DELHI: Friday’s attack of the Chinese consulate in Karachi sparked front-page coverage in most of India’s national dailies.
The country’s highest-circulating English language newspaper, Times of India, carried the headline: “Baloch suicide squad kills four at Chinese consulate in Karachi.”
It reported that a “Baloch separatist group stormed the Chinese consulate…killing four people before they were shot dead.”
The daily said the Baloch Liberation Army, an insurgent group that has been fighting the Pakistani state for over a decade, considers the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor an “illegal occupation of resources rich Balochistan.”
The Indian Express devoted five columns to the attack, highlighting India’s condemnation of it and the security risks for China.
“With infrastructure projects worth $60 billion under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), Chinese interests in Pakistan are possibly at an all-time high.”
“New Delhi’s swift condemnation of the attack is significant, given Pakistani allegations of India support to the Baloch insurgency, as well as diplomatic sensitivity ar0und India’s refusal to be the part of the BRI.”
Although Chinese interests had been previously targeted in Pakistan, the consulate raid was “the most significant attack of its kind in years.”
The Hindustan Times, the second-highest circulating English daily, gave prominent coverage to the attack. It also said the Pakistani government “might try to pin this attack on the BLA to justify a military operation against Baloch militants.”
The English daily, DNA, said the attack could mar China-Pakistan ties.
“The incident is the second major attack this year on Chinese officials in Karachi, a megacity in a country that is one of the key partners in China’s Belt and Road Initiative.”
Chinese consulate attack sparks widespread Indian media reports
Chinese consulate attack sparks widespread Indian media reports
- India quick to condemn the attack
- China investing billions in Pakistan
Pakistan launches second indigenous EO-2 satellite from China, SUPARCO says
- Earth observation satellite launched from Yangjiang Seashore Launch Center in China
- EO-2 to enhance disaster response, governance, resource management capabilities
KARACHI: Pakistan has successfully launched its second indigenous Earth Observation satellite, EO-2, from China’s Yangjiang Seashore Launch Center, the national space agency SUPARCO said on Thursday.
The launch marks a significant step in Pakistan’s efforts to strengthen its domestic space and remote sensing capabilities, with the satellite expected to improve imaging continuity, disaster monitoring, agricultural planning and strategic resource management.
In a statement, Pakistan’s SUPARCO said the EO-2 satellite would enhance the country’s earth observation and imaging capabilities and support governance and planning functions across multiple sectors.
“Pakistan’s second indigenous EO-2 satellite has been successfully launched,” SUPARCO said, adding that the mission represents a “milestone” in the expansion of the country’s satellite fleet.
According to the agency, EO-2 will provide critical data for planning and resource management while improving the continuity and accuracy of national earth observation systems.
The satellite is expected to support disaster management, urban planning, environmental monitoring and infrastructure development by supplying updated geospatial imagery and data.
SUPARCO said the launch demonstrates growing indigenous capability in satellite development and reflects Pakistan’s broader objective of strengthening its national space program through locally developed platforms.
Pakistan has gradually expanded its space cooperation with China in recent years, including satellite launches and joint missions, as Islamabad seeks to build technical capacity and reduce reliance on external data sources.
The EO-2 satellite is expected to play a key role in improving data availability for federal and provincial authorities, particularly in areas vulnerable to floods, climate stress and rapid urbanization.
