China demands Pakistan to ensure safety of its nationals

ISLAMABAD: The Chinese diplomatic mission in Pakistan on Friday demanded “practical and effective measures” to ensure the safety of its nationals in the country and preclude the possibility of future militant attacks against them.
The embassy issued the statement after a suicide bomber targeted a vehicle carrying Chinese citizens in Pakistan’s southwestern Balochistan province that killed two local children and injured a Chinese national.
The incident took place about a month after another deadly attack that killed nine Chinese workers who were constructing a hydroelectricity dam in Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.
“Relevant departments at all levels in Pakistan must take practical and effective measures to accelerate [and] implement … security measures and upgraded security cooperation mechanism to ensure that similar incidents [do] not happen again,” said the statement.
The Chinese authorities also asked Pakistan to “properly treat the wounded, conduct a thorough investigation [into] the attack, and severely punish the perpetrators.”
The suicide attack on Friday was claimed by the Balochistan Liberation Army, a separatist group that has also launched similar attacks in the past.
Pakistan’s interior ministry described the suicide bomber as a “young boy” who ran toward the convoy as it neared a fishermen’s colony in Gwadar.
“Fortunately, soldiers of Pakistan army in plain clothes employed as hang around security rushed to intercept the boy who immediately exploded himself about 15-20 meters away from the convoy,” it said.
“Resultantly, a Chinese National got injured. He is stable and has been evacuated to nearest Gwadar Hospital. Unfortunately, two innocent children playing nearby the incident site lost their precious lives while another two children received critical injuries in the heinous act,” it continued. “They have been evacuated to the hospital.”

Balochistan Liberation Army accepts responsibility

of suicide attack, 2 children killed, 3 injured

The ministry further added that Pakistan was already undertaking a comprehensive security review to ensure the safety of Chinese nationals in the country.
The Chinese diplomatic mission in Pakistan condemned the attack and offered its condolences to its victims in Pakistan.
It also described the security situation in the country as “severe,” asking its citizens “to be vigilant [and] strengthen safety precautions.”

Chinese embassy condemns

China Friday condemned the suicide bomb attack in Pakistan’s restive Balochistan area on a vehicle carrying Chinese nationals that led to the deaths of two Pakistani children while four others were injured.

In a statement, the Chinese Embassy in Pakistan highlighted that the security situation in Pakistan has been “severe” recently and that there have been several terrorist attacks one after the other that have resulted in Chinese casualties.

It added that the embassy “launched the emergency plan immediately, demanding Pakistan to properly treat the wounded, conduct a thorough investigation on the attack, and severely punish the perpetrators”. The embassy also asked Chinese citizens in the country to remain vigilant.

The suicide blast took place at the East Bay Road in the port of Gwadar Friday evening in Pakistan’s southwestern Balochistan province.

Pakistan’s interior ministry was quoted as saying that a young boy ran out of a fishermen colony nearby and exploded himself about 15-20 meters from the convoy.

“The Chinese Embassy in Pakistan strongly condemns this act of terrorism, extends its sincere sympathies to the injured of both countries, and expresses its deep condolences to the innocent victims in Pakistan,” noted the embassy statement.

Three children killed, three injured

Three children were killed in a ‘suicide blast’ near a vehicle carrying Chinese nationals in Gwadar district of Balochistan. Three people, including the driver of the vehicle, were injured in the blast.

“I condemn the suicide attack near the car of a Chinese national in Gwadar,” Balochistan government spokesman Liaquat Shahwani said in a statement on the social networking site Twitter.

The blast killed two children playing nearby and slightly injured a Chinese national, he said.

He said that earlier the control room of Gwadar police had said that three children were injured in the incident and they have been shifted to GDA Hospital Gwadar, Dawn has reported.

The suicide bomber struck near the Baloch Ward Gwadar Expressway, but no group has claimed responsibility.

It may be recalled that on August 15, a young man was martyred and two others, including a major, were injured in a terrorist attack on a Frontier Corps (FC) vehicle near Loralai district of Balochistan.

Earlier on August 8, a blast in front of Serena Hotel at Tanzeem Chowk near Jinnah Road in Quetta killed two policemen and injured 12 others, including eight policemen.

Confirming the death of a policeman in the blast, Balochistan government spokesman Liaqat Shahwani said that he strongly condemned the blast at Tanzeem Chowk, where two policemen were killed and 12 others, including eight policemen, were injured.

He said that the explosives were planted in a motorcycle, adding that the terrorists wanted to disrupt peace in Balochistan and create panic.

Liaquat Shahwani said that the government would punish those who aggravated the situation in peaceful Balochistan.

It may be recalled that on April 22, an explosion took place in the parking lot of Serena Hotel on Zarghoon Road in Quetta, as a result of which 4 people were killed and 12 injured.

Balochistan Police Inspector General (IG) Tahir Rai confirmed the blast to Dawn.com in the parking lot of the Serena Hotel, saying the hotel was cordoned off and Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) personnel Has been sent to investigate the incident.

The DIG Quetta while talking to the media had said that according to the preliminary investigation, the blast was caused by the material installed in the vehicle and our CTD official was present inside.

A May 24 blast on Qambrani Road later injured five people, including a child and a security official.

Superintendent of Police (SP) Sariab Road said the explosives were planted on the side of the road, which also injured a security official.

A bomb blast on Inscombe Road near the DC office in Quetta in February this year killed two people and injured five civilians.

Security forces, including the Pakistan Army and the FC, cordoned off the area and are conducting further investigations.