Six people were killed when the vehicle they were travelling in was attacked in the Bisham tehsil of Shangla district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Tuesday.

Malakand Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of police Muhammad Ali claimed that five foreign engineers and their driver were feared to be the victims after their car was attacked.

He further said that many people were feared injured in the attack also. "The attack appears to be a suicide, but an investigation is underway," the police officer said, adding that the passenger vehicle was going from Islamabad to Kohistan.

The officer claimed that attackers rammed an explosive-laden vehicle into the passenger car, which eventually fell into a ditch.

"The area has been cordoned off, and the Bomb Disposal Squad has reached the spot," he added.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur has sought a report on the incident from the provincial police chief and expressed grief over the lives lost. He called the attack highly condemnable and ordered the provide immediate medical treatment to the injured.

Foreign news agencies have claimed that the foreign nationals killed in the attack were all Chinese engineers travelling to their camp in Dasu.

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Dasu is the site of a major dam and the area has been attacked in the past as well. A blast on a bus had killed 13 people, including nine Chinese nationals, in 2021.

Condemnations

Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz in her condemnation, said the attack on Chinese brothers was very hurtful. She added that the nation stood with the Chinese brothers in this hour of grief.

Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah said they would not let anyone disturb the peace of the country. "China and Pakistan enjoy brotherly relations and are partners in many development projects," he maintained, adding that terrorists wanted to weaken the economy of the country.

Gilgit-Baltistan CM Ziaul Hassan Lanjar said the attack on Chinese nationals was a conspiracy to spoil the Pakistan-China friendship.

Sindh Governor Kamram Tessori said such incidents were part of a conspiracy to spoil Pakistan-China relations, adding that these incidents could not shake the nation's morale. "Those involved in the attack on Chinese residents will be punished," he maintained.

PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari said the planners of the terrorist incident in Bisham should be exposed and punished severely. "The culprits cannot escape punishment," he stressed.