PM Imran assures Chinese premier of thorough investigation into Dasu incident

Prime Minister Imran Khan has assured Chinese Premier Li Keqiang that every effort will be made to investigate the Dasu incident in which nine Chinese nationals and four Pakistanis lost their lives.

In a telephonic conversation with the Chinese counterpart on Friday, the PM expressed his heartfelt condolences over the loss of precious lives of Chinese nationals. He assured Li that the security of Chinese nationals in Pakistan was the highest priority of the government.

PM Imran said that no hostile forces would be allowed to damage the brotherly relations between Pakistan and China.

Bus 'blast' near Dasu project kills at least 13, including 9 Chinese

The Dasu hydroelectric project is part of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), a $65 billion investment plan under Beijing's Belt and Road Initiative that is aimed at connecting western China to the Gwadar seaport in southern Pakistan.

On Tuesday, a bus carrying Pakistan and Chinese workers to the site of the project met with an accident with reports suggesting that a blast occurred, causing the vehicle to plunge into a ravine. At least 13 people lost their lives in the incident.

As details poured in, there were conflicting reports with some suggesting that the blast was a "sabotage", while some stated that it was an accident.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian termed the incident a "bombing". But Pakistan’s Foreign Office (FO) said “leakage of gas” caused by a “mechanical failure” resulted in a blast in the bus after which it plunged into the ravine.

Later, Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi told his Chinese counterpart that preliminary investigation into the incident revealed it was not a consequence of a terrorist attack.

Terrorism cannot be ruled out in Dasu incident: Fawad Chaudhry

"If it is a terrorist attack, the criminals must be immediately arrested and severely punished. Lessons should be learned from the incident, and the security measures for China-Pakistan cooperation projects should be further strengthened to ensure the safe and smooth operation of all projects," a statement on China's foreign ministry website quoted FM Wang Yi as saying.

"Qureshi said preliminary investigation shows that it's an accident and no background of terrorist attacks has been found," the statement read.

However, on Thursday, in yet another development, Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry said that the initial investigation confirmed traces of explosives.

"Initial investigations into Dasu incident have now confirmed traces of explosives. Terrorism cannot be ruled out," he tweeted.

The same day, China had said that it would cooperate closely with Pakistan in the investigation, announcing that it will send a team to Pakistan to help with the investigation.