EDITORIAL
The gruesome attack on Chinese nationals in the Karachi University has once again challenged the security apparatus of Pakistan. This is not for the first time that the Chinese nationals have been attacked. Even in the past such incidents had taken many precious lives. Every time when such an incident takes place the authorities invariably vow to put in place strict security measures but unfortunately after some time all such vows evaporate in the air.
The Chinese government has rightly taken a very serious view of the incident and asked the Pakistani authorities to take immediate steps for the arrest of the handlers and the masterminds. Police and other law enforcing agencies claim to have come by important clues, which is quite encouraging.
After the explosion, the Balochistan Liberation Army, which is identified as a terrorist organization by many countries, claimed responsibility for the attack and released a photo of a woman, claiming she was the first female suicide bomber of the group.
The Chinese embassy and consulate in Pakistan strongly condemned this terrorist act and asked Pakistan to make every effort to treat the wounded, conduct a thorough investigation of the attack and severely punish the perpetrators. It also asked all levels of relevant Pakistani department to take practical measures to ensure the safety of Chinese citizens, institutions and projects in Pakistan, and ensure that similar incidents do not happen again.
Was this attack initiated by a single organization or was it supported and manipulated by larger forces behind? We want to say that no matter who the perpetrators are and whom they are targeting, they must be severely punished. The Pakistani side must conduct a comprehensive and detailed investigation and give the Chinese side an explanation.
The China-Pakistan relations are as solid as rocks. The Chinese people call Pakistan its “iron brother.” Both Pakistan’s government and people also highly value their friendship with China. China-Pakistan practical cooperation has yielded fruitful results. It has brought about many jobs and driven local development. However, some terrorist forces take the sabotage of China-Pakistan cooperation as a means to blackmail and attack the Pakistani government, resulting in occasional attacks on Chinese nationals in the country in recent years.Prime Minister, Shehbaz Sharif, strongly condemned Tuesday’s terrorist attack calling it a “cowardly act of terrorism” and said that a thorough investigation will be conducted to bring the perpetrators to justice. He also went to the Chinese embassy in Pakistan to express his condolences for the assault on the Chinese nationals.
Another view is that Baloch people have not got a due share in the CPEC project. They believe, those executing the project have made their fortunes but the locals have got nothing. According to them poverty is still rampant in the province and even basic amenities of live out of reach of the majority of people.
