The incident occurred adjacent to volatile Balochistan province and was claimed by an outlawed Baloch group engaged in a simmering separatist insurgency opposed to Beijing’s…
The incident occurred adjacent to volatile Balochistan province and was claimed by an outlawed Baloch group engaged in a simmering separatist insurgency opposed to Beijing’s investments on Pakistani soil.
Via Twitter, Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan said:
Pakistan’s Dawn reports that security forces thwarted the attack after they engaged the terrorists in a firefight in response to the BLA fighters opening fire before detonating a hand grenade.
Dawn reveals:
Members of the outlawed Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), who claimed responsibility for Friday’s attack, have targeted CPEC projects before. In assuming blame for the attack Friday, the BLA said it was fighting “Chinese occupation.”
The Associated Press (AP) reports:
Pakistani Imran Khan condemned the Chinese consulate attack and a separate one Friday in the Kalaya Bazar area of lower Orakzai tribal district, saying on Twitter, “Both these attacks are part of a planned campaign to create unrest in the country by those who do not want Pakistan to prosper.”
“Let there be no doubt in anyone’s mind: we will crush the terrorists, whatever it takes,” he declared:
AP reveals:
China’s top ally, Pakistan, has long accused BLA of being a terrorist proxy of its regional rival India, claiming the separatist group receives military aid through New Delhi envoys in neighboring Afghanistan, an accusation that India denies.
