Last Tuesday, a suicide bombing in Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province killed five Chinese nationals and their Pakistani driver. The attack occurred merely hours after separatist Baloch fighters targeted a naval air base in Turbat, and was the third instance of terrorist violence in the region in the span of a week. The workers were on their way to a Chinese-funded hydroelectric power plant project in Dasu in the remote Kohistan region, when a vehicle packed with explosives collided with their truck. Pakistani officials have arrested 12 individuals who facilitated the attack, including the supposed mastermind of the plan, Hazrat Bilal. While no terror organization has claimed the attack as their own, Pakistani officials have revealed that a number of the arrested are linked with Tehreek-e-Taliban-e-Pakistan (TPP), an Islamist armed militant group with ties to the Afghan Taliban and Al-Qaeda, and who denied involvement with the attack.

The recent attack is likely an attempt to weaken relations between Pakistan and China, one of Pakistan’s closest allies and benefactors. In response, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif visited the Dasu hydroelectric power plant this past Monday, vowing that he would “not rest until [Pakistan has] put in place the best possible security measures for [Chinese workers’] security. Not only in Dasu, [but] all over Pakistan.” The Pakistani government has created a committee to evaluate and heighten the security of Chinese workers in Pakistan. 

At a scheduled news briefing on Monday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin reported that “China firmly supports Pakistan in looking into what happened with utmost resolve and effort, bringing the perpetrators and whoever’s behind the attack to justice,” indicating the strength of current Pakistani-Chinese relations.

Recent surges in terrorism in Pakistan, particularly by the Taliban, may be a result of U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021, exacerbating both the economic conditions of Pakistan as well as increasing diplomatic tensions with Afghanistan. As extremist groups grow emboldened, fueled by discontent with Pakistan’s governance, Pakistan should focus its efforts on encouraging social cohesion and improving government-citizen relations as a means of conflict resolution. Promoting dialogue and communication between unsatisfied Pakistanis and state institutions may reduce the need to resolve grievances through violence.  The amelioration of police-citizen relations and the promotion of democratic practices may help to resolve some of the tensions within Pakistan’s provinces. Social cohesion and the bolstering of diversity acceptance may reduce ethnically based conflict in the region, and is essential for improving the security of both Pakistanis and Chinese workers.

The Dasu plant, the Chinese nationals’ destination, is just one of many joint projects in the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) since the beginning of China’s 2013 Belt and Road Initiative. For terrorist groups in Pakistan, Chinese nationals have been a particular target of attacks, as the economic relationship between China and Pakistan strengthens the legitimacy and strength of the Pakistani government. On July 14, 2021, a similar suicide bombing, also thought to have been carried out by the TTP, took place in the same Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, killing nine Chinese workers on their way to a construction site. With an estimated $62 billion invested in Pakistani projects, mostly in the southwest province of Balochistan, which is particularly riddled with liberation and rebel movements, China has much to lose from the breakdown of Pakistani security. 

As tensions rise, and violence continues to impact the security of Pakistanis and Chinese nationals alike, the Pakistani government must focus on resolving the issue of regional instability to ensure the wellbeing of those within their borders. Chinese-Pakistani relations, particularly with regards to mutual economic gain, is of utmost importance for maintaining the economic health in Pakistan. Therefore, Pakistan must act accordingly to ensure the safety of Chinese workers. By promoting social cohesion, government-citizen dialogue, and democratic practices, Pakistan can aim to improve the stability of the region, while strengthening the robust Chinese-Pakistani relationship.