https://arab.news/p8ev9
- Interior Minister says investigation into bus blast that killed nine Chinese in mid-July had been completed
- No hurdle in CPEC will be “tolerated at any cost,” the whole nation is behind the project, Sheikh Rashid says
ISLAMABAD: Pakistani Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed on Monday urged the nation to unite against “conspiracies” being hatched by Israel, India and Afghanistan’s national intelligence agency against the country.
The minister accused the three countries of terrorism and unrest in Pakistan, without specifying the charges or giving any evidence to support them.
“The conspiracies India, Israel and NDS [National Directorate of Security of Afghanistan] are hatching [against Pakistan], they demand unity to fight them,” the interior minister said while addressing a press conference in Islamabad. “Whatever is happening in this country is backed by terrorism, NDS, RAW [Indian intelligence agency] and Israel.”
The minister also told reporters an investigation into a bus blast last month that killed 13 people, including nine Chinese, in northwestern Pakistan, had been completed.
The Chinese workers were employed at the Dasu Hydropower Project, which 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.
“Investigation was with the interior ministry and our agencies have completed the probe,” Ahmed said. “However, the foreign minister will announce [the report].”
Beijing had initially termed the incident a bomb attack on the bus but backed away from the assertion after Pakistan stated it was an accident. Later Beijing said it would send a team to help investigate the matter jointly with Pakistan.
A team of 15 Chinese investigators visited Pakistan last month and, accompanied by Pakistani officials, began investigations into the incident.
“Pak-China friendship is higher than Himalaya, and no hurdle in CPEC will be tolerated at any cost,” he said. “The whole nation is behind CPEC.”