New Delhi: A convoy carrying Chinese engineers to the Beijing-financed Gwadar Port in Pakistan's southwest was attacked on Sunday. Pakistan's security forces killed one terrorist and injured three others, the military’s media affairs wing said, reported Pakistan-based Dawn.
Baloch Liberation Army - Majeed Brigade, the suicide squad of BLA, has claimed responsibility for the attack on Chinese engineers in Gwadar, reported The Balochistan Post.
"BLA Majeed Brigade today targeted a convoy of Chinese engineers in Gwadar. The attack is still ongoing," the separatist group said in a statement, reported news agency AFP.
“The security forces have cordoned off the entire area [and] launched [a] search operation,” Dawn reported citing Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR).
A statement issued by the Chinese Embassy in Pakistan stated that a convoy carrying Chinese citizens was attacked near the port of Gwadar but the “incident caused no casualties on the Chinese side, and the relevant personnel have been properly placed in safety”.
The Chinese Embassy in Pakistan strongly condemned the terrorist act.
"The Embassy and the Consulate General in Karachi launched an emergency response immediately, requesting the Pakistani authorities to conduct a thorough investigation on the attack, severely punish the perpetrators, and take practical and effective measures to prevent similar incidents from happening again,” it read.
It also said that China will continue to work with the Pakistani side, to jointly counter the threats of terrorism and earnestly protect the safety of Chinese personnel, institutions and projects in Pakistan.
Sarfraz Bugti, a former minister from Balochistan, condemned the attack. Taking to X, formerly known as Twitter, Bugti said, "I strongly condemn the heinous terror attack on Chinese workers convoy in Gwadar. Thankfully, no loss of life happened, but there are reports that the ambush has been repulsed and the attackers have been killed."
In the past, various Baloch separatist groups have claimed attacks on projects linked to the massive China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project, with thousands of security personnel deployed to counter threats against Beijing's interests, reported news agency AFP.