ISLAMABAD: Two Chinese nationals were killed in an explosion near the international airport of the southern Pakistani city of Karachi on Sunday night, the Chinese embassy in Pakistan said, in what it described as a “terrorist attack.”
Separatist militant group the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) claimed responsibility for the attack, which they said had targeted Chinese nationals, including engineers. Here are some facts about the group, which has specifically targeted Chinese interests in the past.
WHAT ARE THE BLA’S GOALS?
The BLA seeks independence for Balochistan, a province located in Pakistan’s southwest and bordering on Afghanistan to the north and Iran to the west. It is the biggest of several ethnic insurgent groups that have battled the federal government for decades, saying it unfairly exploits Balochistan’s rich gas and mineral resources.
Balochistan is home to key mining projects, including Reko Diq, run by mining giant Barrick Gold and believed to be one of the world’s largest gold and copper mines. China also operates a gold and copper mine in the province.
WHAT ARE THE BLA’S TARGETS?
The BLA often targets key infrastructure projects and security posts in Balochistan, but has also launched attacks in other areas — most notably in Karachi, where a convoy from the Port Qasim Electric Power Company was attacked near the airport on Sunday.
In August, the BLA launched several coordinated attacks in Balochistan, killing more than 70 people.
The BLA specifically targets Chinese interests, in particular the strategic port of Gwadar on the Arabian Sea, accusing Beijing of helping Islamabad to exploit the province.
It has previously killed Chinese citizens working in the region and attacked Beijing’s consulate in Karachi. The BLA showed its muscle when it stormed army and naval bases in 2022, and has expanded its traditional use of guerrilla gunmen to include women suicide bombers, as seen in an attack on Chinese nationals on a university campus in Karachi, also in 2022. The group has also targeted both military and Chinese officials, including launching an attack on Gwadar in March. The BLA, separately, was also at the center of tit-for-tat strikes earlier this year between Iran and Pakistan over what they called militant bases on each other’s territory, which brought the two neighbors close to war.
THE ATTACK’S SIGNIFICANCE
Pakistan is preparing to host the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit in the capital Islamabad next week, which authorities have vowed to secure, as high-level Chinese representation is expected, as well as the first visit to the country by an Indian foreign minister in a decade.
Beijing and Islamabad are working together in the aftermath of Sunday’s attack, with Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif saying that the country would “leave no stone unturned” to ensure the security and well-being of its “Chinese friends.”
Balochistan is an important part of China’s $65 billion investment in the China Pakistan Economic Corridor, a wing of President Xi Jinping’s Belt and Road initiative.
The decades-old insurgency has continued to keep the province of some 15 million people unstable and created security concerns around Pakistan’s plans to access untapped resources under Balochistan’s desert and mountainous terrain. It is Pakistan’s largest province by size, but the smallest by population and strategically located.
Balochistan also has a long Arabian Sea coastline in the south, not far from the Gulf’s Strait of Hormuz oil shipping lane. Hundreds of Balochs, many of them women, have protested in Islamabad and in Balochistan recently over alleged abuses by security forces — accusations the Pakistani government denies.
Who are Pakistan’s ethnic militants behind attack near Karachi airport?
https://arab.news/wkegh
Who are Pakistan’s ethnic militants behind attack near Karachi airport?
- Separatist militant group the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) claimed responsibility for the attack, which they said had targeted Chinese nationals
- The BLA specifically targets Chinese interests, in particular Gwadar port on Arabian Sea, accusing Beijing of helping Islamabad exploit Balochistan
Delegation-level talks begin in Istanbul between Pakistan’s Sharif, Turkiye’s Erdogan
- Sharif is visiting Iran, Azerbaijan, Tajikistan and Turkiye on five-day regional diplomacy visit
- All four nations supported Pakistan in recent military confrontation with archrival India
ISLAMABAD: Delegation-level talks between Pakistan and Turkiye began on Sunday evening in Istanbul, led by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and President Tayyip Erdogan, the Pakistani premier’s office said.
Sharif reached Istanbul on Sunday as the first stop in a five-day regional diplomacy tour that will also see him visit Iran, Azerbaijan and Tajikistan, four nations that openly supported Pakistan in a military standoff with India earlier this month when the two nuclear-armed neighbors traded missile, drone and artillery strikes for days, killing around 70 people on both sides. A ceasefire was reached on May 10.
The conflict, the worst between the neighbors in decades, was triggered by a militant attack on tourists in Indian-administered Kashmir on April 22 that New Delhi blamed on Pakistan. Islamabad denies involvement.
“During the meeting, bilateral relations, regional and international issues, including the fight against terrorism, will be discussed,” Erdogan’s head of communications, Fahrettin Altun, said on X about the Turkish president’s meeting with Sharif.
Erdogan received Sharif at the presidential palace ahead of the talks and will later also host a dinner for the visiting premier.
The PM’s office in Islamabad said Sharif would hold wide-ranging discussions with the leaders of Turkiye, Iran, Azerbaijan and Tajikistan during the regional tour on “an entire range of issues covering bilateral relations and matters of regional and international importance.”
