China demanded that the Pakistani government “severely punish” those responsible for the large explosion that occurred outside the Karachi airport in southern Pakistan on Monday, killing two of its citizens and injuring another. In a statement, the general consulate and embassy of China in Pakistan also cautioned its residents living there to exercise caution.
The Chinese Embassy and Consulates General in Pakistan have promptly instituted an emergency plan, urging the Pakistani authorities to conduct a comprehensive investigation into the attack, impose severe penalties on the offenders, and take all necessary steps to safeguard the security of Chinese nationals, institutions, and projects in Pakistan. It serves as a reminder to Chinese nationals, businesses, and projects operating in Pakistan to exercise vigilance, monitor the security environment closely, bolster security protocols, and do everything within their power to ensure their safety,” the statement said.
In addition to expressing sympathy for the victims’ deaths, the Embassy called the blast a “terrorist attack.”
The statement read, “The Chinese Embassy and Consulates General in Pakistan vehemently denounce this terrorist attack, offer their sincere condolences to the innocent victims of both countries, as well as their heartfelt sympathies to the injured and their families. We are working closely with the Pakistani side to manage the aftermath.”
The incident happened on Sunday night when a convoy transporting Chinese employees of the Port Qasim Electric Power Company (Private) Limited was ambushed close to Karachi’s Jinnah International Airport, according to a statement from the Chinese embassy. The attack also resulted in several injuries to other Pakistani nationals.
Social media posts featured images and videos of burning cars as well as a dense column of smoke rising from the scene.
According to department of civil aviation employee Rahat Hussain, the explosion in Karachi “shook the airport’s buildings” in size. Zia Ul Hassan, the province home minister, according to local media that the blast was an attack that was “targeting foreigners” in the meantime.
The militant organization BLA assigns blame.
The Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), a terrorist organization, took credit for the incident shortly after it happened in an email to media, according to Reuters. The organization claimed responsibility for the blast, claiming that they attacked Chinese nationals, including engineers, using a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device.
The province of Balochistan, which borders Iran and Afghanistan and is situated in southwest Pakistan, is the target of the BLA’s independence movement.
Over 70 persons lost their lives as a result of the militant group’s concerted attacks across the region in August.