Pakistan: 2 held over attack on Chinese consulate

Two persons have been arrested in Pakistan in connection with the recent terror attack on the Chinese consulate here in which seven people, including three militants, were killed, media reports said Sunday.

Those arrested are the brothers of Abdul Razzaq Baloch, who was one of the three militants of the outlawed Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) which claimed the attack on Friday, Dawn News reported.

The investigation agencies found that one of the slain militants, Razzaq Baloch, belonged to Kharan district of the restive Balochistan province, it said.

Raids were carried out in different areas of Kharan on Saturday and Mohammad Aslam and Khosti were taken into custody, the report said.

Balochistan Home Minister Mir Saleem Ahmad Khosa said that Razzaq Baloch's name was on the missing persons' list over the past two years.

A large number of people mentioned in the list had gone aboard for terrorism training, he said.

The minister claimed that BLA commander Aslam alias Acho had been injured in a gun battle with security forces last year, but he managed to escape.

On Friday, three heavily-armed suicide bombers stormed the Chinese consulate, killing four people including two policemen before being shot dead by security forces which foiled the daring attack in the high-security zone.

Nine hand grenades, Kalashnikov assault rifles, magazines and explosives were recovered from the possession of the terrorists.

Resource-rich Balochistan is at the heart of the ambitious USD 60 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).

The CPEC is a string of huge infrastructure investments by China in Pakistan which will link its western Xinjiang province with the Arabian Sea port of Gwadar in Balochistan.

Over the years, construction projects and Chinese workers in Balochistan have been repeatedly targeted by militants but this was one of the most prominent attacks to date.

China's foreign ministry strongly condemned the attack on its consulate and urged its all-weather ally to take "practical measures" to ensure the safety of Chinese citizens in the country, mostly on projects linked to the CPEC.

Hundreds of Chinese nationals are presently working in Pakistan especially in Karachi and the Balochistan.

It was the first major terror strike in Karachi since March 2016 when 45 Ismaili Muslims were killed in a targeted attack.

(With inputs from agencies.)