Investigators have uncovered evidence linking last month’s deadly attack on the Karakoram Highway to the same Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan cell that killed nine Chinese nationals in a 2021 bombing on the same road.
Pakistani officials moved a jailed Chinese national charged with blasphemy more than 200km away to a maximum-security prison for fear his presence could trigger a mob.
A source involved in the arrest said scores of infuriated Pakistani labourers descended on a Chinese camp, apparently intent on attacking the man, following a heated dispute about the slow pace of work during Ramadan.
Growing insurgencies in Pakistan, the Taliban’s march on neighbouring Afghanistan, and poor security at their camps are reportedly contributing to the atmosphere of fear.