KARACHI: At least one person sustained minor injuries in a remote-controlled explosion targeting a Chinese engineer in Karachi's Gulshan-i-Hadeed area on Monday, police said.

Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Rao Anwar said a pamphlet written in Sindhi and bearing the name of a group called 'Sindhudesh Revolutionary Party' was recovered from the site of the blast. The pamphlet denounced "foreign control over Sindh's natural resources".

The pamphlet read [Translation]: "We consider China, rising as a global power, to be an ally of Pakistan, and also consider it an accomplice of the Punjabi Establishment in making Sindh slave to loot its resources, and therefore we accept the responsibility of bomb attack on Chinese in Gulshan-i-Hadeed."

"We want to make it clear to China that we will oppose every anti-Sindh project including the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC)," it further said.

A closer view of the damaged vehicle. ─ DawnNews
A closer view of the damaged vehicle. ─ DawnNews

The injured was a driver for a Chinese engineer who was residing in the area and traveling on the National Highway heading towards Port Qasim from Gulshan-i-Hadeed without security. The Chinese national was safe, said SSP Rao.

The pamphlet recovered from the site of the blast. ─ DawnNews
The pamphlet recovered from the site of the blast. ─ DawnNews

Police cordoned off the area and collected evidence from the scene for investigation. Five hundred grams of explosives were used in the improvised explosive device (IED), which included nuts and bolts.

Witnesses from a truck nearby reported seeing a suspicious item in the green belt of the road, which exploded as the black vehicle carrying the Chinese engineer passed by.

According to DIG East Zone Dr Kamran Fazal, the roadside bomb was planted opposite Quaid-i-Azam Park along National Highway.

Gulshan-i-Hadeed is a neighbourhood in Karachi's Bin Qasim Town. The town is situated near Pakistan Steel Mills and houses its workers.

Hundreds of Chinese workers are currently working all over Pakistan on various development projects, including the CPEC and the Thar coal power project.

In Aug 2015, the Sindh police claimed to have chalked out a comprehensive security plan for Chinese nationals and professionals visiting Karachi and other parts of the province for CPEC-related projects. Nearly six months ago, for 111 Chinese projects, the Sindh police were ensuring security to more than 1,500 nationals of the neighbouring country.

A view of the vehicle's interior. ─ DawnNews
A view of the vehicle's interior. ─ DawnNews

The main responsibility for securing the corridor, vital to Pakistan's long-term prosperity, lies with a new army division established in the last few months and numbering an estimated 13,000 troops.

Sindh Chief Minister Qaim Ali Shah and Inspector General (IG) Sindh AD Khawaja took notice of the incident and called for an investigation.

Opinion

Editorial

Energy inflation
Updated 23 May, 2024

Energy inflation

The widening gap between the haves and have-nots is already tearing apart Pakistan’s social fabric.
Culture of violence
23 May, 2024

Culture of violence

WHILE political differences are part of the democratic process, there can be no justification for such disagreements...
Flooding threats
23 May, 2024

Flooding threats

WITH temperatures in GB and KP forecasted to be four to six degrees higher than normal this week, the threat of...
Bulldozed bill
Updated 22 May, 2024

Bulldozed bill

Where once the party was championing the people and their voices, it is now devising new means to silence them.
Out of the abyss
22 May, 2024

Out of the abyss

ENFORCED disappearances remain a persistent blight on fundamental human rights in the country. Recent exchanges...
Holding Israel accountable
22 May, 2024

Holding Israel accountable

ALTHOUGH the International Criminal Court’s prosecutor wants arrest warrants to be issued for Israel’s prime...