KARACHI: Two Chinese nationals were among three killed while 10 others were injured last night in a blast near the Jinnah International Airport in Pakistan’s southern port city of Karachi, the Chinese embassy and local officials confirmed on Monday, describing the incident as a “terrorist attack.”
On Sunday night, residents from various parts of the city such as the Defense Housing Authority (DHA), North Nazimabad and Pakistan Employees Cooperative Housing Society (PECHS) areas reported hearing a loud explosion near the city’s airport. This was followed by a series of videos that went viral on social media, showing a massive blaze and several vehicles on fire.
The outlawed Baloch separatist outfit Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) claimed responsibility for the attack, stating it had targeted a convoy of “Chinese engineers and investors” arriving in Pakistan’s largest city and its commercial hub. In a statement sent via email, the BLA said the attack was executed by its Majeed Brigade unit that had targeted a high-profile convoy of Chinese personnel.
An initial report from the Airport Police Station, a copy of which was seen by Arab News, stated that the explosion was triggered by an unknown vehicle that collided with a car carrying Chinese nationals near the airport’s outer gate. The report said that the nature of the blast will be determined by a bomb disposal squad.
“We have received the dead bodies of two Chinese nationals and the mutilated remains of an unidentified body,” Dr. Sumaiyya Syed, a police surgeon, told Arab News. “We have performed the autopsy of all three.”
She said 10 people were being treated for injuries at the Jinnah Hospital in Karachi, which included one child. One of the injured was in critical condition, the police surgeon added.
Separately, the Chinese Embassy in Pakistan confirmed that a convoy of the Port Qasim Electric Power Company (Private) Limited’s Chinese staff was targeted in the attack near the Karachi airport around 11:00 p.m. on Sunday night. The attack killed two Chinese nationals and injured one, and also caused “some local casualties,” the statement said.
The Chinese embassy said it was making every effort to handle the “aftermath” of the attack with Pakistani authorities.
“The Chinese Embassy and Consulates General in Pakistan strongly condemn this terrorist attack, express deep condolences to the innocent victims of both countries and sincere sympathies to the injured and families, and are making every effort to handle the aftermath together with the Pakistani side,” it said.
The statement said the Chinese embassy and its consulates in Pakistan have launched “an emergency plan” and requested the Pakistani authorities to thoroughly investigate the attack and severely punish the perpetrators. It urged Islamabad to take necessary measures to protect Chinese citizens, institutions and projects in the South Asian country.
“The Chinese Embassy and Consulates General in Pakistan remind Chinese citizens, enterprises and projects in Pakistan to be vigilant, pay close attention to the security situation, strengthen security measures, and make every effort to take safety precautions,” the statement concluded.
‘HEINOUS TERRORIST ATTACK’
Pakistan’s foreign office condemned the attack and condoled the loss of lives with both Pakistani and Chinese families of the deceased.
“Pakistan strongly condemns the heinous terrorist attack near Karachi airport last night, which claimed the lives of two Chinese engineers while injuring another,” the foreign office said.
Pakistan warned that its security and law enforcement agencies will spare no effort in arresting the perpetrators of the attack and their facilitators.
“This barbaric act will not go unpunished,” the foreign office warned.
Pakistan reaffirmed it’s “unwavering commitment” to the safety of Chinese nationals, projects, and institutions in the country, vowing it will continue to work with China to defeat “the forces of terror.”
The BLA is a separatist outfit that wants independence for Pakistan’s gas-and-mineral-rich Balochistan province, which has been the scene of a low-lying insurgency for the past two decades and shares borders with Iran and Afghanistan. Separatist Baloch militants blame Pakistan’s state for exploiting the province’s resources, a charge the Pakistani state denies vehemently.
In August, the banned outfit launched a series of coordinated attacks in Balochistan, killing over 70 people. It has claimed attacks in Balochistan in the past, including the killing of seven barbers hailing from Pakistan’s eastern Punjab province in the port city of Gwadar in May.
The militant outfit targets Chinese interests in Pakistan, including the Gwadar port located on the Arabian Sea. It has previously killed Chinese citizens working in the region and attacked Beijing’s consulate in Karachi as well.
China is a major ally and investor in Pakistan that has pledged over $65 billion in investment in road, infrastructure and development projects under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project. The CPEC is a part of the Belt and Road Initiative, a massive China-led infrastructure project that aims to stretch around the globe.
