On 26 April 2022, a suicide bombing hit a van near the University of Karachi's Confucius Institute, killing three Chinese academics and their Pakistani driver. The Balochistan Liberation Army,[3] claimed responsibility, saying that the perpetrator was the organization's first female suicide bomber.[4][5]
| University of Karachi bombing | |
|---|---|
| Part of the insurgency in Balochistan | |
| Location | Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan |
| Date | 26 April 2022 |
| Target | Chinese lecturers of Karachi University |
Attack type | suicide bombing |
| Deaths | 5 (including the perpetrator) |
| Injured | 4 |
| Perpetrator | BLA[1] and BLF[2] |
Of the three Chinese killed, one was the director of the university's Confucius Institute. The other two were teachers.[6] China losing confidence in Pakistan's ability to secure Chinese nationals, has since requested permission to deploy Chinese private security contractors to Pakistan.[7]
Perpetrator
editThe Balochistan Liberation Army, a group internationally designated as a terrorist organization,[3] claimed responsibility for the bombing, which it said was done to discourage Chinese development programs in the region.[8]
The bomber was identified as Shari Baloch, a 30-year-old female and secondary school science teacher from Kech District in Balochistan.[9][6][10][11] She held bachelor's and master's degrees in education from the Allama Iqbal Open University, and had also obtained a master's degree in zoology from the University of Balochistan.[10][11] She had reportedly enrolled in another postgraduate degree at the University of Karachi months before the attack, but was not reported to be a student there at the time.[8][11][12] Shari had a daughter and son, both reportedly aged five, with her husband Habitan Bashir Baloch, who is also from Kech and a dentist.[8][13][10][12][14] In 2019, Shari Baloch landed a job in the Balochistan Education Department and was employed at a government secondary school in Kalatak, near Turbat, where she taught science to female students.[11] However, she had been absent from the school since six months before the attack and had been served a show-cause notice, to which she had not responded.[10] Her husband, Habitan, was also a lecturer at the Makran Medical College, and was undertaking a postgraduate degree in public health from the Jinnah Sindh Medical University.[10][11] Her husband was reported to be involved in a training programme at Karachi's Jinnah Hospital, and had been staying in a hotel near the hospital at the time.[11] The couple had rented an apartment in Gulistan-e-Johar, where Shari had been living for the past three years.[12][14]
Shari Baloch's family has been described as "well-established, educated with no previous affiliation with any Baloch insurgent group."[10] However, Shari herself had remained a member of the Baloch Students Organisation (Azad) group during her student life.[10] Her motivations for the attack could not be ascertained, as no one in her immediate family had reportedly been a victim of human rights abuses.[10] Hours before the attack, Baloch posted a farewell message on her Twitter account.[10] Soon after the bombing occurred, her husband posted a Tweet in which he eulogised and praised Shari, describing her action as a "selfless act".[13] Her husband's whereabouts were not known immediately after the attack, with raids being carried out by security forces to apprehend him and other suspected facilitators.[12] On 27 April, Habitan Bashir Baloch, husband of Karachi University suicide bomber Shari Baloch, was arrested by security personnel, a day after the explosion, news agency ANI reported citing Pakistan's ARY News. Habitan is being interrogated by authorities. In a briefing chaired by Pakistan's interior minister, Rana Sanaullah, China's ambassador to Pakistan was apprised about the latest developments in the case.[15]
Authorities in Pakistan said they have arrested a key orchestrator of the Karachi University bombing in July,[16] the attack was the result of the combined efforts of two insurgent groups, the Balochistan Liberation Front (BLF) and the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA).[2]
Reactions
editThe attack was strongly condemned by Pakistan,[17] China,[18] Saudi Arabia,[19] United Arab Emirates,[20] Oman,[21] India,[22] Kuwait,[23] the United States,[24][25] European Union,[26] United Nations[27] and United Nation Security Council.[28]
References
edit- ^ "3 Chinese nationals among 4 dead in suicide attack at Karachi University". Archived from the original on 2022-05-06. Retrieved 2022-04-26.
- ^ a b Syed Raza Hassan (6 July 2022). "Pakistan arrest militant suspect in deadly bombing of Chinese nationals". Euro news. Archived from the original on 23 May 2024. Retrieved 13 July 2022.
- ^ a b "US designates Balochistan Liberation Army as global terrorist group". Dawn News. 2 July 2019. Archived from the original on 2 July 2019. Retrieved 28 April 2022.
- ^ "Pakistan attack: Chinese killed in blast in Karachi". BBC News. 2022-04-26. Archived from the original on 2022-04-26. Retrieved 2022-04-26.
- ^ "Three Chinese nationals among four killed in Pakistan bomb blast - police". Reuters. 2022-04-26. Archived from the original on 2022-04-26. Retrieved 2022-04-26.
