Pakistan Today

China condemns Chinese nationals’ ‘targeted killing’, urges for justice

KARACHI: China on Tuesday condemned and urged Pakistan to rapidly bring perpetrators to justice after unidentified gunmen shot at two Chinese nationals in the southern city of Karachi, killing one of them.

The police have acquired the phone data of Chen Zhu, the Chinese national suffered two bullet wounds to his head and later succumbed to his injuries, the head of the government hospital he was taken to said. He was attacked by unidentified assailants near Zamzama Park on Monday.

According to the South Zone police station, Zhu, 46, was working at a private shipping firm in Karachi.

He, along with one his other workers, had left their office for lunch at a restaurant in Block-2 Clifton. An unidentified assailant opened fire at them while they were in their car, leaving Zhu critically injured.

“The consulate general of China has sent officials to the hospital and urged the police to solve the case as soon as possible and bring the criminals to justice,” foreign ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang told a regular briefing.

The two Chinese were working for a shipping company. Thousands of Chinese engineers and technicians are working in Pakistan.

China is ramping up investment as part of a $54 billion project known as the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, upgrading infrastructure, power and transport links between its far-western Xinjiang region and Pakistan’s Gwadar port.

Last October, Pakistan confirmed the death of two Chinese nationals who were kidnapped in the southwestern city of Quetta, months after the Islamic State group claimed it had killed them.

District South police chief SSP Javed Akbar Riaz said that the case was being investigated from various angles, adding that they’re looking for the CCTV footage of the entire area, and are still getting data with the help of the tracker installed in the car.

Earlier on Tuesday, the Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) of the Sindh police registered a case against unidentified people. The case has reportedly been registered under the relevant sections of the Pakistan Penal Code and Anti-Terrorism Act.

Security has been beefed up for foreigners, particularly Chinese nationals across the province.

Sindh Home Minister Sohail Anwar Siyal and Sindh inspector general police took notice of the incident and have sought a report from District South Police Chief DIG Azad Khan and South SSP.

When asked whether Beijing was concerned about the safety of its citizens in Pakistan, Geng noted Pakistan’s government and military have taken a series of counterterrorism and social security measures.

“We support Pakistan’s relevant actions to safeguard national security and we believe Pakistan will continue to take measures to safeguard the safety of Chinese institutions and personnel in Pakistan,” said Geng.

Later on Tuesday evening, a new CCTV footage of the slain Chinese national emerged which showed Chen Zhu taking pictures of different buildings in the area.

In the footage, Zhu could be seen taking pictures and not purchasing fruits/vegetables from roadside stalls, as was earlier believed.

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