Photo: AFP

China and Pakistan will keep strengthening security cooperation mechanisms to ensure the safety of Chinese projects, citizens and institutions in Pakistan and China firmly opposes any force using terrorism to seek geopolitical gains, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said after Pakistan announced Indian and Afghan intelligence agencies are apparently involved in the Dasu terrorist attack that killed nine Chinese nationals on July 14.

India's intelligence agency, Research and Analysis Wing (RAW), and Afghanistan's intelligence agency, National Directorate of Security (NDS), were behind the Dasu terror attack according to the probe carried out into the incident, media reported on Thursday citing Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi.

Qureshi said at a press conference in Islamabad on Thursday that "Afghan soil was used for the attack, and the vehicle used was smuggled into Pakistan," according to local media.

He said that 14 people were involved in the attack that was headed by a person named Tariq who is a member of proscribed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). 

China's Foreign Ministry responded on Thursday that Pakistan's investigation into the terrorist attack has seen major progress in a short period of time and China pays great attention to this and expresses appreciation to Islamabad's active efforts.

Further investigation by Pakistan is still ongoing, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said. China and Pakistan will follow the important consensus reached by the leaders on both sides, ascertain all the facts and truth, and hold the culprits accountable and bring them to justice, Hua said.

In the meantime, both countries will keep strengthening security cooperation mechanisms to ensure the safety of Chinese projects, citizens and institutions in Pakistan, Hua said.

Terrorism is the common enemy of all mankind. "China firmly opposes any force using terrorism to seek geopolitical gains and calls on countries in the region to collaborate in eradicating all terrorist organizations and uphold common security and development interests of all countries," Hua noted.

"If the conclusive evidence shows it was a terrorist attack led by the intelligence services of India and Afghanistan, it proves that the blast was not a simple terrorist attack but aimed at harming the smooth progress of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC),"Qian Feng, Director of the Research Department of the National Strategy Institute at Tsinghua University, told the Global Times.

In previous reports, Qian told the Global Times that Balochistan terrorists and the Pakistani Taliban were possible sponsors of the bomb attack. Qian hinted that the attack was committed by a third-party force or an intelligence agency from a third country as there has been evidence about attempts by  other countries to disrupt the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor.

Afghanistan and India have a close relationship in recent years. Indian intelligence can break through Pakistan's tight guard against India by cooperating with Afghan intelligence, making the detection of the incident more difficult, Qian said.

The expert believes that Pakistan will eventually provide solid evidence and reliable truth. "No matter what organization, force or country is involved, China will firmly oppose and take countermeasures," Qian said.

China and Pakistan will work together to build a stronger counter-terrorism and security cooperation framework.  The bilateral partnership will stand the test of the terrorist attack and become even stronger, according to a meeting between the Chinese Ambassador to Pakistan and the President of Pakistan on Tuesday.