Arish Mujawar, Pune
Two Chinese workers were killed and at least eight others, including Pakistani citizens, were injured in a large explosion that occurred outside Pakistan’s Karachi airport on Monday.
A dense cloud of smoke was seen rising from the scene in videos that went viral on social media. Immediately, military men were sent in and the area was cordoned off
The explosion was “so big,” according to Rahat Hussain, a civil aviation department employee, that it shook the airport’s structures.
Zia Ul Hassan, the provincial home minister, claimed on Geo TV that the explosion was a “attack targeting foreigners.”
According to Deputy Inspector General East Azfar Mahesar, the attack resembled an explosion from an oil tanker. Initial reports state that damage was caused by an oil truck that caught fire and spread to multiple additional vehicles. We are investigating whether there was any involvement from terrorism, which we are unable to rule out at this time,” he added.
In an email to journalists, the terrorist organization Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) took responsibility for the attack. According to the group, they used a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device to carry out an attack on Chinese people, including engineers, resulting in the explosion.
The explosion was referred to as a “terrorist attack” by the Chinese Embassy in Pakistan, which also claimed that a Port Qasim Electric Power Company truck was attacked close to the airport. According to the embassy, it has been collaborating with Pakistani authorities.
The Chinese Embassy in Pakistan issued an official statement that read, “The Chinese Embassy and Consulates General in Pakistan strongly condemn this terrorist attack, express deep condolences to the innocent victims of both countries and sincere sympathies to the injured and (their) families.”
Chinese enterprises that are constructing infrastructure projects as part of the multibillion-dollar China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) have deployed thousands of Chinese citizens, primarily engineers and other construction personnel.
Why do BLA attack workers from China?
The province of Balochistan, which borders Iran and Afghanistan and is located in southwest Pakistan, is the target of the BLA’s desire for independence. The province is under Pakistani rule, which the group views as a “occupation.”
Balochistan is home to the strategic port of Gwadar, an important location on the Arabian Sea. Beijing is accused by the BLA of supporting Pakistan in its exploitation of the province’s abundant mineral resources while simultaneously upholding regional human rights violations.
BLA focuses on Chinese interests in particular, such as regional infrastructure projects and Chinese laborers. Beijing’s consulate in Karachi was attacked and Chinese nationals employed in the area were slain in the past.