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Explosion Outside Pakistan’s Biggest Airport Kills Chinese Workers
In a tragic incident on Sunday night, two Chinese workers lost their lives, and several others were injured due to an explosion outside Pakistan’s largest airport, just days before the scheduled Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in Islamabad.
The Chinese embassy in Pakistan confirmed the workers’ deaths, stating they were victims of a targeted attack on a convoy transporting employees of the Port Qasim Electric Power Company Private Limited at around 11 PM.
Authorities indicated that the death toll might increase, as there are unconfirmed reports of additional Pakistani casualties.
The embassy condemned the attack, labeling it a “terrorist act,” and expressed “deep condolences” to the victims from both nations. It also called for a comprehensive investigation to hold those responsible accountable.
Following the explosion, police and military forces were dispatched to the site near Karachi’s international airport. The outlawed Balochistan Liberation Army has claimed responsibility for the attack, although this assertion has not been independently verified.
This separatist group has a history of targeting Chinese nationals working on projects in Pakistan, claiming responsibility for several such incidents in recent years. In a statement, they alleged that their Majeed Brigade aimed specifically at a convoy of Chinese engineers and investors departing from Jinnah Airport.
The explosion is part of a troubling trend of escalating violence against workers associated with the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). This initiative, which commenced in 2015, entails the construction of vital infrastructure, including roads and railways, linking China’s Xinjiang region to the Gwadar port on Pakistan’s southern coast.
The CPEC is a significant element of Chinese President Xi Jinping’s Belt and Road Initiative, designed to bolster global trade through extensive infrastructure development.
The explosion’s force was reportedly felt across the city, with aftermath footage showing numerous vehicles engulfed in flames. While initial reports from Pakistani authorities suggested an oil tanker had exploded, Sindh’s home minister Ziaul Hasan Lanjar later indicated that the blast was believed to stem from an improvised explosive device.
At present, the provincial government is coordinating with police to clarify the circumstances surrounding the explosion. Meanwhile, the Taliban, which holds power in nearby Afghanistan, has noted concerning tensions between the Pakistani government and political opposition supporters, expressing their hope for a reasonable resolution to the escalating unrest.
Earlier in March, a devastating suicide bombing targeted a convoy of Chinese engineers and workers in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, resulting in the deaths of five individuals. Authorities alleged that this attack was orchestrated from Afghan territory and implicated an Afghan national as the bomber.
Pakistan has accused the Taliban regime of neglecting to prevent the use of Afghan soil for cross-border terrorist activities, a claim the Taliban has denied, attributing the violence to internal discontent among the Pakistani populace.
This incident echoes a tragic April 2022 suicide bombing carried out by the Balochistan Liberation Army, which resulted in the deaths of three Chinese educators and a Pakistani driver near Karachi University.
The ongoing violence against foreign workers in Pakistan raises significant concerns about security and the safety of international investments in the region.
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