A big explosion concentrating on a convoy of Chinese staff in Pakistan’s greatest metropolis killed two Chinese nationals, an assault later claimed by a separatist group, Beijing’s embassy stated Monday.
Beijing is a vital ally for cash-strapped Pakistan however Chinese-funded infrastructure initiatives have sparked resentment and terrorist teams routinely goal its nationals.
A “tanker” exploded on the airport motorway within the port metropolis of Karachi round 11 p.m. (6 p.m. GMT) Sunday, the regional authorities of southern Sindh province stated on X.
The Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), a separatist terrorist group, stated in a press release that it had “targeted a high-level convoy of Chinese engineers and investors” coming from Karachi’s worldwide airport.
Karachi borders Balochistan province, the biggest however poorest area of the nation, the place billions of {dollars} have been funneled into transport, power and infrastructure initiatives as a part of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).
The BLA is waging a battle of independence in opposition to the state, which it accuses of allowing unfair exploitation of assets by outsiders within the mineral-rich area.
In August, it carried out coordinated assaults throughout Balochistan that killed dozens of principally Punjabis, the biggest ethnic group in Pakistan, who have been working within the area.
Security pressure
Beijing’s embassy to Pakistan stated in a press release on Monday that two Chinese residents had been killed in a “terror attack” on a convoy of personnel from the Chinese-funded Port Qasim energy undertaking.
The assault additionally left one Chinese and several other Pakistani residents wounded, the embassy stated.
The embassy urged authorities to “conduct a thorough investigation of the attack and severely punish the killers, while at the same time taking practical measures to fully ensure the safety of Chinese citizens, institutions and projects.”
Beijing has repeatedly requested Islamabad to make sure the protection and safety of Chinese nationals and its pursuits.
Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry stated in a press release Monday that it “reaffirms its unwavering commitment to the safety and security of Chinese nationals.”
Sunday night time’s assault comes every week earlier than Pakistan hosts a number of heads of governments for a Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit, a bloc established by Russia and China to deepen ties with Central Asian states.
Beijing is Islamabad’s closest regional ally, readily offering monetary help to bail out its usually struggling neighbor.
The CPEC has seen tens of billions of {dollars} funneled into large transport, power and infrastructure initiatives – a part of Beijing’s transnational “Belt and Road” initiative.
A suicide bomber killed 5 Chinese engineers engaged on the development of a dam in northwestern Pakistan in March, quickly pausing the undertaking.
The assault was not claimed, however it got here days after militants tried to storm workplaces of the Gwadar deepwater port on the different finish of the nation, thought of a cornerstone of Chinese funding in Pakistan.
In June 2020, Baloch insurgents focused the Pakistan Stock Exchange, which is partly owned by Chinese firms, within the business capital of Karachi.
In 2019, gunmen stormed a luxurious lodge in Balochistan province overlooking the flagship Chinese-backed deepwater seaport in Gwadar that offers strategic entry to the Arabian Sea – killing not less than eight individuals.
Source: www.dailysabah.com