ISLAMABAD: Minister for Interior Rana Sanaullah Khan vowed on Wednesday to use all means to hunt and bring to justice the perpetrators of the Karachi suicide attack which targeted a Chinese delegation.
His statement came a day after a suspected female suicide bomber killed three Chinese teachers in the provincial metropolis, in the first major attack this year against nationals of Islamabad’s long-time ally working in Pakistan.
The three were among passengers on a minibus returning to the University of Karachi after a lunch break when the bomb exploded at the entrance to the institute’s Confucius Institute, killing the Chinese teachers and a local, police and officials said.
A militant group, the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), based in Balochistan bordering Afghanistan and Iran, claimed responsibility for the blast, adding in an email to Reuters the attack was carried out by a woman suicide bomber.
Khan said that on the directives of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, he was traveling to Karachi today, said a press statement.
The minister said the entire country expressed solidarity with the Chinese brethren and it was our mutual grief. We will deal with it with full force as it is an attack on Pakistan-China friendship, he added.
He said that he would find out the facts in meeting with the law enforcement agencies. “Our great friend China will be kept fully informed in progress about the investigation into the incident,” he added.
Khan said the government would review all security apparatus for Chinese residents and would take effective measures after a thorough review of security.
“Every aspect will be carefully examined,” he added. “The federal government would cooperate fully to bring the perpetrators to justice.”
Meanwhile, China’s Foreign Ministry strongly condemned the attack and “demanded” Pakistan punish the perpetrators, protect Chinese citizens and prevent such incidents from happening again. “The blood of the Chinese people should not be shed in vain, and those behind this incident will surely pay the price,” it said in a statement.
