As China faces attacks in Pakistan, 20 Chinese killed, 34 hurt since 2021

Terrorist attacks in Pakistan have killed 20 Chinese citizens and injured 34 since 2021, Pakistani publication Dawn reported on Tuesday, citing information shared by the country's National Counter Terrorism Authority (Nacta) with lawmakers.

 

The October Karachi airport bombing, which claimed the lives of two Chinese engineers returning to a project after a holiday in Thailand, was the latest in a series of high-profile attacks targeting Beijing's interests in Pakistan. The Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) has claimed responsibility for the attack.

 

The attacks have frustrated China, reportedly leading it to press Pakistan's federal government to open formal negotiations for a joint security management system. With the growing number of attacks on Chinese nationals in Pakistan, Islamabad's counter-terrorism efforts have become a critical point of dialogue between the two nations. 

 

 

At a meeting of Pakistan's National Assembly Standing Committee on Planning, Development and Special Initiatives on Tuesday, Nacta Director Colonel Usman reported that since 2021, there have been 14 terrorist attacks targeting Chinese citizens in the country, resulting in 20 Chinese personnel killed and 34 injured.

 

According to the report, eight of the attacks took place in Sindh province, four in Balochistan, and two in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Eight Pakistanis were also killed and 25 injured in these attacks. 

 

The Nacta director informed the committee that a total of 20,000 Chinese nationals are settled in Pakistan, including those working on China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) projects. He emphasised that their security remains a top priority for the Pakistan government.

 

He noted that while the BLA and other terrorist groups, including anti-state elements, were responsible for attacks targeting non-CPEC projects and Chinese citizens in transit, there had been no direct terrorist attack on CPEC projects so far. 

 

Regarding safety measures for Chinese nationals, the Nacta director highlighted that a high-level core group was formed within the Pakistani interior ministry, comprising representatives from the police, security forces, intelligence agencies, and other departments. Additionally, two Pakistan Army corps have been deployed specifically for CPEC security.

 

A security cell has reportedly been established at the Chinese embassy to maintain contact, while the military oversees CPEC project security in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan.

 

Interior ministry officials briefed the committee that the federal cabinet had decided to provide $250,000 as compensation to the families of Chinese nationals killed in attacks. However, they noted there is no formal agreement between the two countries regarding such compensation. 

 

Finance ministry officials added that compensation had already been paid to the families of Chinese victims in the Karachi airport and Dasu dam attacks. Interior ministry representatives also revealed that one per cent of the funds for each project is allocated to security for Chinese personnel.

 

Earlier this year, five Chinese nationals working on the Dasu dam project lost their lives in a suicide bombing in Bisham in March.

 

In April 2022, a suicide attack outside the University of Karachi's Confucius Institute claimed the lives of at least four people, including three Chinese nationals, while injuring four others. The BLA claimed responsibility for the attack. 

 

The most significant attack on Chinese nationals in Pakistan since 2021 occurred in July 2021, when at least 12 people, including nine Chinese engineers and two Frontier Corps personnel, were killed in an attack on a bus near the Dasu hydropower plant in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's Upper Kohistan district.