World

Two Chinese citizens killed in attack at Pakistan airport

At least two Chinese citizens were killed and several people were injured in an attack on Sunday night near Karachi International Airport in southern Pakistan, targeting a convoy of workers from China.

“At around 11:00 p.m. local time on October 6, a convoy carrying Chinese workers from Port Qasim Electric Company Limited was attacked near Jinnah International Airport in Karachi,” the Chinese embassy in Pakistan said in a statement.

As a result of the explosion, which was claimed by an armed group in the south of the country, “two Chinese citizens were killed, another was injured, and several victims were recorded among the local population,” the written statement added.

The Chinese embassy in Islamabad added that it had launched “an immediate emergency plan” for the attack and asked the Pakistani authorities to thoroughly investigate the attack and take all necessary measures “to protect the security of Chinese citizens, institutions and projects in Pakistan.”

The attack, which the authorities initially hesitated to attribute to a random explosion of an oil tank, was claimed in a statement by the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA).

This armed group operates mainly in the neighbouring province of Balochistan, and in recent years has carried out several attacksĀ against Chinese engineers, most of whom are sent to Pakistan to work on the multi-billion dollar China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).

This project financed by Beijing with an investment of 60 billion dollars foresees the construction of numerous infrastructures in Pakistan.

In this regard, the Chinese embassy urged its citizens in Pakistan to remain attentive to the security situation.

At least six people were killed last March when a suicide bomber detonated his explosives against a convoy of Chinese engineers in Shangla district in the northern province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, killing five Chinese workers and one Pakistani.

In April 2022, a suicide attack at a Pakistani university killed four people, including three Chinese professors.

Related Articles

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Back to top button