(MENAFN- IANS) By Hamza Ameer
Karachi, April 26 (IANS) A terror attack in Pakistan's metropolitan city Karachi has claimed lives of Chinese and Pakistani nationals, in what is being seen a targeted attack on Chinese nationals in the country.
As per details, the blast occurred outside the Karachi university campus of IBA (Institute of Business Administration), in a vehicle parked outside the campus building with at least three Chinese nationals and a driver aboard.
The blast set ablaze the parked vehicle in flames, killing the three Chinese nationals -- one male and two females, and a driver in what is now being suspected as a targeted suicide bomb attack, carried out by a burqa-clad female bomber.
The killed Chinese nationals include Zhang Xiaoping, director of a Chinese language institute of IBA called Confucius Institute. The other two female Chinese nationals were also part of the faculty of the same institute.
Police authorities, the rangers and the bomb disposal squad cordoned off the area and later confirmed that the explosion in the vehicle was a terror attack.
'Clear marks of ball bearings can be seen on the vehicle, which confirms that it was a terror attack. It can also be seen that one side of the van is more damaged, which also signifies that the attack may have been done by a suicide bomber who exploded after reaching close to the vehicle from one side,' said an eye witness.
It can also be seen no crater emerged in the ground, which also clarifies that the attack was not done through an improvised explosive device.
Police authorities say that investigation is being done and forensics will be taken along with the CCTV footage of the institute to ascertain the actual cause of the blast.
The attack has been claimed by Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), a banned terror group operating out of Balochistan province in Pakistan.
The attack was carried out by a Baloch female suicide bomber, who belonged to the Majeed Brigade.
'The mission was carried out by first female fidayee of the Brigade. Fidayee Shari Baloch alias Bramsh today added a new chapter in Baloch resistance history,' read a press release issued by BLA.
'Majeed Brigade of Baloch Liberation Army accepts responsibility of today's self-sacrificing attack on Chinese in Karachi,' the BLA press release added.
After the explosion, Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah contacted the police chief. The IGP informed the Chief Minister that the blast took place inside a van near the Commerce Department of the university.
The chief minister also ordered the Karachi commissioner to submit a report on the bombing.
This is a first attack by a female suicide bomber from the BLA in Pakistan, adding massive concerns over the security situation in the country, which has seen a major surge in terror attacks by various terror organisations including the Baloch separatists and the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).
China's increasing influence, investments and presence in Pakistan has also been questioned and criticised by Western powers and has been targeted by various terror organisations in the past.
The latest attack targeting Chinese nationals raises serious security concerns and challenges for Pakistan's security forces.
--IANS
hamza-san/pgh
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