Pakistan separatist group warns China of more deadly attacks
Ashraf KHAN
Wed, 27 April 2022
Three Chinese teachers and a Pakistani driver were killed near the gate of a Confucius Institute at Karachi University, when a bomber detonated explosives next to their minibus
(AFP/Rizwan TABASSUM) (Rizwan TABASSUM)
A Pakistan separatist group warned Wednesday of more deadly attacks on Chinese targets, a day after a woman suicide bomber killed four people -- including three teachers posted from Beijing.
The Baloch Liberation Army -- one of several groups fighting for independence in Pakistan's biggest province -- claimed responsibility for Tuesday's blast, saying it was the first time a woman had "self sacrificed" for the group.
Chinese nationals and interests have regularly been targeted by separatists in Balochistan, where Beijing is involved in lucrative mining and energy projects.
"Hundreds of highly trained male and female members of the Baloch Liberation Army's Majeed Brigade are ready to carry out deadly attacks in any part of Balochistan and Pakistan," spokesman Jeeyand Baloch said in a statement published in English.
He threatened Beijing with "even harsher" attacks unless the neighbouring country halted its "exploitation projects" and "occupying of the Pakistani state".
Three Chinese teachers and a Pakistani driver were killed near the gate of the Confucius Institute at Karachi University, when the bomber detonated explosives next to their minibus.
A security official at the university told AFP he had previously raised concerns about the safety of 15 Chinese staff on the campus.
"Reports emerged in February that an attack might be carried out on campus," the source, who asked not be named, told AFP.
The bomber was named as 30-year-old Shaari Baloch, a married mother of an eight-year-old girl and four-year-old boy, the BLA said, adding that she was a science teacher studying for a master's degree.
Police confirmed the details.
Suicide attacks by women are very rare in Pakistan, reported only four times in recent years.
China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs urged Pakistan to ensure the safety of all Chinese citizens and interests in the country and to launch a full investigation.
It also advised citizens to "take strict precautions, and do not go out unless necessary".
China is upgrading energy links and infrastructure as part of a $54 billion programme known as the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, with both nations wary of security threats to the projects.
In April 2021 a suicide bomb attack at a luxury hotel hosting the Chinese ambassador in Quetta, the provincial capital of Balochistan, killed four and wounded dozens.
The ambassador was unhurt in that attack, which was claimed by the Pakistan Taliban.
In July last year, a bus carrying engineers to a construction site near a dam in northwestern Pakistan was hit by a bomb, killing 13 people including nine Chinese workers.
The attack, which went unclaimed, frayed relations between Islamabad and Beijing, and Pakistan later paid millions in compensation to the families of the Chinese workers killed.
zz-ak-sjd/ecl-fox/axn
A Pakistan separatist group warned Wednesday of more deadly attacks on Chinese targets, a day after a woman suicide bomber killed four people -- including three teachers posted from Beijing.
The Baloch Liberation Army -- one of several groups fighting for independence in Pakistan's biggest province -- claimed responsibility for Tuesday's blast, saying it was the first time a woman had "self sacrificed" for the group.
Chinese nationals and interests have regularly been targeted by separatists in Balochistan, where Beijing is involved in lucrative mining and energy projects.
"Hundreds of highly trained male and female members of the Baloch Liberation Army's Majeed Brigade are ready to carry out deadly attacks in any part of Balochistan and Pakistan," spokesman Jeeyand Baloch said in a statement published in English.
He threatened Beijing with "even harsher" attacks unless the neighbouring country halted its "exploitation projects" and "occupying of the Pakistani state".
Three Chinese teachers and a Pakistani driver were killed near the gate of the Confucius Institute at Karachi University, when the bomber detonated explosives next to their minibus.
A security official at the university told AFP he had previously raised concerns about the safety of 15 Chinese staff on the campus.
"Reports emerged in February that an attack might be carried out on campus," the source, who asked not be named, told AFP.
The bomber was named as 30-year-old Shaari Baloch, a married mother of an eight-year-old girl and four-year-old boy, the BLA said, adding that she was a science teacher studying for a master's degree.
Police confirmed the details.
Suicide attacks by women are very rare in Pakistan, reported only four times in recent years.
China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs urged Pakistan to ensure the safety of all Chinese citizens and interests in the country and to launch a full investigation.
It also advised citizens to "take strict precautions, and do not go out unless necessary".
China is upgrading energy links and infrastructure as part of a $54 billion programme known as the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, with both nations wary of security threats to the projects.
In April 2021 a suicide bomb attack at a luxury hotel hosting the Chinese ambassador in Quetta, the provincial capital of Balochistan, killed four and wounded dozens.
