Virendra Pandit
New Delhi: Pakistan’s separatist Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) on Monday claimed responsibility for killing two Chinese nationals and wounding eight others in an attack on Karachi Airport, the media reported.
The BLA owned responsibility for the late-night bombing, which targeted a convoy of Chinese people outside Pakistan’s largest airport. Two Chinese nationals died and eight others were wounded, officials said.
This was the BLA’s latest deadly assault on Chinese nationals in Pakistan and came a week before Islamabad is set to host a key Summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), a group formed by China and Russia to counter the West, on October 15 and 16.
The Chinese Embassy in Islamabad termed the incident a “terrorist attack” and condoled the loss of lives of its people. It also urged Pakistan to “severely punish” the perpetrators and advised the Chinese nationals in the country to remain vigilant.
“The Chinese Embassy and Consulates General in Pakistan have launched an emergency plan immediately, requesting the Pakistani side to thoroughly investigate the attack, severely punish the perpetrators, and take all necessary measures to protect the safety of Chinese citizens, institutions, and projects in Pakistan. It reminds 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 read.
“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.
According to its statement, the incident took place on Sunday night when a convoy carrying Chinese staff of the Port Qasim Electric Power Company (Private) Limited was attacked near the Jinnah International Airport in Karachi. Some other Pakistani citizens were also injured in the attack.
Videos and pictures on social media showed flames engulfing cars and a thick column of smoke rising from the incident spot.Bottom of Form
Rahat Hussain, who works in the civil aviation department, said that the blast in Karachi was so big that it “shook the airport’s buildings.”
Shortly after the attack, the BLA claimed responsibility in a statement emailed to journalists, saying the explosion was carried out by them using a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device (IED) targeting Chinese nationals, including engineers.
The BLA seeks independence for the province of Balochistan, located in Pakistan’s southwest and bordering on Afghanistan and Iran.
In August, the militant group launched coordinated attacks in the province, in which more than 70 people were killed.