Beijing demands 'through investigation' of blast that killed 3 Chinese nationals in Pakistan

By Riyaz ul Khaliq

ISTANBUL (AA) – China has condemned and demanded a "thorough investigation" of a terrorist attack in Pakistan's southern financial hub of Karachi blast that killed at least four people, including three Chinese citizens.

An explosion ripped through a van near the University of Karachi's Confucius Institute, a Chinese language learning center, on Tuesday. Among the dead were three Chinese teachers, and a Pakistani driver.

China’s Assistant Foreign Minister Wu Jianghao called Pakistan's ambassador in Beijing, Moin ul Haque, "to express extremely grave concern" over the explosion, the Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Wednesday.

The readout said China demanded that Pakistan "immediately make thorough investigation of the incident, apprehend and punish the perpetrators to the full extent of the law, and take all possible measures to ensure the safety of Chinese citizens in Pakistan and prevent such incidents from happening again."

The ministry urged "to handle properly the follow-up matters of those killed, treat the injured, and resolutely crack down on the terrorist organization involved" in the attack.

"The blood of the Chinese people should not be shed in vain, and those behind this incident will surely pay the price," it said.

A CCTV footage of the incident showed a person dressed in a burka walking up to the van, followed by an explosion.

The Balochistan Liberation Army, an outlawed Baloch insurgent group, claimed responsibility for the attack.

In a statement, the separatist group in southwestern Balochistan province, which opposes Chinese investment in the country and targets infrastructure and security forces, said its "first-ever" woman suicide bomber detonated the bomb.

Soon after the attack, newly elected Pakistani Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif visited the Chinese Embassy in Islamabad to convey condolences. He assured to conduct an “in-depth probe into the incident, give exemplary punishment to the perpetrators, and strengthen security of Chinese personnel, projects and institutions in Pakistan in an all-round way.”

“My government will never allow any force to undermine Pakistan-China friendship,” he added.

China and Pakistan are "all-weather" strategic partners, with the two nations cooperating in various sectors.

Many Chinese workers are living and working in Pakistan, with most of them involved in the China Pakistan Economic Corridor, a flagship project of Xi Jinping's Belt and Road Initiative.

Signed in 2014, the $64 billion project includes a network of roads, railway and pipelines between the two countries.

Last July, at least 10 Chinese nationals were killed in a bomb attack at a bus transporting workers to a dam project in the northwest.