A very large explosion took place on Sunday on a road near the airport of Pakistan’s largest city, Karachi (south), while a separatist group claimed responsibility for an attack in the region.
An AFP journalist heard the explosion around 11 p.m. local time (8 p.m. Swiss) on Sunday. Local television channel Geo News reported two dead and ten injured. The regional government of the southern Sindh province said on X that a “tanker truck” had exploded on the airport road.
The Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) said in a statement on Monday that it had “targeted a high-level convoy of Chinese engineers and investors” arriving from Karachi airport.
Chinese interests have often been targeted in Pakistan, particularly in Balochistan (southwest). This province is rich in hydrocarbons and minerals, but its population complains of being marginalized and robbed of its natural resources.
The BLA has regularly targeted Chinese nationals, saying ethnic Baloch residents were not receiving their fair share of the wealth extracted by foreign investors.
Pakistan’s Civil Aviation Authority said flights from Karachi were continuing “as usual”.
