A suspected Karachi suicide attack near Jinnah International Airport killed two Chinese nationals and injured at least ten others on Sunday night. At the location, authorities also discovered a third body, which they supposed to be the assailant. A terrorist attack targeted a convoy of Chinese engineers working on a power project in Sindh province. The Chinese embassy in Pakistan denounced the explosion as a terrorist assault.
Claiming responsibility for the Karachi suicide attack was the separatist terrorist organization Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA). The BLA claimed the attack targeted Chinese investors and engineers arriving from Karachi airport. They have previously carried out similar assaults, opposing foreign involvement in Balochistan. Authorities identified Shah Fahad, a member of the Majeed Brigade, as the suicide bomber after further investigation.
The attacker used a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device (VBIED) at around 11:00 PM local time. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif of Pakistan strongly denounced the incident, calling it a horrific act, and reaffirmed Pakistan’s dedication to protecting Chinese people employed in the country.
The incident involves Chinese engineers working on the Port Qasim coal power plant project, part of CPEC and China’s Belt and Road Initiative. The BLA has been fighting for independence for a long time, and they’ve always been against foreign investment in the area, especially from China, since they think the people living there aren’t getting their fair share of the resources. This tragedy is only the latest in a long line of assaults against Chinese citizens in recent years.
A suicide blast killed three Chinese instructors in Karachi in April 2022. Since then, Pakistan has tightened security, especially ahead of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization conference. Despite the barricaded roads near the airport, flights operated without disruption on Monday.
