Beijing: Day after, nine Chinese nationals were killed in an explosion in a bus in Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhawa province, China has decided to step in to assist its ally to probe the matter. Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian on Thursday announced that the country is set to send a cross-department work group to assist Pakistan on the case, media reported. The Chinese probe is being allowed despite the fact that the Imran Khan government has repeatedly stated that it won't allow foreign security set up on its land.
Meanwhile, Beijing has postponed the important meeting of the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) that was scheduled to be held on Friday. Major General Asim Bajwa, the head of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor and former spokesperson of the Pakistan Army, in a tweet informed that the meeting would be now be held after Eid. "JCC-10 meeting on #CPEC which was scheduled to be held on 16th July 21, has been postponed to a later date after Eid. A fresh date will be shared as finalised. Meanwhile, preparations continue," he tweeted.
The incident took place on July 14 in the Dasu area of Upper Kohistan district of the restive Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province where Chinese engineers and construction workers are helping Pakistan build a dam, which is part of the USD 60 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). At least 13 people, including nine Chinese nationals and two frontier corps soldiers, died and 39 others injured when the bus carrying Chinese engineers and workers to the site of the under-construction Dassu Dam exploded. The bus fell into a deep ravine after the explosion. The explosion in the bus has shocked Beijing, considering the number of Chinese casualties. It also resulted in confusion and rare differing views aired in public by the two all-weather allies.