A Baluch separatist movement threatened fresh attacks against Chinese interests in Pakistan on Wednesday, April 27, after claiming responsibility for an attack in Karachi (south) the day before that killed three Chinese.
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The three Chinese teachers and their Pakistani driver were killed on Tuesday by a woman who detonated her explosive vest in front of her vehicle at the entrance to the Chinese Confucius Cultural Institute on the Karachi University campus. The Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), one of the groups calling for the independence of this large, poor and sparsely populated province in south-west Pakistan that borders Afghanistan and Iran, claimed responsibility for the attack.
Hundreds of male and female militants “stand ready to carry out deadly attacks in Balochistan and Pakistan,” BLA spokesman Jeeyand Baloch promised in an English statement on Wednesday. He warned Beijing of the risk of “even tougher” attacks if China doesn’t put an end to its mining “projects” in Balochistan and the “occupation of the Pakistani state.”
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For decades, Baluchistan has been rocked intermittently by a separatist rebellion. These groups denounce Islamabad’s and Beijing’s stranglehold on the province’s natural resources, which are rich in hydrocarbons and minerals. A security official at the University of Karachi told AFP on condition of anonymity that his services recently expressed concern for the safety of 15 Chinese university staff. “In February, reports surfaced that an attack may be taking place on campus,” the official said.
The first suicide mission led by a woman
The assassin was introduced by the BLA as a 30-year-old woman named Shaari Baloch, married, mother of two young children, who was a science teacher and pursuing a master’s degree. The police confirmed this information. This is the first female-led suicide mission for the BLA. The use of suicide bombers is a new tactic by this group. Female suicide bombers are still rare in Pakistan; only the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), the Pakistani Taliban, have already used them.
China’s Foreign Ministry on Wednesday urged Pakistan to ensure the safety of its citizens and interests. He also urged Chinese nationals in the country to “take strict precautions.” Tensions in Balochistan particularly revolve around the major construction sites of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC)), for which China has to spend more than $50 billion with the deep-water port of Gwadar as its flagship.
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