5 Japanese workers at Pakistan Suzuki Motors escape suicide bombing
Five Japanese workers at Pakistan Suzuki Motors narrowly escaped a suicide bomb attack on their vehicle on Friday in Karachi, police said. The incident took place when the police were escorting the van after receiving input about possible attacks on foreigners. Local police chief Arshad Awan said officers accompanying the Japanese returned fire after being attacked, killing a suicide bomber's accomplice, whose remains were discovered at the scene. All the Japanese escaped unharmed. However, three bystanders were wounded.
Japanese survivors moved to safe location
Following the incident, the Japanese survivors were promptly moved to a secure location under police protection. No one has claimed responsibility for the attack yet. Reports, however, point toward a small separatist group or the Pakistani Taliban, which has increased attacks on security troops in recent years. Insurgents have also targeted Chinese workers in Pakistan on projects related to the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), which includes a slew of megaprojects like road building, power plants, and agriculture.
Visuals from the blast
Pakistan's president, PM condemn the attack
Meanwhile, Pakistan's President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif have condemned the attack on the Japanese nationals. In separate statements, they applauded the police for responding quickly and thwarting the attack. They also pledged to eradicate terrorism and prayed for the swift recovery of those injured in the incident. The attack is the first of its kind on Japanese working in Pakistan, although foreign nationals have been targeted by insurgents in the past.
Chinese workers killed in suicide bomb blast
On March 27, five Chinese workers were killed in a suicide bombing in northwest Pakistan. Beijing has invested billions on the CPEC, a Belt and Road initiative that connects China's western Xinjiang province to Pakistan's Gwadar port on the Arabian Sea by a network of roads, railroads, pipelines, and power plants. According to reports, Chinese-funded projects have angered locals who feel they have profited little from the developments.
