At least four people were killed and a dozen others injured when a powerful car bomb exploded in a top hotel that housed the Chinese ambassador to southwest Pakistan.
The blast took place in the parking lot of the Serena – a luxury hotel chain across Pakistan – in the city of Quetta, the capital of Balochistan province, where the military has fought low insurgency for a decade.
“At least four people have been killed and 12 others injured,” Pakistani Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed told AFP, who described it as “a terrorist act”.
“A Chinese delegation of about four people, led by the ambassador, stayed in the hotel.
“The ambassador was on his way to a meeting when the explosion occurred,” he added.
The Pakistani Taliban later claimed responsibility for the attack which they said was a suicide bombing.
Chinese Ambassador Nong Rong had met with Provincial Chief Minister Jam Kamal Khan in the city earlier in the day a tweet from provincial government spokesman, Liaquat Shahwani.
Home Secretary Ziaullah Lango told reporters, “I just met him. He is cheerful, ”adding the envoy would conclude his visit to Quetta on Thursday. There was no immediate response from the Chinese Embassy in Pakistan.
Balochistan is poor despite its natural resources – a source of great anger among residents who complain they are not getting a fair share of its gas and mineral wealth.
Resentment has been fueled by billions of dollars in Chinese money flowing into the region through the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) – a key part of China’s belt and road initiative – which locals say they have little benefit from as the most of the new jobs went to outsiders. .
Azhar Ikram, a senior police officer in the city, confirmed the death toll and said the Chinese ambassador was staying at the hotel but was not present at the time of the blast.
“The first probe suggests it was an IED that was planted in one of the vehicles,” Ikram said.
Senior police officer Azhar Akram said officers were trying to determine if the bomb was planted in a vehicle parked in the hotel’s parking lot. He did not provide further details and said the police were still investigating. Other security officials said the bomb exploded minutes after a car pulled into the parking lot, and authorities were investigating whether it was a suicide bombing.
In 2019, gunmen stormed a luxury hotel overlooking a flagship CPEC project – the deep-sea port in Gwadar that gives China strategic access to the Arabian Sea – killing at least eight people.
And in June, the Baloch insurgents targeted the Pakistan Stock Exchange, which is partially owned by Chinese companies.
All attacks were claimed by the Balochistan Liberation Army.
It comes after more than a week of violent protests against France led by an extremist party in the eastern city of Lahore.