Unidentified gunmen shot dead a Chinese national inside a dental clinic in Pakistan's largest city, Karachi. Two others were injured in the shooting, the latest targeted attack against Chinese nationals in Pakistan. Police have not yet released more details about the perpetrators.
Pakistan hosts some Chinese nationals, who are working on projects that are part of the multi-billion dollar China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). In recent years, attacks against the Chinese have increased, despite the two nations being close allies.
CPEC Project
China is involved in the development of a port in the southern city of Gwadar, which has seen multiple terror attacks by the Baloch Liberation forces. The port is part of the $60 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, which is itself part of China's Belt and Road infrastructure project.
Karachi police authorities said the attackers opened fire at the clinic located in Karachi's Saddar area on Wednesday. The assailants pretending to be patients before firing shots, the Dawn newspaper reported.
All the victims were Chinese people. Police said one of the victims was a woman. The victims were identified as 25-year-old Ronil D Raimond Chaw, 72-year-old Margrade and 74-year-old Richard, according to IANS.
The police also said the injured persons are in a critical condition after getting hit in their abdomen.
Baloch Liberation Army
In April this year, three Chinese nationals were killed in a terror attack in Pakistan. The attack, which too happened in Karachi, was claimed by the separatist Baloch Liberation Army. The blast was carried out by a female suicide bomber.
The rebel Baloch Liberation Army, which has been pushing a separatist agenda, is sternly opposed to Chinese investment in the resource-rich Balochistan region.
In August last year, a suicide bombing was carried out in the southwestern region of the country. The attack, which targeted a vehicle carrying Chinese nationals, killed two children and wounded three, including Chinese nationals.
Also in 2021, a blast on a bus in Pakistan had killed 13 people, including 9 Chinese nationals. The bus was carrying 30 Chinese engineers to the Dasu dam in Upper Kohistan. The Dasu hydropower project is part of the CPEC.
