China To Probe Karachi Blast In Pakistan, Sends Inter-Agency Task Force

Beijing: China on Friday said it dispatched an inter-agency working group to Pakistan following the deadly suicide bomb attack in Karachi in which two Chinese were killed and another injured to review security for scores of Chinese personnel working in CPEC projects.

Following the attack on a Chinese convoy of the coal-fired power plant at Karachi which killed and injured Chinese personnel on October 6, China quickly sent an inter-agency working group to Pakistan , the Chinese Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

“After arriving in Islamabad on October 8, the working group immediately joined the Embassy in Pakistan and the company concerned in the emergency response,” it said.

The working group met intensively with heads of Pakistan 's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Interior, and the military, police and intelligence departments. It said public concerns here mounted over the continued attacks on Chinese personnel working in the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).

China is in a quandary to deal with the successful attacks, especially by the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) which is fighting for the independence of Balochistan and the CPEC which the militant group says is aimed at exploiting the rich natural resources of the province.

The attacks have been taking place despite Pakistan pressing thousands of security personnel to protect the Chinese personnel.

The latest attack took place ahead of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) heads of the government meeting on October 15-16 in Islamabad in which Chinese Premier Li Qiang was expected to take part. Pakistan has deployed the army to provide security during the summit.

"The working group asked the Pakistani side to properly handle ensuing matters, make every effort to save the injured, conduct thorough investigations, bring all the perpetrators to justice, and step up security measures to ensure the safety and security of Chinese personnel, institutions and projects in Pakistan ," the statement said.

Pakistan strongly condemned the terrorist attack and is fully dealing with the aftermath, investigating the incident and nailing down the perpetrators, it said adding that Islamabad said it will further strengthen security measures and make an all-out effort to protect China’s interests in Pakistan.

“While in Pakistan , the working group mourned the Chinese victims, and visited the injured in the hospital and the company’s employees at the project camp," it said.