China vows to punish perpetrators of Karachi blast

Moscow, April 27 (UNI/Sputnik) Those responsible for a suspected suicide attack in the Pakistani city of Karachi that claimed the lives of three Chinese nationals will be held accountable so that “the blood of the Chinese people should not be shed in vain,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said on Wednesday.
On Tuesday, a van with Chinese teachers was blasted near the University of Karachi’s Confucius Institute, reportedly by a female suicide bomber. Three teachers and a driver died as a result of the attack, while the fourth teacher sustained injuries.
“I would like to stress that terrorism is the common enemy of mankind. The blood of the Chinese people should not be shed in vain. China firmly supports Pakistan’s counter-terrorism efforts. We will work with Pakistan to hunt down the perpetrators, bring them to justice and make them pay a heavy price,” Wang told a briefing.
On Tuesday night, Pakistani Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif visited the Chinese Embassy in Pakistan to offer his condolences over the incident, pledging to marshal all resources to pursue an in-depth probe into the attack, Wang said.
“He [Sharif] also assured complete cooperation with China to… take further steps to strengthen the security work for Chinese personnel, projects and institutions in Pakistan. He said his government will never allow any force to undermine the great friendship and cooperation between Pakistan and China,” Wang added.
The responsibility for the Karachi attack was later claimed by the Baloch Liberation Army, the Pakistani separatist movement, which reportedly has targeted the Confucius Institute for being a “symbol of Chinese economic, cultural and political expansionism.” Wang reiterated that China strongly condemned the attack, calling it “egregious and outrageous” to target teachers who sought to promote cultural exchanges and “carry forward human civilization.”