A devastating blast near Karachi’s international airport in southern Pakistan caused at least one death and injured ten others on Sunday evening, according to local media outlet Geo News. The exact cause of the explosion, which occurred close to a convoy of foreigners that included at least one casualty, hadn’t been determined straight away, based on a statement by a local governmental authority.
The militant separatist organisation known as the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), in an email dispatched to media, took responsibility for the explosion, confessing it was a planned assault using a vehicle-based improvised explosive. Their alleged targets were Chinese citizens, including engineering professionals.
The Karachi police department hasn’t yet released any comments about the incident.
The separatist group BLA is primarily seeking independence for Balochistan, a province in the southwestern part of Pakistan, bordering Iran and Afghanistan. It has been responsible for numerous attacks in the area, including a coordinated offensive in August leading to over 70 fatalities.
BLA is known for its specific targeting of Chinese operations, particularly the strategically positioned port of Gwadar on the Arabian Sea. They blame China for aiding Islamabad in exploiting the province and have been involved in several attacks on Chinese citizens working regionally and also the Chinese embassy in Karachi.
Work related to the Belt and Road Initiative, China’s mammoth project linking South and Central Asia with its capital, has brought many thousands of Chinese workers to Pakistan.
Videos from the blast site depicted burning vehicles and a massive plume of smoke. The area, heavily patrolled by military forces, was quickly sealed off.
The blast’s impact was of such intensity that it even shook structures at the airport, disclosed Rahat Hussain, an employee of the civil aviation department. Dr Sumayya Tariq, a police surgeon, also revealed that among the victims, four were security officers, and one was critically wounded. – Reuters/AP
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