The Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) of the Cabinet on Thursday approved a $2.58 million compensation package for Chinese nationals slain in the Dasu terror attack.
In March, terrorists in Shangla rammed an explosives-laden vehicle into a bus carrying Chinese engineers on the Karakorum Highway. The incident killed five Chinese engineers and their Pakistani driver, with Islamabad assuring Beijing it would provide foolproof security to Chinese nationals and ensure justice for the culprits. Earlier this month, the Inter-Ministerial Committee (IMC) recommended to the ECC a compensation package for the slain Chinese on the basis of GDP per capita and purchasing power parity.
Reportedly, the funds would be transferred to the account of the Pakistan embassy in Beijing, which will then transfer them to the families of the victims via appropriate channels. The decision comes a few weeks ahead of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s anticipated visit to China for discussions on the next phase of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor.
Chaired by Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb, the ECC meeting also approved Rs. 70.484 billion for the Ministry of Water Resources to fund hydropower projects.
The ECC further approved two summaries seeking $8 million in government support for the Roosevelt Hotel in New York, as well as Rs. 184.509 million for the Pakistan Nuclear Regulatory Authority (PNRA). The funds for the Roosevelt Hotel were requested by the Ministry of Aviation to pay severance and other operational expenses of the property. The meeting was informed that the process of reopening the hotel was ongoing.
Apart from the finance minister, Power Minister Awais Ahmad Khan Leghari; Minister for Industries and Production Rana Tanveer Hussain; Minister for Economic Affairs Ahad Khan Cheema; Minister of State for Finance and Revenue Ali Pervez Malik; the State Bank of Pakistan governor; the chairman of he SECP, federal secretaries, and other senior officials also attended the meeting.