The Pakistan government had to finally agree to provide a large amount of compensation to survivors and families of 36 Chinese nationals who were either killed or hurt in a terror attack that took place last year near a hydropower project site in northeastern Pakistan. The unresolved issue of compensation had stalled progress in several China-backed projects.

Ten Chinese workers were killed and 26 were injured last year in July when the bus carrying them was targeted by an IED bomb. Later, China had pressed Islamabad to investigate the incident as an act of terror.

The work on the World Bank-funded Dasu Hydropower Project remained stalled since the attack as both countries struggled for months to form a consensus on the compensation amount. However, a report in The Express Tribune highlighted Pakistan has no contractual obligation to pay compensation. 

The government has worked out four different compensation amounts, ranging from $4.6 million to $20.3 million, the paper said. Pakistan’s Economic Committee on Coordination (ECC) headed by Prime Minister Imran Khan will take a call on the options. 

Significantly, the issue was raised in several coordination meetings between Chinese officials and their Pakistani counterparts. Earlier reports suggested that Islamabad wanted to resume work on the sites but the Chinese had refused to budge till the compensation issue got resolved. 

(SAM)