Terrorist attacks at the Chinese Consulate in Karachi and in lower Orakzai tribal district have killed dozens and injured many more on<\/b>
\nTerrorist attacks in Pakistan\u2019s financial hub Karachi and in a remote town of lower Orakzai tribal district have killed dozens and injured many more on Friday. At least 25 people died and another 50 were wounded in an explosion in the busy Kalaya Bazar area of Orakzai in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, according to Dr Shireen Mazari, the Minister for Human Rights. In the Karachi attack that took place at the Chinese Consulate, three terrorists and two policemen were killed.
According to security officials, the attack in Orakzai was a suicide bombing. It occurred near an imambargah, according to Dawn News. A search and rescue operation is underway in the area. The injured people have been send to the KDA teaching hospital in Kohat. Khalid Iqbal, an Orakzai district official, told the AFP news agency that the explosion was caused by \u201can improvised explosive device hidden in a carton of vegetables.\u201d
Prime Minister Imran Khan \u201cstrongly condemned\u201d the terrorist attacks in Orakzai and at the Chinese Consulate in Karachi. He described them as \u201ca planned campaign to create unrest in the country by those who do not want Pakistan to prosper.\u201d \u201cLet there be no doubt in anyone\u2019s mind that we will crush the terrorists, whatever it takes,\u201d said the Prime Minister.
Other political leaders such as Bilawal Butto-Zardari also condemned the attacks. Butto said it was \u201cabsolutely heartbreaking to hear about the great loss of life in the attack in Lower Orakzai.\u201d He also urged the government to implement the National Action Plan (NAP). Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chief minister Mehmood Khan said the terrorists couldn\u2019t see peace in the province.
No individual or group has claimed responsibility for the terrorist attacks in Orakzai yet.
Three terrorists belonging to the banned outfit Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) attacked the Chinese Consulate in Karachi, Pakistan on Friday. The attack began with a massive explosion that killed two policemen and seriously injured a guard. According to the security officials, the BLA terrorists came in a car laden with explosives, and at least one of them was wearing a suicide vest.
Immediately after the explosion at around 9:30 AM local time, the terrorists opened fire at the Chinese Consulate and tried to enter the building. But all three of them were killed in an exchange of gunfire with the security personnel before they could enter the building. The private guards at the Consulate had quickly barricaded the building to secure it from the attackers.
The situation was brought under control about two hours after the explosion. According to defense contractor Ikram Sehgal who provides armed guards to the Chinese Consulate, the guards had quickly closed the gates after the explosion. The civilians with consular business were moved inside the building and the Chinese staff were ushered to a safe location, Sehgal told Dawn News.
The Chinese Consulate is located in the Clifton area of Karachi. Witnesses said they heard loud explosions and heavy gunfire. Many Twitter users shared videos showing smoke rising around the consulate buildings. Police officials told media that the Chinese Consul General was safe, and no Chinese citizen was harmed in the attack.
Insurgent group Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) has claimed responsibility for the attack. The group was banned in 2009 under the anti-terrorist laws. Geand Baloch, a member of the BLA, told Reuters that three of its suicide attackers \u201cstormed the Chinese embassy in Karachi.\u201d The BLA terrorists carried out the attacks because China was \u201cexploiting our resources.\u201d \u201cWe have carried out this attack and our action is continuing,\u201d said Geand Baloch.
The BLA is among many terrorist groups operating in Balochistan, the largest and poorest but the most resource-rich province in Pakistan. The group has been at the center of many terror attacks in the past. Karachi, where the Chinese Consulate is located, was rife with sectarian, ethnic, and political militancy for years. A massive crackdown by the security forces in the last few years has dramatically reduced violence in the city, though scattered incidents still take place.
China is one of Pakistan\u2019s biggest allies. It has pledged to invest tens of billions of dollars in Pakistan under the China-Pakistan Economic Cooperation ( CPEC) project, which passes through resource-rich Balochistan.
Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan described the Karachi attack as a \u201cconspiracy\u201d against the CPEC. Khan has ordered an investigation into the attack. The CPEC is part of China\u2019s ambitious \u201cOne Belt One Road\u201d initiative, through which Beijing aims to connect with 65 countries via a network of roads and sea routes based on the ancient trade routes.
The economic dividends from CPEC is a sensitive matter in some areas the corridor passes through, especially Balochistan. That\u2019s why Baloch terrorists have attacked numerous CPEC construction sites and targeted Chinese workers in the last few years.<\/p>\n