Five Japanese nationals on Friday, narrowly escaped an attack by a suicide bomber, who detonated his explosive-laden vest near a van carrying Japanese autoworkers, in Pakistan's Sindh province. Their vehicle was targeted by militants in the suicide attack, news agency PTI reported.


Deputy Inspector General (DIG) East Azfar Mahesar stated that the terrorists were on a motorbike and attempted to hit the van of the Japanese nationals near Murtaza Chorangi in Landhi.


“All five Japanese remained safe," PTI quoted the police official as saying.


Mahesar also said that the private security guard accompanying the Japanese nationals was injured during the incident.


“The Japanese nationals were on the way to the Export Processing Zone from their residence in Zamzama, Clifton,” he stated.


The Japanese nationals were travelling in a van along with two security guards when two terrorists tried to attack the van, Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) DIG Asif Aijaz Shaikh told Dawn News.


After the terrorists' attempt, the security guards killed one of them while another terrorist blew himself up, attempting to come close to the van, the report noted.


DIG Shaikh also confirmed that all five Japenese nationals are safe.


Adding that the vehicle carrying the Japanese nationals was bullet-proof, the DIG added that no one has claimed responsibility of the attack so far.


Pakistan's President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif condemned the attack on the Japanese nationals.


In separate statements, they praised police for quickly responding and averting casualties by foiling the terrorist attack. The leaders also resolved to eliminate terrorism and prayed for speedy recovery of those injured in the attack.


“The whole nation will unitedly fight out the terrorism. The miscreants will be rooted out from the country,”Associated Press of Pakistan quoted the Pakistan president as saying.






In another similar incident that occurred in March, five Chinese nationals and their Pakistani driver were killed by a suicide bomber in northwest Pakistan.





The terrorist had rammed his explosive-laden car into a vehicle when the victims were heading to the Dasu Dam, the biggest hydropower project in Pakistan, where they worked.


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