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Chinese national shot at in Karachi two weeks after blast
The latest attack on the Chinese individual comes just two weeks after 13 people, including nine Chinese citizens working on a dam project, were killed when their bus was hit by an explosion in Kohistan, northwest Pakistan, on July 14.
A Chinese national was shot and wounded in Karachi on Wednesday, reported Reuters. The victim was shot at by two bike-borne masked men while he was enroute to Karachi’s industrial area. "Two men wearing face masks riding a motorcycle carried out the shooting," deputy inspector general Javed Akbar Riaz said. Riaz told AFP that the Chinese individual was not hit on any vital parts of his body and is currently stable.
The latest attack on the Chinese individual comes just two weeks after 13 people, including nine Chinese citizens working on a dam project, were killed when their bus was hit by an explosion in Kohistan, northwest Pakistan, on July 14.
The Chinese nationals who were killed were working at the Dasu hydroelectric project, which is being built by China in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province as a part of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project. It was not clear if the victim of the latest attack was also involved with any CPEC project.
Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian called the attack an “isolated case” and expressed confidence in Pakistan’s ability to protect Chinese citizens. "We have full confidence in the Pakistan side's protection of Chinese citizens and property in Pakistan," he told the media persons at a briefing in Beijing.
Zhao’s statement marks a change of Beijing’s tone, after Chinese Premier Li Keqiang had ruled the July 14 blast a "terrorist attack" and asked Pakistan to take to task the perpetrators of the crime.
Even though Pakistani officials have not offered any concrete details on the explosion, Chinese media carried reports stating the blast was carried out by Uyghur militants or the Pakistani Taliban, according to AFP.
China-funded projects have fuelled discontent in local separatist groups who claim the CPEC projects do not benefit locals.
