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PM Imran slams Gwadar hotel attack as bid to damage economy
Prime Minister Imran Khan on Sunday described yesterday's attack targeting the Gwadar Pearl Continental Hotel as a bid to "sabotage prosperity" in the area, as police confirmed all the attackers had been killed.
The outlawed Balochistan Liberation Army had claimed responsibility for the attack in which at least three people were killed and four others injured by a handful of gunmen who stormed the luxury hotel in Gwadar, the centrepiece of the multi-billion dollar China-Pakistan Economic Corridor.
Prime Minister Imran in a statement issued by PM Office today said that "such attempts, especially in Balochistan, are an effort to sabotage our economic projects and prosperity. We shall not allow these agendas to succeed".
The Chinese embassy in Islamabad also strongly condemned the incident.
'The next Dubai'
The Pearl Continental, part of Pakistan's largest five-star hotel chain, is the only luxury hotel in Gwadar, frequented by foreign and Pakistani business delegations as well as diplomats.
It sits isolated on a ridge overlooking the Arabian Sea port city that was formerly a small fishing village, but is now touted by officials as "the next Dubai" thanks to CPEC.
Part of China's Belt and Road initiative, CPEC seeks to connect the western Chinese province of Xinjiang with Gwadar, with the development of the port there as a flagship project.
Gwadar will provide China with safer and more direct access to the oil-rich Middle East than the waterway trade route it currently uses through the narrow Malacca Straits.
CPEC has drawn the ire of separatists who complain that Balochistan does not receive its due share of resources from the Centre.
The BLA has targeted Chinese workers in Pakistan multiple times, including during a brazen daylight attack on the Chinese consulate in Karachi which killed four people in November last year. At the time, the BLA had branded Beijing "an oppressor".
The attack was the second deadly attack in a prominent city this week, after a suicide blast claimed by a lesser-known faction of the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan at the Data Darbar shrine in Lahore, in which 12 individuals lost their lives.
Comments (48) Closed
Who do the people think is responsible? They'll get the answer there.
Please listen to the woes of Balouch people.
Timely, heroic action of Pakistani Army & law enforcement agencies indeed. Otherwise, this could have escalated into grave tragedy as happened a neighbouring country.
Why the terrorist are still at large?
Bid to damage economy? Haven't your own policies done enough damage already?
They are not the enemy of only economical development of Balochistan but of Pakistan as whole. Hopefully Government will find out who is the provider of modern arms to these terrorist.
The economy has already been damaged and no need to damage further.
Well done PMIK, the smartest PMIK in the world
Another sad incodent. Yet again Pakistan is victim of terrorism. Prayers for the deceased and their families.
But as all Prime Ministers in the past and him too, Has he taken note of it?
Seciurity situation deteriorating during pti tenure.seems pmln was better at this than pti
Will PTM 'll condemn ?
Good
PM Imran slams Gwadar hotel attack as bid to damage economy. Yes. Yes. But what is he going to do about it?
Cut their roots in Afghanistan....
IMF should insist on lending money to Pakistan on a week to week basis.
Security should be more tighter in and around the hotel and the rest of the city. These kind of attacks will deter tourism promotion for which the government is striving.
"Economic Prosperity", in Gwadar, what? He needs to visit Gwadar.
Gwadar hotel attack as bid to damage China-Pakistan relation.
Ur economy is already damaged.
BLA supported by Enemies of pak
The Honorable Prime Minister should not jump to conclusions before the inquiry is completed and report submitted.
@Chinpaksaddique, smartest PMIK in the world?
Who are the culprits? This is critical to understand so that corrective actions could be taken.
Who are the culprits? Answer to this question is critical, to take corrective action.
Find excuses....
@Sameer Zia,
They’re all around you, always have been.
@Asif Minhas - The economy was already damaged beyond repair when IK took over. He is taking the tough decisions to bring it back to the track. Do you think he would be happy to take the decisions to raise the prices, he is not taking decisions based on popularity but on facts and is losing his own popularity in the process. He is Pakistan's last hope at least for now.
@Ray Ahmed,
Within Pakistan.
Yup, because Pakistan's economy is otherwise booming.
Ik immediately visit Gwadar and monitor the situation himself if he is serious solving balochistan issues. Otherwise just shut up and enjoy your Gov in islamabad. Total failure in solving issues.
@abdullah, How much money did you steal.
@Aslam , Are you an enemy of PK?
How can you possibly damage the economy, it’s already limping.
Preemptive capabilities must to stop such happenings. The intelligence net work be expanded, together with electron surveillance.
@Asif Minhas, in what way?
Go after their leaders, no matter where they are.Use Mossad, Israeli secret agency's tactics , find them and eliminate them
Like vast majority of my country fellows, I also would like to know: Was Gwadar incident a wake up call or security lapse? What preventative measures have been taken to avoid such incidents in the future? We have to get our security fool proof otherwise, foreign investors and visitors will be reluctant to invest and visit Gwadar.
Why can't they get some of the terrorists alive. Only way to find out who these people are?
These anti pak people are not speaking for balochistan' speople, just like altif Hussian was not speaking for Urdu speaking ! Both has only one route of funding ,the pak power that be, knows exactly who is behind ! Pakistan will move forward!
@Asif Minhas, what about Nawaz Sharif and Zardari policies???
@abdullah, security is maintained by army and police not pti...
Which economy is he talking about??!
@Texan, 100% agree
How did they get rocket launchers and IDEs when the entire area is already sealed off by the Army....Surely, someone from inside was involved.
why don't they increase security and have more guards. This part is vulnerable as we all know the enemy country intentions to weaken the ongoing development and joint Chinese projects
I don't usually come to conclusions without proof but the only one to benefit from this is our sorry excuse for a neighbor who has everything to lose if CPEC is successful.
“Gwadar will provide China with safer and more direct access to the oil-rich Middle East than the waterway trade route it currently uses through the narrow Malacca Straits.“
If this is the business logic for investing in Gwadar, we are done.