News Mania Desk / Piyal Chatterjee / 5th November 2024
In the most recent in a series of assaults that have prompted Beijing to call for increased security for its citizens, a security guard shot and killed two Chinese nationals Tuesday at a clothing factory in Karachi, Pakistan’s economic center. At the plant location in Karachi’s industrial district, forensic teams were observed accessing the cordoned-off premises, and large police contingents were stationed there.
Neither an official confirmation of the incident’s specifics nor an instant claim of responsibility were made. The Chinese nationals had been shot at, senior superintendent of police Faizan Ali told Reuters, but he did not elaborate.
According to a police official who spoke to the media on condition of anonymity, a security guard was responsible for the shooting. According to the official, it was challenging to determine the reason for the shooting and the guard had not yet been taken into custody.
The two casualties, one of whom was in critical condition, were being treated at Liaquat National Hospital in the southern port city, according to a spokesman.
The strike comes after an explosion near Karachi’s international airport last month that claimed the lives of two Chinese engineers and was attributed to the separatist militant group the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA).
Long-standing calls for improved security for its citizens in Pakistan have been intensified by China. Last month, Ambassador Jiang Zaidong told a crowd in Islamabad that the increasing number of fatal attacks was intolerable.
In response, the Pakistani foreign ministry stated that Islamabad was totally dedicated to ensuring the safety of Chinese citizens, projects, and establishments. The promise was communicated at the highest levels of the Chinese government, the statement said on October 31. Attacks on the government, army, and Chinese interests have been common in the southwestern province of Balochistan due to a decades-long insurgency. According to the militants, they desire a larger portion of local resources.
As part of President Xi’s Belt and Road Initiative, Beijing invested $65 billion in the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, which includes the deep-water Gwadar port.
