Beijing, Aug 27: China on Tuesday strongly condemned the terrorist attacks in Pakistan’s restive Balochistan province in which 37 people were massacred and said it would continue to back Islamabad’s counter-terrorism operations.
“We strongly condemn the terrorist attacks and express our deep condolences over the lives lost,” Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Lin Jian told a daily press briefing.
“China stands firm against all forms of terrorism. We will continue giving staunch support to Pakistan in their effort to advance counterterrorism operations, uphold social solidarity and stability, and protect the safety of the people,” he added.
“China stands ready to further enhance counterterrorism and security cooperation with Pakistan and jointly safeguard peace and security in the region,” he said.
The two attacks in Balochistan, stated to be the biggest carried out by Baloch militants so far, took place as a top Chinese military official was visiting Pakistan for security assessment, especially for the security of the USD 60 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).
The multi-project Corridor is being opposed by the Baloch militants and is under recurring attack, including on Chinese personnel working on various projects in Pakistan.
Heavily armed Baloch gunmen killed at least 37 people in separate attacks in Pakistan’s restive Balochistan province on Monday, as insurgent attacks spiked in the region bordering Afghanistan.
In the first incident, at least 23 people from Pakistan’s Punjab province were killed in a targeted attack in Balochistan’s Musakhel district after gunmen offloaded them from buses and checked their identities.
In another incident, 11 people, including six security personnel, were killed in Kalat, 150 km south of Quetta in Balochistan.
Meanwhile, the Commander of the Ground Forces of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) of China Gen. Li Qiaoming who is visiting Islamabad for security assessment called on Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in Islamabad on Monday.
General Li’s visit is taking place amid reports about China’s increasing disenchantment with Pakistan over the continued political crisis in the country despite the deteriorating security situation affecting CPEC progress exacerbated by the deep economic crisis.
The CPEC, which connects Gwadar Port in Pakistan’s Balochistan with China’s Xinjiang province, is the flagship project of China’s ambitious Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). The BRI is seen as an attempt by China to further its influence abroad with infrastructure projects funded by Chinese investments across the world.
However, the implementation of various projects has slowed in recent months following terror attacks on Chinese personnel working on the ventures such as the one in March in which five Chinese and one Pakistani national were killed in a terrorist attack on their vehicle of the Dasu Hydropower Project undertaken by a Chinese company in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province. (PTI)
