China has demanded US$ 38 million compensation for the nine dead Chinese engineers at the Dasu
Dam Project. Mushtaq Ghumman, writing in Business Recorder said that China wanted to be
compensated prior to resuming work on the stalled Dasu Hydropower Project. On July 14, 2021,
thirteen people, including nine Chinese engineers, two locals and two personnel of the Frontier Constabulary (FC) died and over two dozen other people sustained injuries when a bus carrying the
team working on the project fell into a ravine after it was hit by a car laden with explosives. Business
Recorder reported that according to Secretary Water Resources, Dr Shahzeb Khan Bangash, the
civil work in the project has been stalled since the attack on Chinese engineers in July. Quoting
sources, it said the issue of compensation to the Chinese nationals is being discussed at a high level.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Interior, Ministry of Water Resources
and Chinese embassy were working closely on the compensation package, as well as resumption of
work on the project. According to sources, the Steering Committee, comprising Secretaries of
concerned Ministries had constituted another Committee which deliberated on the issues linked to
the Dasu project, especially the volume of compensation being demanded by the Chinese
government. The Committee has constituted a Subcommittee, comprising all the relevant Ministries
to discuss compensation package by taking the Chinese embassy on board as the proposed package
is being termed as "irrational", said Ghumman.
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