“He will thank friendly countries for the support they have given to Pakistan during the recent crisis with India,” the PMO statement added.
Erdogan spoke by phone with Sharif on May 7 to convey his solidarity after India first hit Pakistan and Azad Kashmir with missiles. Leaders from the two nations had several contacts subsequently and Turkiye publicly took Islamabad’s side. It is widely believed that Turkiye played an important role, besides the US, UAE and Saudi Arabia, in convincing India and Pakistan to back off and agree to a ceasefire. The two nations have historically strong ties.
Bitter rivals India and Pakistan have fought three wars, including two over the disputed region of Kashmir, since gaining independence from British rule in 1947. Both claim the Himalayan territory in its entirety but rule it in part. They both acquired nuclear weapons in 1998.
Nine ‘Indian-sponsored’ militants killed in Pakistan’s northwest — army
- Both India and Pakistan have traded accusations of supporting militancy on each other’s soil, a charge that each denies
- Pakistan has blamed India for being behind recent terror attacks in the country, including suicide bombing of school bus
ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan army said on Sunday it had killed nine “Indian-sponsored” militants in three separate operations in the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.
Tensions remain high after India and Pakistan agreed to a ceasefire on May 10 following the most dramatic escalation of hostilities between the nuclear-armed neighbors in decades earlier this month.
Since the military confrontation cooled off with the truce, Pakistan has blamed India for being behind several terror attacks in the country, including when three children were among at least five people killed when a suicide bomber struck an army school bus in Pakistan’s restive Balochistan province earlier this week. India denies it backs militancy in Pakistan.
In a statement released on Sunday evening, the army said it had carried out three operations in KP’s Dera Ismail, Tank and Khyber districts.
“An intelligence-based operation was conducted by the security forces in Dera Ismail Khan District … and after an intense fire exchange, four Indian sponsored khwarij [militants] were sent to hell,” the statement said.
It added that two militants were separately killed in Tank and three in Khyber.
“Sanitization operations are being conducted to eliminate any other kharji found in the area, as the security forces of Pakistan are determined to wipe out the menace of Indian-sponsored terrorism from the country,” the statement added.
Both India and Pakistan have traded accusations of supporting militancy on each other’s soil, a charge that each denies. The latest escalation, in which the two countries traded missiles and drones, was sparked when India accused Pakistan of supporting a militant assault on tourists in the Indian-administered portion of the contested region of Kashmir. Islamabad denies any involvement.
Pakistan has mostly blamed India of supporting a separatist insurgency in Balochistan, a southwestern province that borders Iran and Afghanistan. It also accuses it of backing the Pakistani Taliban who regularly carry out attacks in the country’s northwestern and other regions.
India denies the allegations.
Pakistani top minister hints at increasing defense budget weeks after military standoff with India
- Budgeted defense expenditure stood at Rs2,122 billion for FY25 while actual expenditure till March 2025 was Rs1,424 billion
- Pakistan’s historically large defense budget is attributed to a complex interplay of factors, including perceived threat from India
KARACHI: Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal hinted this week there could be an increase in Pakistan’s defense allocation in the budget for the fiscal year 2025-26, due to be announced next month, weeks after a military standoff with India that alarmed the world.
Pakistan and India attacked each other with missiles, drones and artillery earlier this month after tensions surged over an attack in April on tourists in Indian-administered Kashmir that New Delhi blamed on Pakistan. Islamabad has denied the charge.
“We want to try and put the least burden on the common man but right now I believe it is our national duty that in this budget we give our armed forces the resources they need to strengthen our defense capabilities so that our defense can be safe even in the future,” Iqbal said in remarks to reporters when asked about reports of an increase in the defense allocation for the new fiscal year.
The conflict with New Delhi escalated on May 7 after India first hit Pakistan and Azad Kashmir with missiles, and Pakistan retaliated, saying it had downed six Indian fighter jets.
Fighting between the two nations continuing for four days, with missile and drone strikes on each other’s military facilities and airfields as well as increased gunfire exchanges on the de facto LoC border. A ceasefire was reached on May 10.
“This has been established that our neighbor is a dangerous enemy, who once again attempted to attack us in the dark of night, but we punished them by fully responding to this offense and it [India] will definitely think a hundred times before committing such an aggression next time,” Iqbal added.
“However, our duty is to stay alert and prepared all the time so that if someone commits such a mistake in future, then it could be responded to more effectively.”
Two days after the ceasefire, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi warned Pakistan New Delhi would target “terrorist hideouts” across the border again if there were new attacks on India and would not be deterred by what he called Islamabad’s “nuclear blackmail.”
“In the coming days, we will measure every step of Pakistan... what kind of attitude Pakistan will adopt,” Modi said, adding that India had only “paused” strikes.
In a report published on Saturday, Tola Associates, a major tax advisory and consultancy firm, proposed raising the defense budget to Rs2.8 trillion, a 32 percent increase compared to the last fiscal year, owing to a “war-like situation” with India.
