Four persons including three Chinese nationals were killed in a blast today that tore through a van in Karachi University in Pakistan’s financial capital. This is understood to be the latest attack targeting the Chinese.
The explosion is reported to have occurred in the van near China-built Confucius Institute – a non-profit institute teaching the Chinese language to local pupils.
The spokesperson of Karachi University said that besides a Pakistani driver, Khalid, the victims have been identified as Chinese nationals. They were Confucius Institute Director Huang Guiping, Ding Mupeng and Chen Sa.
The spokesperson said that two other Chinese nationals who were injured have been identified as Wang Yuqing and Hamid.
No group or organization has so far claimed responsibility for this blast. In the past, outlawed militant separatist groups in the restive Balochistan province have claimed attacks on Chinese nationals working in large numbers in different parts of Pakistan, especially Balochistan and Karachi as a result of the USD 60 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).
The blast is reported to have been caused by a remote-controlled explosive device placed inside or near the van, but senior police officials were keeping an eye on preliminary investigations, according to senior police officer Muqqadas Haider.
Confirming that four persons were killed, Mr Haider said, “The explosion took place at the van’s right side at the (institute’s) entrance. We are still establishing what type of explosion it was.”
He said that it is too early to draw any conclusions from the blast. Mr Haider said that CCTV footage is being analysed and only a report from the bomb disposal squad report will confirm the nature of the explosion.
An Urdu newspaper reported that at the time of the blast, the van was bringing foreign nationals whose jobs included teaching Chinese at the IBA Institute in Karachi University. The four Rangers personnel, who were behind the van on motorcycles, were also injured. Their condition is stable.
Videos of the blast-hit van were also being posted on social media.
Sindh Chief Minister, Mr Murad Ali Shah also directed the Counter-Terrorism Department and Senior Superintendent of Police, (SSP) East to reach the spot. Shah has also asked the Karachi Commissioner to submit a report.
The current Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif also expressed grief over the blast and assured Shah of full help and cooperation in dealing with such incidents.
The Chinese have been attacked before in Karachi, Pakistan’s largest city. In July last year, armed masked men on a motorcycle opened fire on a vehicle carrying two Chinese nationals in an industrial area of Karachi in which one of them was critically wounded. A few days later, an attack on a bus carrying construction workers near a dam project in northwest Pakistan’s mountainous region claimed nearly a dozen lives.
Previously, Baloch separatist militants attacked the Chinese consulate in Karachi but failed to break through the security barrier.
