Iron-Friendship Catching Rust? Chinese Consulate In Karachi Attacked; Two Policemen Killed, One Critically Injured

Pakistani police officials have informed that two policemen lost their lives and one is critically wounded in the skirmish with unidentified gunmen who opened fire in the Chinese Consulate at Karachi, reports The Hindu.

The police officials further told that the people of the embassy have not suffered any injury and have been relocated to a safe location. The area has been cordoned off and security intensified.

Apart from the Chinese consulate, there are the consulates of Russia and Kuwait nearby. The firing has taken place in one of the most affluent areas of Karachi- the Clifton neighbourhood.

"There were three attackers and all three have been killed ... They could not even get in the compound. They tried to get into the visa section," police chief Amir Shaikh was quoted as saying by NDTV.

A group named Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) has claimed responsibility for the attempted attack.

"We have carried out this attack and our action is continuing," the spokesperson for the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), Jiand Baloch said. The group operates in Balochistan, Pakistan's largest and poorest province.

"There were three suicide attackers," said the spokesperson, adding that China was exploiting their resources.

China, the closest ally of the Islamic republic, has been pouring funds through infrastructure projects in the country. The China Pakistan Economic Corridor, one of the largest projects under China’s flagship Belt and Road Initiative, passes through Balochistan.