- ^ a b Dhar, Aniruddha (2022-04-26). "Balochistan Liberation Army claims Karachi attack and '1st woman suicide bomber'". Hindustan Times. Archived from the original on 2022-05-01. Retrieved 2022-04-27.
- ^ Rafiq, Arif (13 Jul 2022). "Pakistan's foreign policy reset hits a dead end". The Australian Strategic Policy Institute. Archived from the original on 13 July 2022. Retrieved 13 July 2022.
- ^ a b c "Female graduate student behind Pakistan university attack: Report". Al Jazeera. 27 Apr 2022. Archived from the original on 2022-04-27. Retrieved 2022-04-27.
- ^ "Woman graduate student behind suicide attack at Pakistani university". Arab News Pakistan. 27 April 2022. Archived from the original on Jul 7, 2022. Retrieved 28 April 2022.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Yousafzai, Shahabullah; Siddiqui, Hassaan (27 April 2022). "KU blast: Inside the mind of woman suicide bomber". The Express Tribune. Archived from the original on 29 April 2022. Retrieved 28 April 2022.
- ^ a b c d e f Askari, Syed Mohammad; Hashmi, Talha (28 April 2022). "Women suicide bomber was a teacher in Balochistan". The News. Archived from the original on 3 May 2022. Retrieved 28 April 2022.
- ^ a b c d Ali, Imtiaz (28 April 2022). "Investigators say varsity blast intended to sabotage Pak-China ties". Dawn. Archived from the original on 6 May 2022. Retrieved 28 April 2022.
- ^ a b Ghosh, Poulomi (2022-04-27). "Husband of Karachi University blast suicide bomber 'beaming with pride': Report". Hindustan Times. Archived from the original on 2022-04-29. Retrieved 2022-04-27.
- ^ a b "Police raids home of Karachi suicide bomber's father". Rediff. PTI. 28 April 2022. Archived from the original on 3 May 2022. Retrieved 28 April 2022.
- ^ Sabarwal, Harshit (2022-04-28). Srinivasan, Chandrashekar (ed.). "Karachi University blast: Suicide bomber Shari Baloch's husband arrested, says report". Hindustan Times. Archived from the original on 2022-05-02. Retrieved 2022-05-02.
- ^ Aamir, Adnan (July 6, 2022). "Pakistan arrests Karachi bombing suspect as China urges more action". Nikkei Asia. Archived from the original on 6 July 2022. Retrieved 6 July 2022.
- ^ Mengal condemns suicide blast at KU Archived 2022-05-01 at the Wayback Machine. 27 April 2022. The News International.Resolution condemns Karachi University attack Archived 2022-05-01 at the Wayback Machine. 1 May 2022. Express Tribune.3 Chinese nationals among 4 killed in Karachi University suicide attack Archived 2022-05-01 at the Wayback Machine. 26 April 2022. The News International.
- ^ China condemns suicide attack at Karachi University, demands punishment for perpetrators Archived 2022-05-01 at the Wayback Machine. 27 April 2022. Dawn News.
- ^ Saudi Arabia condemns terrorist bombing at Pakistan's Karachi University Archived 2022-05-01 at the Wayback Machine. 28 April 2022. Arab News.
- ^ UAE condemns terror attack on Pakistan's University of Karachi Archived 2022-05-01 at the Wayback Machine. 28 April 2022. Gulf News.
- ^ Oman condemns Pakistan university attack Archived 2022-04-28 at the Wayback Machine. 28 April 2022. Oman Observer.
- ^ Karachi attack underlines need for taking 'undifferentiated' position against terrorism: India Archived 2022-05-01 at the Wayback Machine. 29 April 2022. The Hindu.
- ^ Kuwait condemns Karachi explosion Archived 2022-05-01 at the Wayback Machine. 28 April 2022. Kuwait News Agency (KUNA).
- ^ US condemns Karachi University suicide attack targeting Chinese nationals Archived 2022-05-05 at the Wayback Machine. 5 May 2022. Geo News.
- ^ Suicide blast in southern Pakistan kills 3 Chinese, driver Archived 2022-05-01 at the Wayback Machine. 26 April 2022. Associated Press.
- ^ The EU condemns the terrible bomb attack in Karachi today. We express our heartfelt condolences to the families, friends and colleagues of the victims. We stand together with Pakistan and all partners to fight terrorism Archived 2022-05-01 at the Wayback Machine. 26 April 2022.
- ^ UN chief condemns terrorist attack in Pakistan's Karachi University Archived 2022-05-01 at the Wayback Machine. 27 April 2022. Xinhua.
- ^ UN Security Council seeks cooperation with Pakistan, China to probe Karachi blast Archived 2022-05-01 at the Wayback Machine. 29 April 2022. Anadolu Agency.