Beijing demands ‘through investigation’ into blast that killed 3 Chinese nationals in Pakistan

ISTANBUL (AA) – China has demanded a “thorough investigation” into the attack in Pakistan’s financial hub Karachi 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.

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 the Pakistan government “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 which opposes Chinese investment in southwestern Balochistan province and targets infrastructure and security forces, said its “first-ever” woman suicide bomber detonated the bomb.

Soon after the attack, Pakistan Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif visited the Chinese Embassy in Islamabad to convey condolences. He promised an “in-depth probe” into the incident, an exemplary punishment to the perpetrators, and strengthening of security of Chinese personnel, projects and institutions in Pakistan.

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

A large number of Chinese nationals work in Pakistan, most of them involved in the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), 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.