The ambassador was unhurt in that attack, which was claimed by the Pakistan Taliban.
In July last year, a bus carrying engineers to a construction site near a dam in northwestern Pakistan was hit by a bomb, killing 13 people including nine Chinese workers.
The attack, which went unclaimed, frayed relations between Islamabad and Beijing, and Pakistan later paid millions in compensation to the families of the Chinese workers killed.
zz-ak-sjd/ecl-fox/axn
A mother of 2 and wife of a doctor, Karachi suicide bomber held a master's degree
The Karachi suicide bomber, who carried out a blast, killing four persons, including three Chinese nationals, was a highly educated woman and the mother of two children. She had been associated with the militant organisation, Balochistan Liberation Army for two years.
Gaurav C Sawant Ankit Kumar
Karachi suicide bomber Shari Baloch.
The woman who carried out the Karachi suicide bombing — that killed four persons, including three Chinese nationals — was a highly educated mother of two.
The suicide bomber, 30-year-old Shari Baloch from Niazar Abad in Balochistan’s Turbat, had completed MSc in zoology and was married to a doctor.
ALSO READ | 3 Chinese nationals killed as mother of two blows up van outside Karachi University
She was pursuing M Phil and was a practising science teacher according to a statement released by the Afghanistan-based militant organisation, Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), which claimed responsibility for the attack.
Shari Baloch joined the special self-sacrifice squad of the BLA’s Majeed Brigade two years ago. The BLA said that she had been offered the option to opt-out of the squad because of her two young children, but she refused. Majeed Brigade has now threatened to target more Chinese nationals and China’s interests in Balochistan and Pakistan
“Baloch Liberation Army’s Majeed Brigade targeted Chinese officials in an attack on Tuesday in Karachi. Three Chinese officials Huang Guiping, Ding Mufang, and Chen Sai were killed in the attack, whereas, Wang Yuqing and their security guards were injured,” the BLA statement read.
“Today’s mission was successfully carried out by Majeed Brigade’s fidayeen Shaari Baloch alias Bramsh, resident of Niazar Abad Turbat,” it added. The BLA said that as a student, Shaari was a member of the Baloch Students’ Organisation and “was aware of Baloch genocide and occupation of Balochistan”.
ALSO READ | 2 suspected suicide attackers killed in Jammu, made-in-Pak medicines recovered
Following the Majeed Brigade’s procedures, she was given time to revisit her decision. During these two years, Shaari rendered her services in different units of the Majeed Brigade. Six months ago she confirmed that she stood by her decision of carrying out a self-sacrificing attack. After that, she was actively involved in the mission.
BLA spokesperson Jeeyand Baloch said: “Targeting director and officials of Confucius institute, the symbol of Chinese economic, cultural and political expansionism, was to give a clear message to China that its direct or indirect presence in Balochistan will not be tolerated,” the BLA said. The BLA said that it had warned China several times to “refrain from looting Baloch resources and aiding Pakistan militarily and financially in carrying out Baloch genocide”. “However, China continues to be involved in its expansionist designs in Balochistan,” he said.
ALSO READ | Pakistan: 57 killed, nearly 200 injured in Peshawar mosque blast during Friday prayer
Warning China of “harsher attacks”, Jeeyand Baloch said: “The Baloch Liberation Army once again warns China to immediately halt its exploitation projects and refrain from aiding the occupying Pakistani state. Otherwise, our future attacks will be even harsher.”
He said that “hundreds of highly trained members” of the Baloch Liberation Army’s Majeed Brigade are ready to carry out deadly attacks in any part of Balochistan and Pakistan and asked Pakistan to “peacefully withdraw from Balochistan, recognizing its independence”.
Live TV
Police officers examine the van. Photo: AFP
A guard and another Chinese citizen were also wounded in the minibus.
China's Foreign Ministry strongly condemned the attack and "demanded" Pakistan punish the perpetrators, protect Chinese citizens and prevent such incidents from happening again.
"The blood of the Chinese people should not be shed in vain, and those behind this incident will surely pay the price," it said in a statement.
Media showed CCTV footage of a woman dressed in black wearing a backpack standing close to the bus shortly before the bomb went off and sent up clouds of fire and smoke.
Police did not verify the footage.
Pakistani media also showed the wrecked minibus dotted with shrapnel holes, and witnesses said the explosion was so big it rattled the windowpanes of other buildings on the sprawling campus.
The bombing was the first major attack against Chinese nationals in Pakistan since July last year when a suicide bomber blew up a passenger bus in northern Pakistan that killed 13 people, including nine Chinese working on a hydro-power plant.
