Wretched act

The unfortunate incident seems to be a continuation of vendetta acts, where a lobby is out to defame Pakistan

Academic peace was thrown to wind as terrorists struck the Confucius Institute inside the Karachi University on Tuesday. It was reportedly a suicide blast that targeted a van carrying the staff of the institute. Four people, including three Chinese nationals, were killed in the attack. Two bystanders were also critically injured in what seems to be a shocking incident, as many are not even aware of the Beijing-run institute in the campus. This hints at a well-orchestrated plot to not only shatter the uneasy peace in the biggest metropolitan city but also to sow seeds of dissent with China, which has been at the vanguard of socio-economic development in Pakistan.

A proscribed entity, the Baloch Liberation Army, has staked its claim, but little is known about its veracity. This highly condemnable terrorist attack once again draws the attention towards the bitter fact that not much has been done to mop the society of disgruntled elements. Nefarious and shady characters that thrive on the philosophy of otherness are very much around, and unfortunately find refuge under ethnic, lingual, sectarian and political umbrellas. Moreover, the tendency to target Chinese nationals and assets especially that pertain to CPEC is remorseful and calls for a zero-tolerance retaliatory strategy.

The KU blast has some missing dots to connect. A log from the security adviser of the campus brings to the fore a well-documented concern that movement of foreign nationals without security detail is worrisome. The official concerned had flagged the Confucius Institute authorities about it, too. While the biggest academic campus in Pakistan is under the firm eyes of paramilitary forces for the last three decades, this incident is simply unacceptable. It confirms a serious security lapse, and is in need of being probed.

This unfortunate incident seems to be a continuation of vendetta acts, wherein a particular lobby is out to defame Pakistan. Similar back to back attacks in Balochistan and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa provinces against Chinese engineers and staff in the yester-months point to a master plan against national security. The culprits, abettors and their white-collared patrons must be screened and punished.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 27^th, 2022.

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