Karachi: The first woman suicide bomber of Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) today carried out a powerful explosion in a vehicle here, killing 3 Chinese nationals and their Pakistani driver and marking a new chapter in the outfit’s armed struggle for freedom from Pakistan.
The blast, near the Karachi University’s Confucius Institute, was so powerful that it ripped through the van and injured at least 5 others in the vicinity, according to police and other officials.
BLA, which has been warning China against pursuing activities in Balochistan, claimed responsibility for the attack whose main target was the Chinese nationals.
“Majeed Brigade of Baloch Liberation Army accepts responsibility of today’s self-sacrificing attack on Chinese in Karachi,” BLA spokesman Jeeyand Baloch said in a statement.
“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,” he added.
Majeed Brigade is a unit of BLA which specialises in suicide attacks.
BLA, which is fighting for independence of Balochistan from Pakistan, says China is engaged in exploiting the rich resources of the region through its projects while the locals are being deprived and left to live in acute poverty.
Earlier, BLA has carried out a number of attacks on Chinese engineers and assets in Balochistan besides the one on Chinese consulate in Karachi on November 23, 2018, attack on Pearl Continental Hotel in Gwadar on May 11, 2019 and attack on Pakistan’s stock exchange on 29 June 2020 in Karachi.
BLA has been warning of intensified attacks against Chinese nationals and projects in Balochistan if the Communist country “continues to support Pakistani occupying state” and does not withdraw its nationals from the region.
“Baloch Liberation Army has time and again warned China and all exploitative powers to abstain from entering into any trade deals and agreements regarding Balochistan till the liberation of Baloch motherland,” Baloch had said in a statement some months back.
He had said BLA considers all such agreements as null void, and treats them as exploitative steps to plunder Baloch resources.
The spokesman had added, “If China continues to support Pakistani occupying state, fails to stop its exploitative projects and does not withdraw its nationals from Balochistan then BLA reserves the right to further intensify its attacks against the illegally stationed Chinese nationals and Chinese projects in Balochistan,”
He had said that “despite BLA’s continuous warnings China has not only failed to stop its exploitative activities but has been actively supporting and strengthening the occupying state of Pakistan to counter the Baloch war of liberation.
“Due to these offensive acts by China, BLA has targeted Chinese nationals and its economic interests in the region in past too.”