Other attacks on Chinese working in Pakistan have taken place in Balochistan province, where separatist militants have waged an insurgency against authorities for decades.
Balochistan houses a deep-water port in Gwadar city which Beijing is developing under the China Pakistan Economic-Corridor (CPEC) project as part of President Xi Jinping's Belt and Road initiative to expand trade linkages.
Major challenge for new PM
The incident poses a major challenge to Pakistan's newly elected Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif who took power this month. He condemned what he called a cowardly act of terrorism.
"I am deeply grieved on the loss of precious lives including of our Chinese friends in the heinous attack in Karachi today," Sharif said in a statement. He promised a speedy investigation.
The Baloch separatist guerrillas, who say they are fighting for a greater share in regional resources of mines and minerals, usually attack gas projects, infrastructure and the security forces.
They also attack Chinese projects and workers despite Pakistan's assurances that it is doing everything it can to protect the projects.
Islamabad blames neighbouring India for backing the insurgents, a charge New Delhi denies.
_Reuters
The Karachi suicide bomber, who carried out a blast, killing four persons, including three Chinese nationals, was a highly educated woman and the mother of two children. She had been associated with the militant organisation, Balochistan Liberation Army for two years.
Gaurav C Sawant Ankit Kumar
April 27, 2022
Karachi suicide bomber Shari Baloch.
The woman who carried out the Karachi suicide bombing — that killed four persons, including three Chinese nationals — was a highly educated mother of two.
The suicide bomber, 30-year-old Shari Baloch from Niazar Abad in Balochistan’s Turbat, had completed MSc in zoology and was married to a doctor.
ALSO READ | 3 Chinese nationals killed as mother of two blows up van outside Karachi University
She was pursuing M Phil and was a practising science teacher according to a statement released by the Afghanistan-based militant organisation, Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), which claimed responsibility for the attack.
Shari Baloch joined the special self-sacrifice squad of the BLA’s Majeed Brigade two years ago. The BLA said that she had been offered the option to opt-out of the squad because of her two young children, but she refused. Majeed Brigade has now threatened to target more Chinese nationals and China’s interests in Balochistan and Pakistan
“Baloch Liberation Army’s Majeed Brigade targeted Chinese officials in an attack on Tuesday in Karachi. Three Chinese officials Huang Guiping, Ding Mufang, and Chen Sai were killed in the attack, whereas, Wang Yuqing and their security guards were injured,” the BLA statement read.
“Today’s mission was successfully carried out by Majeed Brigade’s fidayeen Shaari Baloch alias Bramsh, resident of Niazar Abad Turbat,” it added. The BLA said that as a student, Shaari was a member of the Baloch Students’ Organisation and “was aware of Baloch genocide and occupation of Balochistan”.
ALSO READ | 2 suspected suicide attackers killed in Jammu, made-in-Pak medicines recovered
Following the Majeed Brigade’s procedures, she was given time to revisit her decision. During these two years, Shaari rendered her services in different units of the Majeed Brigade. Six months ago she confirmed that she stood by her decision of carrying out a self-sacrificing attack. After that, she was actively involved in the mission.
BLA spokesperson Jeeyand Baloch said: “Targeting director and officials of Confucius institute, the symbol of Chinese economic, cultural and political expansionism, was to give a clear message to China that its direct or indirect presence in Balochistan will not be tolerated,” the BLA said. The BLA said that it had warned China several times to “refrain from looting Baloch resources and aiding Pakistan militarily and financially in carrying out Baloch genocide”. “However, China continues to be involved in its expansionist designs in Balochistan,” he said.
ALSO READ | Pakistan: 57 killed, nearly 200 injured in Peshawar mosque blast during Friday prayer
Warning China of “harsher attacks”, Jeeyand Baloch said: “The Baloch Liberation Army once again warns China to immediately halt its exploitation projects and refrain from aiding the occupying Pakistani state. Otherwise, our future attacks will be even harsher.”
He said that “hundreds of highly trained members” of the Baloch Liberation Army’s Majeed Brigade are ready to carry out deadly attacks in any part of Balochistan and Pakistan and asked Pakistan to “peacefully withdraw from Balochistan, recognizing its independence”.
Live TV
Female suicide bomber kills three Chinese teachers and Pakistani at Karachi university
A suspected female suicide bomber killed three Chinese teachers in Karachi on Tuesday, police and officials said, drawing strong condemnation from Beijing, in the first major attack this year against nationals of long-time ally China working in Pakistan.
The scene at the university in Karachi shortly after the attack.
