KARACHI: Two militants were killed in an attack on a convoy carrying Chinese engineers in the southwestern Pakistani port city of Gwadar, a government official said on Sunday, amid a surge in militant violence in the insurgency-hit Balochistan province.
The Gwadar port city lies at the heart of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), a $65 billion network of roads, railways, pipelines, and ports in Pakistan that will connect China to the Arabian Sea and help Islamabad expand and modernize its economy.
Balochistan Information Secretary Hamza Shafqat said the Chinese nationals remained unhurt in the wake of the attack, which has been claimed by the outlawed Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA).
“The situation is under control. Two terrorists [have been] killed,” Shafqaat told Arab News over the phone. “Chinese are safe. Law enforcement agencies are combing the area.”
A source told Arab News the attack took place near Faqir Colony on Gwadar’s Airport Road.
Pakistan’s army confirmed militants had attacked a military convoy at 10:00 a.m. in Gwadar.
“Terrorists used small arms and hand grenades during the activity, however, due to efficient and swift response, two terrorists were sent to hell with no harm to any military or civil persons,” a statement from the army’s media wing, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said.
Following the attack, China strongly condemned the incident and urged Pakistan to conduct a thorough probe into it.
“The Embassy and the Consulate General in Karachi launched emergency response immediately, requesting the Pakistani authorities to conduct a thorough investigation on the attack, severely punish the perpetrators, take practical and effective measures to prevent similar incidents from happening again,” the Chinese embassy in Islamabad issued a statement.
The embassy reminded Chinese citizens in Pakistan “to be vigilant and take preventive measures against security risks” given the current security situation in Pakistan.
Balochistan, which shares a porous border with Iran and Afghanistan, has been the scene of a low-level insurgency by Baloch nationalists for around two decades. The separatists say they are fighting what they see as the unfair exploitation of the province’s wealth by the federation. The Pakistani state denies it.
The attack comes days after Pakistani forces killed two militants in an intelligence-based operation in Balochistan’s Kech district, according to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the military’s media wing.
Pakistan has long accused neighboring countries and hostile agencies for harboring Baloch separatist fighters and other armed groups that operate in the Balochistan province.
Separately, the Pakistani military said on Sunday it had killed four militants in an intelligence-based operation in the Bajaur tribal district in the country’s northwest that borders Afghanistan.
A Pakistani soldier was also killed in the intense exchange of fire, while a militant was apprehended, according to the ISPR.
“Weapons, ammunition and explosives including a suicide vest was also recovered from the terrorists, who remained actively involved in numerous terrorist activities against security forces and killing of innocent citizens, especially suicide blasts,” the ISPR added.
The Pakistani government in July expressed serious concerns over militant “save havens” in Afghanistan after nine Pakistani soldiers were killed in an attack on a garrison in Balochistan.