“The budgeted defense expenditure stood at Rs2,122 billion for FY25 while the actual expenditure till March 2025 was Rs1,424 billion. [However], due to the ongoing war situation with the neighboring country, defense spending may increase by up to 50 percent in the Q4FY25,” the report said.
“Given the current regional tensions and the need to ensure Pakistan’s defense preparedness, we estimate total defense spending to reach Rs2.4 trillion by June 2025.”
Pakistan’s historically large defense budget is attributed to a complex interplay of factors, primarily driven by regional security concerns and internal challenges. These include the perceived security threat from India as well as internal instability and security threats like terrorism. Additionally, debt servicing and the allocation of resources toward military interests have also played a role in shaping the budget.
Moroccan, Egyptian stalls shine at Islamabad food fundraiser featuring 80 diplomatic missions
- Islamabad Foreign Women’s Association in collaboration with Serana Hotels holds international food festival for third consecutive year
- IFWA is a non-political, non-profit organization established in 1995 by the wives of ambassadors posted in the Pakistani federal capital
ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad Foreign Women’s Association (IFWA) organized a food festival in the Pakistani capital on Sunday featuring cuisines from at least 28 countries and raising over Rs.2.5 million ($8,929) to support education and health care initiatives for poor Pakistani women and children.
The festival, organized for the third consecutive year, was a joint project of IFWA and Serena Hotels, with 80 diplomatic missions participating. IFWA is a non-political, non-profit organization established in 1995 by the wives of ambassadors posted in Islamabad, with the aim of supporting underprivileged and disadvantaged Pakistani women and children.
Dianne Hawkins, IFWA president and the wife of the Australian High Commissioner, told Arab News around Rs2.5 million had been raised at Sunday’s event.
“It is our major fundraising event of the year to support the charities that IFWA supports here [in Pakistan], which are mostly focused on benefiting vulnerable communities of Pakistani society, especially women and children,” Hawkins said, adding that most of the charities IFWA supported were in the education and health sectors.
Aziz Bolani, the CEO Serena Hotels, said that along with supporting underprivileged communities, the event also helped promote international cuisines and cultures through food stalls that represented countries from all around the world.
“There are real needs in Pakistan, and this is a form of diplomacy, a soft approach that brings people together,” he told Arab News.
Among the most popular stalls were those set up by the embassies of Morocco and Egypt.
“Today, we are serving Moroccan chicken, Moroccan salads, and one of the main traditional dishes of Morocco, that is typically served every Friday, couscous with vegetables,” Moroccan Ambassador Mohamed Karmoune told Arab News.
Homemade Moroccan breads and sweets as well as traditional tea was also available.
Georg Steiner, the ambassador of Switzerland to Pakistan, said he hoped the festival would introduce more Pakistanis to Swiss food.
“We brought along some Swiss food like Rösti [potato dish], Zürich style veal, and also some excellent cakes,” he told Arab News.
He said he had tasted food at many stalls and his favorites were those serving Vietnamese, Czech, and Pakistani dishes.
“I think Pakistani food is always wonderful, be it biryani or something else,” the Swiss envoy added.
Pakistani PM to meet Erdogan today in first leg of regional diplomacy tour
- Sharif will visit Iran, Azerbaijan, Tajikistan and Turkiye on five-day visit
- All four nations supported Pakistan in recent military standoff with India
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Sunday started a five-day regional diplomacy tour with a trip to Turkiye where he will hold talks with Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan in Istanbul, Erdogan’s office said.
Sharif will go onwards from Turkiye to Iran, Azerbaijan and Tajikistan, four nations that openly supported Pakistan in a military standoff with India earlier this month when the two nuclear-armed neighbors traded missile, drone and artillery strikes for days, killing around 70 people on both sides. A ceasefire was reached on May 10.
The conflict, the worst between the neighbors in decades, was triggered by a militant attack on tourists in Indian-administered Kashmir on April 22 that New Delhi blamed on Pakistan. Islamabad denies involvement.
“During the meeting, bilateral relations, regional and international issues, including the fight against terrorism, will be discussed,” Erdogan’s head of communications, Fahrettin Altun, said on X.
The PM’s office in Islamabad released footage of Sharif departing on the tour and said he would hold wide-ranging discussions with the leaders of Turkiye, Iran, Azerbaijan and Tajikistan on “an entire range of issues covering bilateral relations and matters of regional and international importance.”
“He will thank friendly countries for the support they have given to Pakistan during the recent crisis with India,” the PMO statement added.
Erdogan spoke by phone with Sharif on May 7 to convey his solidarity after India first hit Pakistan and Azad Kashmir with missiles. Leaders from the two nations had several contacts subsequently and Turkiye publicly took Islamabad’s side. It is widely believed that Turkiye played an important role, besides the US, UAE and Saudi Arabia, in convincing India and Pakistan to back off and agree to a ceasefire. The two nations have historically strong ties.
Bitter rivals India and Pakistan have fought three wars, including two over the disputed region of Kashmir, since gaining independence from British rule in 1947. Both claim the Himalayan territory in its entirety but rule it in part. They both acquired nuclear weapons in 1998.
