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
World Bank approves $400 million to expand water, sanitation services in Pakistan’s Punjab
- Project aims to improve access for 4.5 million people and curb waterborne diseases
- Program to prioritize women’s participation and climate-resilient urban infrastructure
ISLAMABAD: The World Bank this week approved $400 million for a new project to expand access to safe water, sanitation and hygiene services for around 4.5 million people in Pakistan’s most populous Punjab province, aiming to curb waterborne diseases and reduce long-term public health costs.
The project, known as the Punjab Inclusive Cities Program (PICP), is the second phase of the World Bank-supported Pakistan Urban Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Services Multiphase Programmatic Approach. It will focus on rehabilitating water supply networks, sewerage systems and wastewater treatment plants, while expanding stormwater drainage infrastructure across 16 secondary cities in Punjab.
Punjab faces persistent challenges in providing safe drinking water and adequate sanitation, with many urban households relying on contaminated sources. Weak infrastructure and limited hygiene services contribute to high rates of waterborne diseases such as diarrhea, typhoid and hepatitis, which disproportionately affect children and low-income communities.
“Reducing child stunting is essential for Pakistan’s future. Through the Punjab Inclusive Cities Program, we are investing in safe water, sanitation, and hygiene services to break the cycle of malnutrition and disease that holds back so many children from reaching their full potential,” the World Bank quoted its Country Director for Pakistan, Bolormaa Amgaabazar, as saying in a statement.
“In collaboration with the Punjab Government, the program represents a significant step forward in improving urban infrastructure and strengthening local institutions, thereby laying the foundation for healthier communities and a more prosperous Pakistan.”
Child stunting, a form of chronic malnutrition that leaves children too short for their age, is often linked to repeated infections, poor sanitation and unsafe drinking water, and remains a major public health concern in Pakistan.
Beyond water and sanitation, the project will also support solid waste management systems to improve sanitary waste disposal, extending services to an additional two million people in Punjab’s urban areas. The program will strengthen the capacity of local governments, including efforts to improve revenue generation and long-term service sustainability.
“The program complements infrastructure investments with capacity building and revenue generation, helping to ensure that service delivery is well sustained,” the statement quoted Amena Raja, Senior Urban Specialist at the World Bank, as saying.
“It will also help Punjab’s cities better withstand floods and droughts, ensuring urban development is both environmentally responsible and resilient to climate change.”
The program includes a gender-focused component, prioritizing the hiring of women in decision-making roles, establishing gender-compliant service desks and supporting skills development. It also aims to mobilize private capital to support water and sanitation services in Punjab’s secondary cities.
Pakistan has been a member of the World Bank since 1950 and has received more than $48 billion in assistance since. The Bank’s current portfolio in the country comprises 54 projects with total commitments of $15.7 billion, while its private-sector arm, the International Finance Corporation, has invested about $13 billion since 1956.
Earlier this year, Pakistan and the World Bank signed a first-of-its-kind agreement for a plan to focus $20 billion in lending to the cash-strapped nation over the coming decade on development issues like the impact of climate change as well as boosting private-sector growth.
