Quetta: Claiming to have killed 5 Chinese nationals and 15 Pakistani security personnel in the suicide attack in Karachi yesterday, Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) tonight said the deadly assault was carried out to send out a fresh warning to China to stop exploitation of resources of Balochistan in collusion with Pakistan.
The freedom-seeking armed outfit threatened to carry out “more severe attacks” on Chinese economic interests if Chine “does not immediately end its illegal projects in Balochistan and abandon its alliance with Pakistan against the Baloch Nation.”
In a statement, the BLA said the Karachi attack was “carried out in response to the ongoing occupation, oppression, exploitation, and looting of resources by Pakistan and China against the Baloch nation.”
The BLA noted that it had already given China a 90-day ultimatum to end its “illegal alliance with Pakistan against the Baloch nation and withdraw all projects, investments, and forces from Balochistan. But China ignored our clear and concrete warning and continued its efforts to strengthen its grip on our resources by backing Pakistan.”
Issuing a “strong warning afresh”, it said the attack in Karachi “proves that we will not allow any foreign power to occupy our soil, and that we have the power to attack the enemy anytime and anywhere…. If China ignores our warning again, it will face the worst consequences.”
The statement, issued by BLA spokesman Jeeyand Baloch said, “We will target all Chinese economic interests, investments, and military installations, knowing that there will be no safe haven for them on Balochistan soil.”
He said the Karachi attack was part of a process that began on August 11, 2018, when Rehan Aslam Baloch carried out a fidayeen attack on a convoy of Chinese engineers in Dalbandin.
“This attack is a sign that the Baloch nation has decided to stand up for its land, its resources, and its liberation. No matter how powerful the enemy is, we will no longer tolerate the oppression, exploitation, and occupation of our land,” the BLA said.
“China and Pakistan have stepped up their exploitative plans to seize Balochistan’s valuable resources, such as the gold and copper mines of Reko Diq, the mineral deposits of Saindak, and the deep-sea port of Gwadar,” it said.
Jeeyand referred to the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project and termed it as “a heinous conspiracy to further enslave the Baloch and loot our natural resources.”
He added that “This project is not just an economic project but a deadly attack on our land and our survival.”
