New York, 28 March 2024 (TDI): The UN Security Council on Wednesday denounced in “the strongest terms” the terrorist attack near Besham in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province in Pakistan, in which five Chinese and one Pakistani were killed.
The UN Security Council has called for the people responsible behind this “heinous and cowardly” attack to be brought to justice.
The Chinese officials were on their way from Islamabad to their camp in Dasu, which is the district headquarters of the Upper Kohistan district of KPK, when their convoy was hit by a vehicle that had explosives present in it.
The vehicle was coming from the opposite direction, near the Lahore nala on the Karakoram Highway.
Terror attack in KPK
A vehicle that was laden with explosives targeted a convoy of Chinese engineers and a Pakistani driver, in the remote Besham area of KPK, killing six people.
Malakand Deputy Inspector General Muhammad Ali Gandapur reaffirmed that the attack was carried out by a suicide bomber. The Chinese engineers’ vehicle plunged into a deep ravine from the mountainous road, because of the severity of the blast.
Two bodies are reported to have been burned beyond recognition, making their identification difficult.
The security forces were present on the spot, closing the highway for traffic on both of the sides and have carried out an investigation.
No armed group has come forward claiming responsibility for the attack.
Dasu is around 80 KM further northwest from Besham, where the suicide attack on Tuesday took place. This is reported to be the third incident this week.
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UNSC condemns the terror attack
“The members of the Security Council expressed their deepest sympathy and condolences to the families of the victims and to the Governments of Pakistan and China, and they wished a speedy and full recovery to those who were injured,” the UN Security Council reported.
The members of the UN Security Council reasserted that the terror attacks regardless of their forms or demonstration, form part of one of the gravest threats to international peace and security.
In addition to this, the members of the UN Security Council underscored the importance to hold perpetrators, organizers, financers and sponsors of these deplorable acts of terrorism accountable and bringing them to face punishment for their crimes.
The UNSC also encouraged all States, to cooperate on an active basis with the Government of Pakistan and China, including the relevant authorities.
“The members of the Security Council reiterated that any acts of terrorism are criminal and unjustifiable, regardless of their motivation, wherever, whenever and by whomsoever committed,” reported the UN Security Council.
They reiterated the need of every State to fight against by every need in line with the Charter of the United Nations including other obligations.
These include the international law, including international human rights law, international refugee law and international humanitarian law, threats to international peace and security that are a result of terrorist acts.
Pakistan’s Stance
President Asif Ali Zardari visited the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China, to offer his sympathy on behalf of the government and people of Pakistan, over the killing of Chinese officials in Besham.
The Chinese Ambassador to Pakistan Jiang Zaidong maintained his country’s commitment to cement cooperation with Pakistan and continue its support for the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and other projects.
Jiang Zaidong, the Chinese Ambassador to Pakistan also underlined that Chinese workers had made excellent contributions towards Pakistan’s socio economic development, claiming that terrorists were the “enemies of humanity” and needed to be punished for targeting innocent people.
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif called for a detailed investigation into the attacks that took place in Besham, while making use of all the State’s resources.
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif reported that, “Terrorism is a transnational threat that has been instrumentalized by the enemies of Pakistan to stymie Pakistan’s progress and development.
The acts targeting Pakistan-China friendship are particularly aimed at creating mistrust between the two iron brothers.”
The Foreign Office reported that, “there remains no doubt that the suicide attack in Besham was orchestrated by enemies of Pakistan-China friendship.”
Foreign Office Spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch reported that Pakistan was, “Fully committed to bringing terrorists, and their facilitators and abettors to justice”.
The Foreign Office Spokesperson also maintained that such attacks toughen Pakistan’s commitment to fight terrorism in all its shapes. She called the two States “close friends and iron brothers.”
