China Calls for Tighter Security After Workers Are Killed in Pakistan

Asia Pacific|China Calls for Tighter Security After Workers Are Killed in Pakistan

Two Chinese nationals were killed and another was injured after a convoy was attacked in Karachi, the largest city in Pakistan, on Sunday, adding to concerns over the safety of Chinese workers involved in major projects in the South Asian nation.

The attack happened near the port city’s busy international airport around 11 p.m. on Sunday. The Chinese Embassy in Islamabad said the convoy was carrying Chinese workers from the Port Qasim Electric Power Company, a nearby coal-fired power plant.

The Balochistan Liberation Army, a separatist group from Pakistan’s southwestern Balochistan province, claimed responsibility for the attack, saying it had used a car bomb. The group has long opposed both Pakistan’s central government and China, accusing them of exploiting the resource-rich province.

A loud explosion was heard miles away, and a large plume of smoke could be seen rising from the site after the attack. Police officials initially said that an oil tanker caught fire near the airport. At least 7 vehicles caught fire from the explosion and 10 Pakistanis were injured, officials said.

The Chinese Embassy condemned the attack on Monday, calling it a “terrorist act” and urging Pakistan to increase security for Chinese citizens and projects in the country.

The Karachi explosion adds to a growing list of attacks on Chinese interests in Pakistan. Since 2015, China has invested about $60 billion in infrastructure, energy and other projects across the country as part of its Belt and Road Initiative. The projects are seen as critical to helping Pakistan’s struggling economy.

Ensuring the security of Chinese workers and projects has been difficult for Pakistan, and Beijing has repeatedly called for stronger measures to protect its nationals. Militants, especially in Balochistan, have targeted Chinese-led initiatives in recent years. In March, militants attacked the Chinese-operated port in Gwadar, killing two Pakistani security personnel. Days later, another attack targeted an air base in Baluchistan. Chinese nationals have also been targeted in Pakistan’s northern regions.

On Monday, Pakistan’s prime minister, Shehbaz Sharif, said on X that he was “deeply shocked and saddened” by the attack. In a statement Monday, Pakistan’s foreign ministry reaffirmed “its unwavering commitment to the safety and security of Chinese nationals, projects and institutions” in the country.

Pakistan’s efforts to secure its economic interests and tamp down on militant violence have been complicated by lingering political unrest that was triggered in 2022 by the removal of the prime minister at the time, Imran Khan.