China halts work on two projects after deadly attack

Chinese contractors have halted construction on two major dam projects in Pakistan after a suicide bomber killed five Chinese engineers and a Pakistani driver this week, a provincial official told AFP yesterday. The companies have demanded that Pakistan authorities come up with new security plans before reopening the sites where around 1,250 Chinese nationals are working, the official said. The security of Chinese workers is a major concern to both countries, with nationals frequently targeted by militants hostile to outside influence. The workers were targeted on Tuesday by a suicide bomber who rammed into their vehicle on a mountainous road near one of the dam sites. He detonated his explosives on impact, plunging their vehicle into a deep ravine. A senior official from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa interior department said that since Wednesday, China Gezhouba Group Company has halted work on the Dasu dam in the province and Power China has stopped work on Diamer Bhasha dam, which straddles two provinces. "They have demanded new security plans from government," he said. "Around 750 Chinese engineers are engaged in Dasu Dam project, while 500 are working on Diamer Bhasha Dam," he added.