7 killed in attack on Chinese consulate in Karachi claimed by local terrorist group
- Attack claimed by Balochistan Liberation Army, which called Beijing an oppressor that was trying to ‘destroy the future’ of the region
- Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi says any attempt to damage the relationship between China and Pakistan will not succeed
Beijing has strongly condemned the attack on the Chinese consulate in the Pakistani city of Karachi on Friday, in which seven people, including two police officers and two civilians, died.
Three gunmen armed with machine guns tried to enter the consulate in the southwestern province of Balochistan about 9.30am, but were intercepted by security guards at a checkpoint, according to the city’s police.
“They were discovered by Pakistani police and there was an exchange of fire,” China’s foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said. “The three militants were shot dead, and two Pakistani security officials died,” he said, adding that all of the consulate staff and their family members were safe.
A Pakistani father and son from Quetta, capital of Balochistan, were later reported to have been killed in the crossfire. The consulate is often busy on a Friday morning as it is the designated time for people to pick up their Chinese visas.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said later on Friday that any attempt to damage the relationship between China and Pakistan would fail.
In an emergency telephone call with his Pakistani counterpart, Shah Mehmood Qureshi, he said China believed Pakistan had the ability to maintain stability in the region.
