Chinese companies had halted work on the Diamer-Bhasha dam after the attack in Besham – File: Photo: AFP
Diamer: After a suicide attack in the Besham area of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa last month, construction work on the Diamer-Bhasha dam has resumed with enhanced security measures by the government.
The project spokesperson, Nuzakat Hussain, informed the international news agency AFP that Power China has resumed work on the dam on Monday and security has been increased.
Hundreds of Chinese workers are currently working on the under-construction Diamer-Bhasha dam and Dasu dam in the regions of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Gilgit-Baltistan. However, after an attack on a vehicle carrying Chinese engineers near Besham in late March, Power China and China Gezhouba Group had halted work on the dam.
The security official of AFP, on the condition of anonymity, stated that the government expects China Gezhouba Group to resume work on the Dasu dam next week. They also mentioned that the number of security personnel has been increased and security teams patrolling the area have been expanded.
It should be noted that the police had arrested more than 12 suspects, including Afghan nationals, during the investigation of the Besham suicide attack.
Just a day before the suicide attack in Besham, terrorists had attacked at Gwadar Port in Balochistan, leading to concerns that Chinese nationals working in Pakistan were being targeted.
Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif had assured full investigation of the attacks on Chinese nationals and had visited the area for solidarity, promising to bring the culprits to justice.