Pakistan approves $2.58M compensation for Chinese nationals killed in bombing
Pakistan's premier economic body, the Economic Coordination Committee (ECC), has sanctioned a compensation of $2.58 million for the families of five Chinese workers killed in a suicide bombing on March 26. The victims, who were employees of China Gezhouba Group, were targeted en route to the Dasu Hydroelectric power station construction site in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. A top finance ministry official confirmed that the amount would be transferred immediately to the account of the Pakistani embassy in Beijing for onward payments.
Bombing incident details and compensation breakdown
The suicide bomber targeted the Chinese workers and their Pakistani driver by ramming his explosive-laden car into their vehicle in the Bisham area of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. The compensation, approved at a rate of $516,000 per head, is seen as a goodwill gesture, according to Dawn. A compensation has also been recommended for the Pakistani national who was killed in the same attack.
Compensation announcement precedes key CPEC meeting
The victims were part of thousands of Chinese personnel currently working on several projects under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), a $60 billion initiative. The compensation announcement comes ahead of the 13th joint cooperation committee meeting of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif's visit to Beijing. Sharif is expected to push for the second phase of CPEC, a project that has encountered difficulties for nearly five years.
