China demands thorough probe in Gwadar attack

Embassy urges Pakistan to severely punish perpetrators, step up security for Chinese nationals

ISLAMABAD:

The Chinese embassy “strongly condemned” Friday’s suicide attack on a motorcade of Chinese personnel in the port city of Gwadar and demanded of the Pakistani authorities to conduct a thorough investigation and “severely punish the perpetrators”, said a statement on Saturday.

The embassy statement urged the Pakistani authorities to at all levels to take effective measures to strengthen the security of the Chinese citizens in Pakistan and upgraded security cooperation mechanism to prevent any repeat of the incident.

On Friday, a suicide bomber targeted a motorcade carrying Chinese personnel at the Gwadar East Bay Expressway project in Balochistan, killing two local children and injuries several others. At least one Chinese national was among the injured, the embassy said.

“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,” the statement said.

“The Chinese Embassy in Pakistan launched the emergency plan immediately, demanding Pakistan to properly treat the wounded, conduct a thorough investigation on the attack, and severely punish the perpetrators,” it added.

“At the same time, relevant departments at all levels in Pakistan must take practical and effective measures to accelerate to implement strengthened whole-process security measures and upgraded security cooperation mechanism to ensure that similar incidents will not happen again.”

Read More: Dasu bus blast: Pakistan, China agree to expedite probe

The embassy advised the Chinese citizens in Pakistan to be vigilant, strengthen safety precautions, saying that the security situation in Pakistan had been severe recently. “There have been several terrorist attacks in succession, resulting in the casualties of several Chinese citizens,” it added.

This was the second attack on Chinese nationals in the country in little over a month. In July, 13 people, including 9 Chinese nationals, working at the Dasu dam site in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, died in an attack on their bus in the Kohistan district.

The interior ministry has said in a statement Friday’s suicide bombing took place along the coastal road near a fishermen’s colony. It added that a convoy of four vehicles, carrying Chinese nationals “with integral security details of the army and police contingent” was targeted.

The police in Gwadar said on Saturday that a case had been registered at a Counter terrorism Department (CTD) police station against unidentified militants. They said that the bomb blast left three children dead, while three others sustained injuries.

Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry said that the Gwadar attack was aimed at sabotaging the economic vision of the “great leaderships” of China, Pakistan. He said in a tweet that the “enemy cannot undermine our resolve and we will spare no effort to bring the culprits to justice”.

(WITH INPUT FROM AGENCIES)