Pakistan: Revenge Attacks on Chinese Nationals and Security Personnel

By Animesh Roul

It is rightly observed that Pakistan is on the brink of precipice. In Pakistan, Chinese nationals, security forces and Musharraf regime, all are in an Islamist terror mess, especially after the fall of Red Mosque early this month. Wave of revenge attacks on Chinese nationals and security personnel have been increasing. Fears for a Pro-Taliban militant backed civil unrest is gaining ground, with the recent spate of violence across the country that has already taken hundreds of lives in the last seven days. Avowed militants continued suicide attacks and intensified their deadly assaults on security forces and Chinese populations. As many as Six suicide attacks have taken place since July 12 Miranshah and Swat incidents including three in one single day.

On July 19, Thursday there were three suicide attacks: in Hub, Hangu and Kohat all located in northwestern Pakistan. Over 50 people died in these attacks. On July 19 morning, a suicide bomber triggered a blast when he drove an explosive laden car into the parade ground of the police academy in Hangu. Seven people died and over twenty other injured in the assault. This could have been a major disaster if the bomber reached the ground where hundreds of trainees were undergoing training. The second attack, a car bomb, though targeted towards a vehicle carrying Chinese mining workers in Baluchistan’s Hub town, hit the police convoy guarding the workers instead. The blast and subsequent police firing reportedly claimed 30 lives including eight policemen and as many injured. However, all Chinese have escaped the attack. Again, later in the day (late Thursday) another suicide bomber triggered a blast at a mosque in an army cantonment in the northwestern town of Kohat. At least 15 people have been killed and over 30 people were injured in the blast.

This was not the only instance of militants targeting Chinese citizen in Pakistan. Around 9,000 workers (engineers, technicians and buisnessmen) from China who are engaged in various construction projects are facing the maximum brunt in the aftermath of Red Mosque fiasco. Radical elements in Pakistan believe China is instrumental in ultimate storming of the red mosque and influence Pakistan to clamp down Pro Taliban/ Uighurs elements hiding/operating in the country. Earlier on July 8, three Chinese nationals were killed in Peshawar by unidentified militants. Last month, students of seminaries inside Red Mosque raided a Chinese massage parlor in Islamabad and abducted seven Chinese nationals. However they were released with a strict warning not to involve in any immoral activities. Later Pakistan was urged by Chinese authority to safeguard Chinese citizen and their business interests in Pakistan.

With this deteriorating security situation, President Musharraf is actually in a catch-22 state whether to impose a state of emergency or not. Again, a shattered peace pact with tribal militants in Wazirstan and signs of Al Qaeda’s presence in its territory, make things further down for him. Now both Washington and Beijing are watching closely at the unfolding situation in Pakistan and Mush's next move.

Earlier incidents:

• July 17: Around 16 people died in a suicide attack just outside the venue of a lawyers rally in the capital Islamabad.

• July 15: Suicide attacks took place in the Swat and Dera Ismail Khan districts of NWFP targeting police personnel. The first attack took place at Matta (Swat) where around 20 people including 13 security personnel were killed. The next attack of the day was in Dera Ismail Khan Police Lines where over 25 people were killed (including 12 police personnel).

• July 14: A suicide bomber drove an explosive laden car into the convoy of Frontier Corps personnel near Miranshah, in North Waziristan. 23 FC personnel were killed and 27 others injured in the incident.

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