Suicide attack: China asks Pak to act

Islamabad, Aug. 21: China on Saturday asked Pakistan to take effective measures and overhaul the security mechanism to forestall attacks on its nationals working on various infrastructure projects after a suicide bomber attacked a convoy of Chinese nationals in the restive Balochistan province, in the second such attack in over a month.

The Chinese embassy here in a statement strongly condemned Friday’s suicide attack on the convoy of Chinese nationals comprising four vehicles in Gwadar, the port city of strategic importance due to the presence of Chinese workers and investment.

In the attack, two children who were playing nearby were killed while one Chinese national was among several others who sustained injuries.

The embassy said that it launched the emergency plan immediately, demanding Pakistan to properly treat the wounded, conduct a thorough investigation on the attack, and severely punish the perpetrators.

At the same time, relevant departments at all levels in Pakistan must take practical and effective measures to accelerate to implement strengthened whole-process security measures and upgraded security cooperation mechanisms to ensure that similar incidents will not happen again, it said.

The embassy further said that recently, the security situation in Pakistan has been severe and there have been several terrorist attacks in succession, resulting in the casualties of several Chinese citizens.

The Chinese embassy in Pakistan asked its citizens in Pakistan to be vigilant, strengthen safety precautions, reduce unnecessary outings, and take effective security protection.

The Pakistani authorities in a statement said that the bomber targeted the convoy of Chinese nationals comprising four Chinese vehicles with integral security details of Pakistan Army and police contingent on the East Bay Expressway near Fishermen Colony in Gwadar.