China condemns suicide bombing in Balochistan, calls security situation in Pakistan ‘severe’

A suicide bombing in Gwadar Port, Balochistan, Friday evening on a vehicle carrying Chinese nationals led to the deaths of two local children and four were injured.

Buildings stand under construction at a development site, operated by China Overseas Ports Holding Co in Gwadar,Pakistan (representational image) | Asim Hafeez | Bloomberg

New Delhi: 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.

Balochistan Liberation Army claims responsibility

According to a report in the Reuters, the Balochistan Liberation Army has claimed responsibility for the attack.

In a statement, the separatist militant organisation said, “BLA carried out a ‘self-sacrificing’ attack against a convoy of Chinese engineers.”

China has been involved in the development of the Gwadar port, which is the culmination point of the $60-billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), which is a part of China’s Belt and Road infrastructure project.

Gwadar and the surrounding areas therefore have several Chinese experts and workers working on various projects under the CPEC.

This is also not the first time that Chinese nationals have been targeted in terror attacks. Last month, a blast on a bus in north Pakistan had killed 13 people, including nine Chinese nationals and two Pakistani soldiers.

While the Pakistani foreign ministry had initially blamed “mechanical failure”, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson had referred to it as an “attack”. Pakistan later retracted its statement and acknowledged that it was a terrorist attack.