At least four people were killed and a dozen others injured when a powerful car bomb exploded at a top hotel hosting the Chinese ambassador to southwest Pakistan.
The blast took place in the Serena car park – a luxury hotel chain across Pakistan – in the city of Quetta, the capital of Baluchistan province, where the army has been fighting a ten-year low-level insurgency.
“At least four people have been killed and 12 others injured,” Pakistani Interior Minister Rashid Ahmed told AFP, describing it as “an act of terrorism”.
“A Chinese delegation of about four people led by the ambassador had stayed at the hotel.
“The ambassador was at a meeting when the explosion took place,” he added.
The Pakistani Taliban later claimed responsibility for the bombing, which they said was a suicide attack.
Chinese Ambassador Nong Rong met earlier that day with Provincial Chief Minister Jam Kamal Khan in the city, according to a tweet from provincial government spokesman Liaquat Shahwani.
Interior Minister Ziaullah Lango told reporters: “I just met him. He is in the mood “, adding that the envoy would complete his visit to Quetta on Thursday. There were no immediate comments from the Chinese embassy in Pakistan.
Balochistan is poor despite its natural resources – a source of anger for residents who complain that they do not receive a fair share of the wealth of gas and minerals.
Resentment has been fueled by billions of dollars of Chinese money flowing into the region through the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) – an essential part of China’s belt and road initiative – which locals say has provided few benefits, as most new jobs were intended for outsiders.
Azhar Ikram, a senior city police official, 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 initial probe suggests it was an IED planted in one of the vehicles,” Ikram said.
Senior police official Azhar Akram said officers were trying to determine if the bomb had been planted in a vehicle parked in the hotel parking lot. He did not provide further details, saying the police are still investigating. Other security officials said the bomb exploded minutes after a car entered the parking lot, and authorities were investigating to determine whether it was a suicide attack.
In 2019, gunmen stormed a luxury hotel overlooking a CPEC pilot project – Gwadar’s deep-sea seaport, which gives China strategic access to the Arabian Sea – killing at least eight people.
And in June, Baloch insurgents targeted the Pakistan Stock Exchange, which is partly owned by Chinese companies.
All the 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 based in the eastern city of Lahore.