ISLAMABAD, Pakistan – A powerful explosion apparently caused by a suicide bombing hit the parking lot of a luxury hotel in southwestern Pakistan on Wednesday, frequented by high-level guests, and officials said at least four people were killed and 12 injured. The Chinese ambassador to Pakistan may have missed the blast in just a few minutes.
The ambassador, Nong Rong, led a Chinese delegation that visited the area and stayed at the hotel, 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 media.
The Chinese delegation was safe and all the victims were Pakistani citizens, officials said. Two senior civilian officials were among the injured.
It was unclear whether Chinese visitors were the target of the attack, which was claimed by the Pakistani Taliban or the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan, known as the TTP. But the group’s statement of responsibility said a suicide bomber had planned to hold a meeting of “locals and foreigners” at Serena.
China is considered an important ally of Pakistan and has undertaken several infrastructure projects, along with a deep seaport in the province of Baluchistan.
An intelligence official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss security issues, said the Chinese ambassador attended a dinner with senior Pakistani military officials and was on his way to the hotel and was only minutes away when the explosion took place.
There was no immediate official confirmation that the attack was committed by a suicide bomber, according to TTP. Officials said the initial investigation suggested the explosives were inside a vehicle that exploded in the parking lot.
The explosion was heard from a great distance and severely damaged more than a dozen vehicles in the parking lot of the luxury hotel. It is in a heavily guarded neighborhood with many important government buildings.
Pakistani officials have acknowledged that the blast was 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 intermediate wars between regional and international powers, including India and Iran.
Baluch separatists have frequently targeted the Chinese presence in Balutchistan. A luxury hotel in Gwadar, a city in the coastal region where China is working on a deep-sea port project, was attacked by Baluch separatists in 2019.
“Given the multiplicity of groups trying to target Chinese interests, I would take the TTP statement with a grain of salt,” said Arif Rafiq, president of Vizier Consulting, a political risk consulting firm in New York. “But if the group is really responsible, the attack reflects a strengthening of its ability to achieve high-security urban targets in Pakistan.”
He also noted that TTP’s claim for liability did not specifically relate to Chinese citizens or interests, so it was possible “that the attackers were not actually aware of their presence”.