomed the formation of a temporary Palestinian technocratic body to administer Gaza, stressing that it must manage daily civilian affairs while preserving the institutional and territorial link between the Gaza Strip and the West Bank amid the ongoing peace efforts.

In a joint statement, the foreign ministers of Pakistan, Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Türkiye, Indonesia and the United Arab Emirates said the newly announced National Committee for the Administration of the Gaza Strip would play a central role during the second phase of a broader peace plan aimed at ending the war and paving the way for Palestinian self-governance.

“The Ministers emphasize the importance of the National Committee commencing its duties in managing the day-to-day affairs of the people of Gaza, while preserving the institutional and territorial link between the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, ensuring the unity of Gaza, and rejecting any attempts to divide it,” the statement said.

The committee, announced on Jan. 14, is a temporary transitional body established under United Nations Security Council Resolution 2803 and is to operate in coordination with the Palestinian Authority, the ministers said.

The statement said the move forms part of the second phase of US President Donald Trump’s Comprehensive Peace Plan for Gaza, which the ministers said they supported, praising Trump’s efforts to end the war, ensure the withdrawal of Israeli forces and prevent the annexation of the occupied West Bank.

The top leaders of all eight Muslim countries attended a meeting with Trump in New York last September, shortly before he unveiled the Gaza peace plan.

The ministers also called for the consolidation of the ceasefire, unimpeded humanitarian aid into Gaza, early recovery and reconstruction and the eventual return of the Palestinian Authority to administer the territory, leading to a just and sustainable peace based on UN resolutions and a two-state solution on pre-1967 lines with East Jerusalem as the Palestinian capital.