PESHAWAR: A committee tasked with investigating the suicide attack in Bisham which killed six people last month has pointed out significant lapses in the security detail of the Chinese engineers and a blatant disregard for the standard operating procedures (SOPs).

Sources said that a three-member committee, comprising two senior officials from the federal and one from the KP government, had been directed to assess if the movement of the Chinese nationals on March 26 was in accordance with the SOPs. Six people, including five Chinese nationals, were killed after a suicide bomber rammed an explosive-laden vehicle into their bus in Bisham, Kohistan.

On March 27, the government reiterated its resolve to comprehensively combat militancy and bring the perpetrators behind the attack to justice.

At the same time, it announced a swift probe as China demanded a thorough investigation into the deadly blast.

Probe finds glaring lapses in security detail of slain Chinese engineers; woman engineer also among dead

During the course of the probe, the investigators found that the bus transporting the foreign nationals was not even bulletproof, let alone bombproof, which is a requirement under the security SOPs.

Sources said that the committee pointed out multiple flaws in the provision of security to Chinese nationals. Sources said the committee was shocked to learn that “the vehicle carrying the Chinese nationals should have been bombproof but the vehicle was not even bulletproof”.

They further said the company “that was required to provide bullet- and bombproof vehicles to transport Chinese workers, and duly paid for, failed to meet its contractual obligations”.

“Vehicles carrying the Chinese nationals should be bombproof, according to the SOPs but two forensic audits show they were not even bulletproof,” the sources said, adding that the committee also informed the federal government that it was difficult to pinpoint inefficiencies because there was no unity of command in the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) task force.

Sources privy to the report filed by the committee said the district police officer in Upper Kohistan was supposed to be informed about the convoy movement seven days in advance but not only was the DPO informed late, but the police officer “totally forgot to convey the message about the Chinese nationals’ movement to anyone further”.

They said that the committee also held the security director of the Dasu dam as well as the director general of the Special Security Unit negligent.

According to the crime scene report of the KP Counter-Terrorism Depar­tment, a suicide bomber had rammed an explosives-laden vehicle into a convoy of engineers which was on its way from Mansehra to their camp in Dasu, about 5.7km from the Bisham police station.

The report said that five Chinese nationals including a woman and their Pakistani driver were killed in the attack.

Sources privy to the CTD report told Dawn that the Chinese nationals were travelling in a coaster at Laho Nala when a Vitz car rammed into the bus.

According to the CTD report, the impact of the incident caused the coaster to fall into a ditch, which led to the immediate death of all six persons.

They said that apart from the committee, the CTD report also stated that prima facie the vehicle carrying Chinese did not appear to be bulletproof.

Published in Dawn, April 8th, 2024