Chinese, Pakistani FMs exchange views on serious Chinese casualties in Pakistan

Photo taken with a mobile phone shows people transferring an injured person to a hospital following a blast in Gilgit city, Pakistan's northwest Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, July 14, 2021. (Str/Xinhua)

Lessons should be learned from the incident, and the security measures for China-Pakistan cooperation projects should be further strengthened to ensure the safe and smooth operation of the projects, Wang said.

DUSHANBE, July 15 (Xinhua) -- Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi here on Wednesday, exchanging views on the heavy Chinese casualties in Pakistan.

The Chinese side was shocked by the incident, hoping that the Pakistani side could quickly find out its cause, conduct rescue and treatment work at all costs, deal with the aftermath in time, and prevent similar incidents from happening again, Wang said.

If it is a terrorist attack, the criminals must be immediately arrested and severely punished, he added.

Photo taken with a mobile phone shows the wrecks of a bus plunged into a ravine following a blast in Pakistan's northwest Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province on July 14, 2021. (Str/Xinhua)

Lessons should be learned from the incident, and the security measures for China-Pakistan cooperation projects should be further strengthened to ensure the safe and smooth operation of the projects, Wang said.

Qureshi, on behalf of the government and the people of Pakistan, expressed sincere condolences to the Chinese side.

Preliminary investigation showed that it was an accident and no background of terrorist attacks has been found, Qureshi said.

China is Pakistan's most important friend and most reliable partner, and China's loss is Pakistan's loss, he stressed.

Pakistan will spare no effort to treat the wounded, thoroughly investigate the truth of the incident, lose no time in sharing the progress of the investigation with China, and do its utmost to ensure the safety of Chinese personnel in Pakistan, Qureshi added.