A suspected female suicide bomber killed three Chinese teachers in Karachi on Tuesday, police and officials said, drawing strong condemnation from Beijing, in the first major attack this year against nationals of long-time ally China working in Pakistan.
The scene at the university in Karachi shortly after the attack.
Photo: AFP
The three were among passengers on a minibus returning to Karachi university after a lunch break when the bomb exploded at the entrance to the university's Confucius Institute, killing the Chinese teachers and a Pakistani national, police and officials said.
A separatist group, the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) based in southwestern Balochistan province bordering Afghanistan and Iran, claimed responsibility for the blast, adding in an email to Reuters the attack was carried out by a woman suicide bomber.
It shared in the email a photo of her clad in a long shawl sitting with two children. The photo could not be verified independently by police or other officials.
Karachi police chief Ghulam Nabi Memon said of the victims: "The reports we have got say they're Chinese."
He added they were teachers at the Confucius Institute, a Chinese language and cultural centre.
"The information we've got is that the female bomber was most probably a student at the university," Memon told Geo News TV.
The three were among passengers on a minibus returning to Karachi university after a lunch break when the bomb exploded at the entrance to the university's Confucius Institute, killing the Chinese teachers and a Pakistani national, police and officials said.
A separatist group, the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) based in southwestern Balochistan province bordering Afghanistan and Iran, claimed responsibility for the blast, adding in an email to Reuters the attack was carried out by a woman suicide bomber.
It shared in the email a photo of her clad in a long shawl sitting with two children. The photo could not be verified independently by police or other officials.
Karachi police chief Ghulam Nabi Memon said of the victims: "The reports we have got say they're Chinese."
He added they were teachers at the Confucius Institute, a Chinese language and cultural centre.
"The information we've got is that the female bomber was most probably a student at the university," Memon told Geo News TV.
Police officers examine the van. Photo: AFP
A guard and another Chinese citizen were also wounded in the minibus.
China's Foreign Ministry strongly condemned the attack and "demanded" Pakistan punish the perpetrators, protect Chinese citizens and prevent such incidents from happening again.
"The blood of the Chinese people should not be shed in vain, and those behind this incident will surely pay the price," it said in a statement.
Media showed CCTV footage of a woman dressed in black wearing a backpack standing close to the bus shortly before the bomb went off and sent up clouds of fire and smoke.
Police did not verify the footage.
Pakistani media also showed the wrecked minibus dotted with shrapnel holes, and witnesses said the explosion was so big it rattled the windowpanes of other buildings on the sprawling campus.
The bombing was the first major attack against Chinese nationals in Pakistan since July last year when a suicide bomber blew up a passenger bus in northern Pakistan that killed 13 people, including nine Chinese working on a hydro-power plant.
Other attacks on Chinese working in Pakistan have taken place in Balochistan province, where separatist militants have waged an insurgency against authorities for decades.
Balochistan houses a deep-water port in Gwadar city which Beijing is developing under the China Pakistan Economic-Corridor (CPEC) project as part of President Xi Jinping's Belt and Road initiative to expand trade linkages.
Major challenge for new PM
The incident poses a major challenge to Pakistan's newly elected Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif who took power this month. He condemned what he called a cowardly act of terrorism.
"I am deeply grieved on the loss of precious lives including of our Chinese friends in the heinous attack in Karachi today," Sharif said in a statement. He promised a speedy investigation.
The Baloch separatist guerrillas, who say they are fighting for a greater share in regional resources of mines and minerals, usually attack gas projects, infrastructure and the security forces.
They also attack Chinese projects and workers despite Pakistan's assurances that it is doing everything it can to protect the projects.
Islamabad blames neighbouring India for backing the insurgents, a charge New Delhi denies.
_Reuters
Factbox-Who are the Pakistan separatists behind attack on Chinese citizens?
Tue, April 26, 2022
A security guard walks after a blast near a passenger van at the entrance of the Confucius Institute University of Karachi
(Reuters) - The Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), which claimed a deadly attack on Chinese citizens in Karachi on Tuesday, is the most prominent of a number of separatist groups operating against the Pakistani state in the southwestern province of Balochistan.
BLA's stated aim is complete independence for Balochistan, Pakistan's largest province by territory but the smallest in terms of population given its arid mountainous terrain.
The province has seen a decades-long insurgency against what separatists call the unfair exploitation of resources in the mineral-rich region.
Balochistan borders Afghanistan to the north, Iran to the west and has a long coastline on the Arabian Sea. It has Pakistan's largest natural gas field and is believed to have many more undiscovered reserves.
It is also rich in precious metals including gold, the production of which has grown over recent years.
Most of the separatist groups operate independently, but some recent reports in local media have pointed to increasing cooperation between them.
