China has sought an explanation from Pakistan along with a detailed and comprehensive investigation into a suspected suicide bombing that killed three Chinese citizens in Karachi.
“No matter who the perpetrators are and whom they are targeting, they must be severely punished. The Pakistani side must conduct a comprehensive and detailed investigation and give the Chinese side an explanation,” China’s mouthpiece Global Times wrote in its Editorial dated April 27.
A suspected female suicide bomber is said to have killed three Chinese teachers in Karachi on Tuesday, drawing strong condemnation from Beijing. The incident marks the first major attack this year against the nationals of Pakistan’s long-time ally China.
Suicide bombing in Karachi
The three victims were among passengers on a minibus returning to Karachi university after a lunch break when the bomb exploded at the entrance of the university’s Confucius Institute. Three Chinese teachers and a Pakistani national were killed in the bomb attack.
After the explosion, a terrorist organisation named Balochistan Liberation Army claimed responsibility for the attack and released a photo of a woman, claiming she was the female suicide bomber.
China’s Foreign Ministry strongly condemned the attack and demanded Pakistan severely punish the perpetrators, protect Chinese citizens and prevent such incidents from happening again.
“We must warn that either in or out of Pakistan, forces targeting Chinese nationals in attacks will be stricken the hardest. The blood of the Chinese people should not be shed in vain, and those behind this incident will surely pay the price,” it said in a statement.
‘Female suicide bomber’ caught on CCTV
A purported CCTV footage of the incident shows a woman dressed in black wearing a backpack standing close to the bus shortly before the bomb went off and sent up clouds of fire and smoke.
#BREAKING | CCTV footage of the moment of the car explosion at Karachi University shows a suicide bomber self-detonating & killing at least 2 Chinese nationals. Tune in to watch #LIVE here – https://t.co/PVPLs8g0u5 pic.twitter.com/CYY3s585Vh — Republic (@republic) April 26, 2022
The bombing was the first major attack against Chinese nationals in Pakistan since July last year when a suicide bomber blew up a passenger bus in northern Pakistan, killing 13 people including nine Chinese working on a hydro-power plant.
The recent incident poses a major challenge to Pakistan’s newly elected Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. He condemned what he called a ‘cowardly act of terrorism’.