China’s Foreign Ministry called on Pakistan on Thursday to “earnestly take robust measures” to protect the lives of Chinese nationals in the country, after a terrorist attack in Karachi that killed three of its citizens.
Speaking during his regular press conference yesterday, ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin reminded “Chinese citizens, institutions, and projects in Pakistan to take extra security precautions and pay close attention to security risks.” He added that “the Pakistani side is going all out to investigate and hunt down the perpetrators.”
Wang said he believes that “the Pakistani side will earnestly take robust measures to ensure that China-Pakistan cooperation moves ahead in a safe and smooth manner.” “The Pakistani government has pledged to strengthen security for Chinese personnel, projects and institutions in Pakistan and not to allow any force to undermine the great China-Pakistan friendship and cooperation,” he said. Wang further stressed that “terrorism is the common enemy of all humanity” and that China and Pakistan “are resolved and able to cut off the evil claws of terrorists and make them pay the price.”
I am deeply grieved on the loss of precious lives including of our Chinese friends in the heinous attack in Karachi today. My heartfelt condolences go to the bereaved families. I strongly condemn this cowardly act of terrorism. The perpetrators will surely be brought to justice.
— Shehbaz Sharif (@CMShehbaz) April 26, 2022
Despite the friction in relations due to the incident, Wang reiterated the two countries’ “iron-clad friendship,” which he said “enjoys popular support in both countries.” He also assured that Beijing will “continue to support Pakistan’s economic and social development and improvement of people’s livelihood.” “Any attempt to undermine China-Pakistan friendship and cooperation will be thwarted by the Chinese and Pakistani people,” Wang concluded.
The spokesperson’s comments come after a bombing outside the University of Karachi’s Confucius Institute on Tuesday by a member of the Balochistan Liberation Army. State-owned media house Global Times (GT) has suggested that the Pakistan Taliban, the Islamic State, and the East Turkistan Islamic Movement could also have been involved.
In the wake of the attack, Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs Wu Jianghao discussed the issue with Pakistan’s Ambassador to China, Moin ul-Haque. According to Wang, the minister “demanded” that Pakistani authorities initiate a “thorough investigation of the incident, apprehend, and punish the perpetrators to the full extent of the law.”
#BLA released this video message after killing 3 Chinese in Karachi Pakistan. Balochs have concerns about the #CPEC project being implemented in their territory. Looks like BLA is a potent threat to #China's interests in Pakistan. pic.twitter.com/uehfk8au1n
— Muttaqi🇦🇫متقی (@A_sahib1) April 26, 2022
Meanwhile, Pakistani Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif, who visited the Chinese embassy in Pakistan to convey his condolences, reassured that there will be an “in-depth probe” and vowed to extend “exemplary punishment to the perpetrators” while also “strengthen[ing] [the] security of Chinese personnel, projects and institutions in Pakistan in an all-round way.”
In fact, Pakistan’s Ambassador to China, Moin ul Haque, said in an interview earlier this month that new PM Sharif is “an old friend of China” who has “made valuable services to strengthen Pakistan-China friendship.” Sharif has also worked closely with the Chinese government in the past on the completion of many CPEC [China Pakistan Economic Corridor] projects.”
The ambassador also assured that Pakistani law enforcement agencies and armed forces “remain vigilant to counter all nefarious designs” against CPEC. He added that the country has “put in place an elaborate security mechanism to ensure safety and security of all CPEC projects and personnel.” In fact, Sharif has pledged that his government will expedite the development of CPEC projects.
The recent suicide bombing is the latest in a string of attacks by the BLA against Chinese nationals in Pakistan. In 2017, ten workers were gunned down by two BLA members. The group said the purpose was to express its stern opposition to the CPEC and would continue to threaten China with “even harsher” attacks if it does not halt projects in Pakistan.
Shari Baloch, a female operative of the #BLA, has attacked a Chinese target in Karachi.
— Chris Blackburn (@CJBdingo25) April 26, 2022
A major escalation. BLA don't like #China and Punjabis selling their riches and persecuting their people.
How will the new government in #Pakistan react? https://t.co/dM0rUil29f
More recently, last July, an explosion in Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province caused a bus to tumble into a ravine, killing 12 people, including nine Chinese nationals. The New York Times reported that several Chinese passengers on the bus were engineers, surveyors, and mechanical staff working at a China-funded hydroelectric project in Dasu in the Upper Kohistan district.
Similarly, in 2018, the group attacked the Chinese Consulate-General in Karachi. Soon after, two children of Chinese nationality were killed and three others wounded in an attack on the Gwadar port.
Likewise, in 2019, a luxury hotel near a China-funded project in Balochistan was attacked by gunmen, killing eight people.
Analysts cited by GT allege that “the BLA is being funded by the enemies of Pakistan” and that it is “no secret that India and the US are behind the BLA,” claiming that “some leaders of the BLA have taken refuge in the West.” “They are against the development of Pakistan, and CPEC is a prime target,” Shakeel Ahmad Ramay, the chief executive officer at the Asian Institute of Eco-civilisation Research and Development, told GT. Ramay added that by attacking Chinese nationals in Pakistan, “enemies want to drive a wedge between China and Pakistan” and sabotage the development of the CPEC and the Belt and Road Initiative.