KARACHI: Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan has “strongly condemned” the attack on the Chinese consulate in the country’s southern port city of Karachi, in which two police officers and all the three assailants were killed.
Khan issued a statement, saying he has ordered a probe into Friday’s attack. He described the assault as part of a conspiracy against Pakistan and China’s economic and strategic cooperation.
Pakistani separatists from the southwestern Baluchistan province claimed the consulate attack.
Khan vowed in his statement that such incidents would never be able to undermine Pakistan’s relations with China, which are “mightier than the Himalayas and deeper than the Arabian Sea.”
Khan lauded the Karachi police and the paramilitary ranger forces, saying they showed exceptional courage in defending the consulate and that the “nation salutes the martyrs.”
China has also condemned the attack on its consulate and urged its ally to ensure the security of Chinese citizens.
“China strongly condemns any violent attacks against diplomatic agencies and requests that Pakistan takes practical measures to ensure the safety of Chinese citizens and institutions in the country,” foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said at a regular press briefing.
Senior police official Ameer Ahmad Sheikh said all the Chinese diplomats and staff at the consulate were safe and were not harmed during the assault or the shootout on Friday.
The Baluch Liberation Army, a separatist group based in the southwestern province of Baluchistan, claimed responsibility for the attack and released photos of the three attackers.
Karachi, the capital of southern Sindh province, has a militant presence.
Up to four gunmen tried to enter the consulate but were intercepted by security guards at a checkpoint, senior local police official Javaid Alam Odho said.
An exchange of fire resulted “killing two of our constables and critically wounding another,” he said.
He added that the attackers “ran away” but did not confirm if the attack was over, saying the area had been cordoned off and security forces were conducting a clearing operation.
“Police and Rangers have reached the site,” added senior police official Pir Muhammad Shah.
Pictures posted to social media purportedly of the attack showed smoke rising from the area.
Karachi, Pakistan’s largest city and a financial hub, was for years rife with political, sectarian and ethnic militancy.
A crackdown in the city by security forces in recent years has brought a lull in violence, but scattered attacks still take place.
China, one of Pakistan’s closest allies, has poured billions into the South Asian country in recent years as part of a massive infrastructure project that seeks to connect its western province Xinjiang with the Arabian Sea.