Pakistani security forces have been their main focus, but in recent years they have also targeted Chinese interests, given Beijing's increasing economic footprint in the region.
Among China's major projects in Balochistan is the port of Gwadar, strategically located near the Strait of Hormuz - a crucial oil shipping route in the Arabian Sea. Chinese engineers working at the port came under attack from an operation claimed by the BLA last year.
A Chinese company also operates a major gold and copper mine in Balochistan.
The security of its nationals in Pakistan has become a major issue for Beijing, especially since it launched the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), which envisages development projects worth more than $60 billion.
The BLA says it attacks Chinese nationals because Beijing ignored warnings not to enter deals and agreements regarding Balochistan before the province had been "liberated". Reuters has not been able to verify its claims independently.
The group demands that all Pakistani security forces withdraw from Balochistan and has suggested negotiations in the presence of an "international guarantor".
It claims its "Fidayees" (guerrillas) are made up of young, educated Baloch who are disillusioned by hardship and being sidelined from economic development.
Under its current guise, the BLA was led by Balach Marri, scion of an influential Baloch family. Security officials said Marri was killed in neighbouring Afghanistan in 2007, where he had established a base and hideout.
After initially being hampered by Marri's death, the BLA has accelerated its attacks, particularly in the last year.
The group says it is currently led by a man named Bashir Zeb Baloch, the organisation's shadowy commander-in-chief about whom little is known.
The BLA has claimed a number of major attacks in recent months, including a simultaneous storming of two paramilitary bases in Balochistan earlier this year.
Most of the attacks take place in Balochistan or in the southern city of Karachi, Pakistan's commercial hub located close to the province.
The BLA claimed attacks there on the Pakistan Stock Exchange Building in 2020 and the Chinese consulate in 2018.
(Reporting by Gibran Peshimam; Editing by Alexandra Hudson)
Tue, April 26, 2022
A security guard walks after a blast near a passenger van at the entrance of the Confucius Institute University of Karachi
(Reuters) - The Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), which claimed a deadly attack on Chinese citizens in Karachi on Tuesday, is the most prominent of a number of separatist groups operating against the Pakistani state in the southwestern province of Balochistan.
BLA's stated aim is complete independence for Balochistan, Pakistan's largest province by territory but the smallest in terms of population given its arid mountainous terrain.
The province has seen a decades-long insurgency against what separatists call the unfair exploitation of resources in the mineral-rich region.
Balochistan borders Afghanistan to the north, Iran to the west and has a long coastline on the Arabian Sea. It has Pakistan's largest natural gas field and is believed to have many more undiscovered reserves.
It is also rich in precious metals including gold, the production of which has grown over recent years.
Most of the separatist groups operate independently, but some recent reports in local media have pointed to increasing cooperation between them.
Pakistani security forces have been their main focus, but in recent years they have also targeted Chinese interests, given Beijing's increasing economic footprint in the region.
Among China's major projects in Balochistan is the port of Gwadar, strategically located near the Strait of Hormuz - a crucial oil shipping route in the Arabian Sea. Chinese engineers working at the port came under attack from an operation claimed by the BLA last year.
A Chinese company also operates a major gold and copper mine in Balochistan.
The security of its nationals in Pakistan has become a major issue for Beijing, especially since it launched the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), which envisages development projects worth more than $60 billion.
The BLA says it attacks Chinese nationals because Beijing ignored warnings not to enter deals and agreements regarding Balochistan before the province had been "liberated". Reuters has not been able to verify its claims independently.
The group demands that all Pakistani security forces withdraw from Balochistan and has suggested negotiations in the presence of an "international guarantor".
It claims its "Fidayees" (guerrillas) are made up of young, educated Baloch who are disillusioned by hardship and being sidelined from economic development.
Under its current guise, the BLA was led by Balach Marri, scion of an influential Baloch family. Security officials said Marri was killed in neighbouring Afghanistan in 2007, where he had established a base and hideout.
After initially being hampered by Marri's death, the BLA has accelerated its attacks, particularly in the last year.
The group says it is currently led by a man named Bashir Zeb Baloch, the organisation's shadowy commander-in-chief about whom little is known.
The BLA has claimed a number of major attacks in recent months, including a simultaneous storming of two paramilitary bases in Balochistan earlier this year.
Most of the attacks take place in Balochistan or in the southern city of Karachi, Pakistan's commercial hub located close to the province.
The BLA claimed attacks there on the Pakistan Stock Exchange Building in 2020 and the Chinese consulate in 2018.
(Reporting by Gibran Peshimam; Editing by Alexandra Hudson)
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