China angry over suicide attacks in Pakistan! ‘Tu tu-main main’ regarding the safety of citizens

China on Security Concerns in Pakistan: China has expressed displeasure to Pakistan for targeting Chinese citizens. At an event in Islamabad, Chinese Ambassador Jiang Zedong said it was “unacceptable” for Chinese citizens to be targeted by terrorists twice in Pakistan. He mentioned the death of seven Chinese citizens in suicide attacks since March. Generally, it is rare to see tension publicly in China-Pakistan relations, but after the recent attacks, the rift in relations has come to the fore.

Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar also complicated the matter further by giving a statement. Ishaq Dar said that Pakistan is the only country where China has sent citizens despite security concerns. Dar made this statement in a meeting organized by Pakistan-China Institute, an independent think tank based in Islamabad.

Chinese ambassador expressed disagreement, said security was priority

Chinese Ambassador Jiang Zedong, who was present at the event, opposed Dar’s statement and said that the safety of Chinese citizens is the top priority for Chinese President Xi Jinping. Beijing has made its priorities clear on security issues in recent talks with the Pakistan government. Due to the violence targeting Chinese citizens, Beijing is now reconsidering the investments being made in Pakistan under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). The ambassador stressed the need to take effective measures from Islamabad so that such terrorist attacks do not happen again.

Pakistan called China’s statement “disturbing”

On Thursday (31 October 2024), Pakistan Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch described the Chinese Ambassador’s statement as “disturbing” and said that it is contrary to the long-standing diplomatic traditions between the two countries. Generally, Chinese officials do not publicly criticize the security of their citizens in Pakistan and Pakistan’s public response to China’s criticism is also unusual, but the recent attacks have increased China’s security concerns.

Balochistan Liberation Army took responsibility for the attack, security concerns increased

In early October, two Chinese nationals were killed and 10 injured in a suicide attack near Karachi airport. Responsibility for the attack was claimed by the banned Balochistan Liberation Army, while in March this year, five Chinese engineers were killed in a suicide bomb blast in Besham area of ​​northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. In the last decade, since the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor project started, 21 Chinese workers have died in Pakistan.

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