Hand over terrorists involved in Chinese workers attack: Pak to Afghanistan

Pakistan on Sunday asked Afghanistan's Taliban government to hand over banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan's (TTP) terrorists involved in a deadly attack on Chinese workers to Islamabad, according to a media report.

Five Chinese were among six persons killed when an explosives-packed vehicle rammed into their bus in the troubled province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in March, in the second suicide attack on the personnel working on the China-backed hydropower project since 2021.

The Chinese were working on the Dasu hydropower project, which is about 300 km to the north of Islamabad. The 4,320 MW project is being constructed by China Gezhouba with funding from the World Bank.

"Whether Afghanistan try the terrorists (in the court of law) or not, it should hand over the militants to Pakistan," Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi said while addressing a joint press conference flanked by officials of the National Counter-Terrorism Authority.

In view of the investigation report, the minister said that the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan's (TTP) operated the terror attack on Chinese citizens from inside Afghanistan, Geo TV reported.

The Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) of Pakistan's Cabinet on Thursday decided to pay $2.58 million to the families of Chinese workers killed in the attack.

The approval of compensation for five Chinese workers of China Gezhouba Group (contractor) was approved at the rate of $5,16,000 per head, as a goodwill gesture.

Thousands of Chinese personnel are working in Pakistan on several projects being carried out under the aegis of the $60 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor. Some have been attacked in recent years by militants who accuse them of exploiting mineral resources.

Pakistan has repeatedly urged the Afghan Taliban to take action against the TTP fighters who are using Afghan soil to attack Pakistan. However, Afghanistan has shown reluctance to take action against the rebels, who in the past fought shoulder-to-shoulder with them against the NATO forces.

Pakistan had provided support to the Afghan Taliban with the hope that after coming to power, they would take action against elements using the Afghan territory to launch attacks on Pakistan.

But its hopes floundered when the Afghan Taliban refused to take any action and instead asked Pakistan to hold talks with the TTP. The talks failed and the TTP launched a ruthless campaign of terror against Pakistan.

The TTP is an umbrella group of several militant outfits formed in 2007.