Kabul: Following the assassination of five Chinese engineers in a suicide attack in Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, the Chinese contractor company halted progress on Pakistan’s most crucial hydroelectric project under construction.

As per reports from Pakistani media, the Chinese company has repatriated over two thousand workers from this project. The project manager stated that all on-site and office personnel have been suspended due to security concerns until further notice.

“Tarbela” is one of the largest hydropower development projects situated along the “Sand” river.

The Tarbela Dam, located on the Indus River in Pakistan, is the world’s largest embankment dam and the second-largest dam in terms of volume structure globally. Situated in the Haripur district of Hazara, approximately 50 kilometers (31 miles) northwest of Islamabad, the Tarbela Dam stands 148 meters above the river bed, providing a water storage area of about 250 km2 (97 sq mi). The dam’s power plant, boasting a capacity of 4,888 megawatts, generates over 17 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity annually.

culled from Afghanistan Times