Authorities reported that two children died and three other individuals were injured after a suicide bombing that targeted a vehicle carrying Chinese nationals in the southwestern region of Pakistan on Friday.
Officials revealed that the terrorist attack occurred at the East Bay Road in the port of Gwadar at around 7:00 p.m. They said that the Chinese nationals suffered minor injuries despite the gravity of the attack.
Suicide Bombing Targeting Chinese Nationals
The area is located in the southwestern province of Balochistan and is home to separatist militants who have been engaged in a long-running insurgency. Two children were found to have been collateral victims of the attack while three others were injured. Liaquat Shahwani, a spokesman for the Balochistan government, said.
In a statement, the Balochistan Liberation Army, a separatist militant group, claimed responsibility for the attack. They said, "BLA carried out a 'self-sacrificing' attack against a convoy of Chinese engineers, Reuters reported.
As part of a $60 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, the Asian country is involved in the development of the Gwadar port on the Arabian Sea. The program itself is part of China's Belt and Road infrastructure project.
The attacker was reportedly a young boy who ran out of a fishermen's colony and blew himself up about 15 to 20 meters away from the convoy, the Pakistan interior ministry said. In a statement, the ministry said, "as a result, a Chinese national was injured, he was rushed to nearby Gwadar hospital where he is stable.
The Chinese workers were traveling inside three vehicles and were escorted by a single vehicle filled with security forces. Officers failed to intercept the attack before he was able to detonate his device.
In recent years, China has played a crucial role in developing the deep-water port of Gwadar on the Arabian Sea. However, attacks on Pakistanis and Chinese workers involved with the economic corridor projects continued, Aljazeera reported.
Continued Attacks Against Asian Envoys
In a similar attack last month, a bus carrying Pakistan and Chinese workers fell into a ravine in northwestern Pakistan after a suicide bomber targeted the vehicle. Authorities reported that nine Chinese and four Pakistanis were killed during the horrific attack in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province which borders Afghanistan.
Pakistani officials have announced that they are conducting a comprehensive review of the security of Chinese nationals in the country, the South China Morning Post reported.
Residents have also begun protesting against China's multi-billion-dollar projects in the country which has allegedly caused a shortage of water and electricity, threatening the livelihoods of residents.
Demonstrators, including fishermen and other local workers, blocked the roads in Gwadar this week. They burned tires, chanted slogans, and largely shut down a large part of the city, demanding water and electricity. They also demanded authorities to stop Chinese trawlers from illegally fishing in the nearby waters and taking the products to mainland China. During the protests and subsequent crackdowns by authorities, two people were confirmed to have been injured.
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