ISLAMABAD, Pakistan – A powerful explosion, apparently from a suicide bomber, hit the parking lot of a luxury hotel in southwestern Pakistan frequented by senior guests on Wednesday, and officials said at least four people had been killed and 12 injured. The Chinese ambassador to Pakistan may have missed the explosion in minutes.
The ambassador, Nong Rong, led a Chinese delegation that had visited the area and was staying at the hotel, the Serena, in Quetta, the capital of Baluchistan province.
“The Chinese were staying at the Serena Hotel, but were not present at the hotel at the time of the attack,” Sheikh Rashid Ahmed, Pakistan’s interior minister, told local news media.
The Chinese delegation was safe and all victims were Pakistani nationals, officials said. Two senior civilian officials were among the injured.
It was unclear whether the Chinese visitors had been targeted by the attack claimed by the Pakistani Taliban, or Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan, known as the TTP. But the group’s statement of responsibility stated that a suicide bomber planned to suspend a gathering of “locals and foreigners” in the Serena.
Considered an important ally of Pakistan, China has implemented several infrastructure projects along with a deep-sea port in Baluchistan province.
An intelligence officer, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss security matters, said the Chinese ambassador attended a dinner with senior Pakistani army officials and was on his way back to the hotel and just minutes away when the explosion occurred.
There was no immediate official confirmation that the attack had been committed by a suicide bomber, as claimed by the TTP. Officials said the initial investigation suggested that explosives were in a vehicle that exploded in the parking lot.
The explosion could be heard from a great distance and severely damaged more than a dozen vehicles in the luxury hotel’s parking lot. It is located in a heavily guarded area with many important government buildings.
Pakistani officials acknowledged the explosion amounted to a major security breach.
Baluchistan is rich in minerals and natural gas, and the province is also seen by Pakistani officials as an arena for wars between regional and international powers, including India and Iran.
Baluch separatists have often targeted the Chinese presence in Baluchistan. A luxury hotel in Gwadar, a coastal town where China is working on a deep-sea port project, was attacked by Baluch separatists in 2019.
“Given the multitude of groups targeting Chinese interests, I would take the TTP’s claim with a grain of salt,” said Arif Rafiq, president of Vizier Consulting, a New York-based political risk advisory firm. “But if the group is indeed responsible, the attack reflects a strengthening of its ability to hit high-security urban targets in Pakistan.”
He also noted that the TTP’s claim of responsibility did not specifically relate to Chinese nationals or interests, so it was possible “that the attackers were actually unaware of their presence.”