Two Chinese killed in Karachi suicide attack

Two Chinese nationals were killed and 17 people injured in a suicide attack by a Baloch insurgent group that targeted a convoy of Chinese workers near Pakistan’s busiest airport here late at night, the authorities said on Monday.

The explosion near the Jinnah International Airport on Sunday night also killed the suspected suicide bomber. The attack is the latest in a string of violence against Chinese workers in Pakistan. It comes less than two weeks before the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation’s summit to be held in the national capital.

The banned Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) claimed responsibility for the attack.

PM Shehbaz Sharif called the attack a “heinous act” and offered his condolences to the Chinese people. “Pakistan stands committed to safeguarding our Chinese friends,” he wrote on X.

In Beijing, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said it was “deeply shocked” by the attack. “The Chinese side has requested Pakistan to make every effort to rescue the injured and handle the aftermath, get to the bottom of the incident swiftly, hunt down the perpetrators and bring them to justice,” the Chinese Foreign Ministry said.

“China also demanded efforts to effectively close the security loopholes, and more targeted measures to provide full protection for the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and the safety and security of Chinese personnel, projects and institutions in Pakistan,” it said in a statement.

Imran barred from meeting kin, lawyers

• Pakistan’s Punjab govt on Monday banned jailed former premier Imran Khan from meeting his family members, lawyers and party leaders till October 18 due to “security concerns”, amidst his party staging anti-government protests.
• Meanwhile, an anti-terrorism court in Pak has sent 130 supporters of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party to jail on judicial remand for attacking cops during a protest in Lahore.