India denies involvement in bus blast that killed Chinese workers in Pakistan
- New Delhi accuses Pakistan of trying to deflect attention from it being ‘the epicentre of regional instability and a safe haven for proscribed terrorists’
- Thirteen were killed in the July 14 attack on a bus carrying Chinese and Pakistani workers to the Dasu hydropower project
The Indian Ministry of External Affairs rejected Pakistan’s allegation and called it an attempt at “peddling lies and propaganda”.
“This is yet another attempt by Pakistan to malign India, in a bid to deflect international attention from its role as the epicentre of regional instability and a safe haven for proscribed terrorists,” a ministry statement said.
India and Pakistan have long been hostile to each other due to territorial conflicts over the Kashmir region since 1947.
03:34
Pakistan says suicide bombing behind July bus blast that killed 9 Chinese nationals
The bus was on its way to the Dasu hydroelectric project – part of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) being built in the northern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province – when the blast happened. Thirteen people, including nine Chinese, were killed and dozens injured, with at least 28 Chinese among them.
Beijing urged the Pakistani authorities to conduct an immediate investigation into the incident and to ensure the safety of Chinese personnel and projects in Pakistan.
