Attack on 5-star hotel in Balochistan bid to damage economy: Imran Khan

Pakistan PM Imran Khan says attacks were aimed to stall Pakistan’s economic growth

Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan on Sunday termed the attack on a five-star hotel in the port city of Gwadar in Balochistan province as a bid to “sabotage prosperity” in the area.

The terror group said that the hotel -- the centrepiece of a multi-billion dollar Chinese project -- was selected in order to target Chinese and other investors.(AFP)

Three gunmen stormed the Pearl Continental hotel in the strategic port city of Gwadar on Saturday. The attack and subsequent siege lasted several hours.

One security guard was killed in the attack claimed by the outlawed Balochistan Liberation Army. All three gunmen were later shot dead by the security forces.

“Such attempts especially in Balochistan are an effort to sabotage our economic projects and prosperity. We shall not allow these agendas to succeed. Pakistani nation and its security forces shall defeat them all,” Khan said in a statement issued by his office and cited by the Pakistani media.

A hotel spokesman said there were no guests (at the time of the attack) and few staff present due to Ramzan. However, earlier reports said that hotel guests had been evacuated safely.

The terror group said that the hotel -- the centrepiece of a multi-billion dollar Chinese project -- was selected in order to target Chinese and other investors.

The hotel sits on a hilltop overlooking the Gwadar port on the Arabian Sea, which is being developed by China as part of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, a network of roads, rail lines and pipelines between the two countries.