China condemns ‘terror attack’ aimed at Chinese nationals in Pakistan
- Two children playing nearby killed when the blast erupted in the port of Gwadar
- The incident comes after a bus attack in July that killed 13 people, including nine Chinese workers
The Chinese embassy in Pakistan condemned a deadly suicide bombing targeting a convoy of Chinese engineers in the country’s southwest on Friday.
The embassy urged Pakistani authorities to “properly treat the wounded, conduct a thorough investigation into the attack, and severely punish the perpetrators”.
At least two children were killed and three people wounded – including a Chinese national – in the bombing.
Pakistani police said the blast targeted a vehicle carrying Chinese nationals in the port of Gwadar at around 7pm.
Pakistan suicide bombing kills two children in attack aimed at Chinese nationals
Liaquat Shahwani, a spokesman for the Balochistan government, said in a tweet that two children who were playing nearby died while three people including the driver of the Chinese convoy were wounded.
“One Chinese sustained minor injuries,” he tweeted.
The separatist Baloch Liberation Army claimed responsibility for the bombing and released photos of the suspected suicide bomber.
“The BLA carried out a ‘self-sacrificing’ attack against a convoy of Chinese engineers,” the group said in a statement.
Pakistani English-language newspaper Dawn said the Chinese nationals were involved in the construction of East Bay Expressway, a six-lane municipal expressway invested by China.
The Chinese nationals were returning to their camps when they came across the suicide bomber.
The report said the assailant was intercepted by plain clothes officers and denoted the bomb.
The corridor involves various infrastructure and power projects. As part of the project, Pakistan granted a 40-year lease of Gwadar port to a Chinese-backed multinational corporation.
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Pakistan says suicide bombing behind July bus blast that killed 9 Chinese nationals
The attack on Friday was the second on a Chinese convoy in weeks.
After a preliminary investigation, Pakistani authorities blamed the Pakistani Taliban for the attack and accused Indian and Afghan parties of supplying intelligence, claims India and the Pakistani Taliban denied.
The foreign ministers of China and Pakistan met in Chengdu in late July and pledged to strengthen counterterrorism cooperation and upgrade security measures to better protect Chinese workers and investment in the South Asian country in the wake of what Beijing called the biggest terrorist attack against its citizens overseas.
“Chinese citizens will not die in vain and the China-Pakistan partnership will be stronger through this test,” the two countries said in a joint statement released by China’s foreign ministry.
Additional reporting by Reuters
