By Imran Nasir 

ISLAMABAD (TSAT) - At least five people including three Chinese nationals were killed in a sucide bombing in Karachi, the southern port city of Pakistan on Tuesday, officials said. 

According to local media, a van of Chinese nationals was targeted near Confucius Institute — a Chinese language teaching center at Karachi University.

The deceased Chinese nationals have been identified as the director of the Confucius Institute Huang Guiping, Ding Mupeng, Chen Sai, and their Pakistani driver, Khalid, Geo News, a local broadcaster reported. 

The Chinese citizen had been teaching there. While two other wounded Chinese citizen have been shifted to a nearby hospital. 

A CCTV footage got viral on social media showed that a lday wearing Burqa clad detonated her suicide jacket near the Chinese nation van on road inside the University. 

A Baloch terrorists group, Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) claimed responsibility for the attack and said it was first suicide attack carried out by female militant. 

Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif strongly condemned the attack and said perpetrators will surely be brought to justice.

"I am deeply grieved on the loss of precious lives including of our Chinese friends in the heinous attack in Karachi today. My heartfelt condolences go to the bereaved families. I strongly condemn this cowardly act of terrorism. The perpetrators will surely be brought to justice," Sharif tweeted. 

In 2018, Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), a terrorist group carried out an attack on the Chinese consulate in Karachi and killed seven people. 

Later, the mastermind of that attack along with dozen other militants  killed in a suicide bombing in Kandahar Afghanistan in 2020. 

Last year, at least 14 people including 10 Chinese died and 28 others were wounded in a terror attack when the terrorists targeted their bus in Dasu, northern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. 

Chinese nationals are working on different projects under the multi-billion China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) which is called a game-changer for the region.

However, Pakistani officials always accuse India iis behind all these terrorist attacks in Pakistan to sabotage the CPEC projects and destablize the region.

On Tuesday, the BLA claim and photo of suicide female bomber also first released by the Indian media and posted on social media by the Indian users. 

• Pakistan Foreign Ministry statement 

Pakistan Foreign Ministry strongly condemned that suicide bombing in Karachi in which the terrorist targeted Chinese nationals.
 
"We strongly condemn the reprehensible terrorist attack in Karachi which claimed innocent lives, including those of Chinese nationals working at the Confucius Institute. The Government and people of Pakistan extend their deepest condolences and sympathies to the families of victims who lost their lives in the incident," said the ministry in a statement. 
 
The ministry said that Pakistan law enforcement agencies are investigating the incident to apprehend the culprits and bring them to justice while the local authorities are also providing all possible assistance to the injured.
 
"The cowardly incident is a direct attack on the Pakistan-China friendship and ongoing cooperation. Pakistan and China are close friends and iron-brothers. Pakistan attaches great importance to safety and security of Chinese nationals, projects and institutions in Pakistan." its concluded.

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