Abstract
The diplomatic relations between Pakistan and China were established in the early fifties but at the start of 21st century, some forces tried to create misunderstanding between the two states by attacking Chinese nationals employed in different economic projects in Pakistan. A number of Chinese became the victim of terrorism in different areas of Pakistan during the Musharraf era. This paper addresses the inter-related issues such as the terrorist attacks on the Chinese nationals in Pakistan, reaction of the Governments of Pakistan and China and attempts to probe the forces behind these attacks. Almost all the Pakistani newspapers-- both English and Urdu were consulted to write this paper besides other secondary sources of information. During the Musharraf era (1999-2008), the first attack on the Chinese nationals was reported in 2001. In Baluchistan, 48 Km away from the city of Dahaheed, the terrorists attacked on a Chinese engineer. The engineer was on his way back to the survey area along with his driver and two duty guards. When they reached near Ambada area of Sunny subdivision, some unidentified persons fired a rocket which hit the vehicle. The driver, Bacha Khan, died on the spot, while the Chinese engineer, Mr. Pong, and his two guards, Sher Muhammad and Jabbar Riaz, were injured. The injured were rushed to Civil Hospital Sibi, and were later shifted to Quetta. As the background, it may be pointed out that the Premier Oil Company had got the concession for the exploration of oil and gas in the Sunny Sohan area of the Sibi district. The purpose of attack was to create hurdles in the way of the Company to work on oil and gas exploration in the area. This was also the act of those who do not want Pak-China friendship to flourish. Soon after the incident, the Chief Executive, General Pervez Musharraf issued a directive to the Baluchistan Governor, to employ all available resources, civil and military to trace down the terrorists who were responsible for this act. He also directed the relevant authorities to launch a full scale search operation of the area to arrest the culprits.