ALBAWABA - A convoy of Chinese engineers working on the Beijing-financed Gwadar Port in Pakistan was attacked by the militants of the Balochistan Liberation Army, Associated Press reported earlier today.
“BLA Majeed Brigade today targeted a convoy of Chinese engineers in Gwadar. The attack is still ongoing,” the separatist group said in a statement.
However, Sarfaraz Ahmed Bugti, a senator and former provincial interior minister, said on X, formerly known as Twitter, that no Chinese nationals were killed in the attack, AFP reported.
"I strongly condemn the heinous terror attack on Chinese workers convoy in Gwadar," he posted. Thankfully, no loss of life happened, but there are reports that the ambush has been repulsed and the attackers have been killed".
The Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) has previously attacked Chinese nationals working in Pakistan. The BLA has recently upped the number of attacks against China for rejecting its repeated cautions not to participate in negotiations and agreements with Pakistan regarding Balochistan.
State Radio Pakistan, citing the military's public relations wing, said the situation was under control. "One terrorist was killed and three others injured in an exchange of fire between security forces and terrorists in Gwadar," it said.
The CPEC project is the cornerstone of Beijing's enormous Belt and Road Initiative, and it aims to connect China's western Xinjiang province to the port of Gwadar in the southwest.
CPEC has seen tens of billions of dollars invested in large transportation, energy, and infrastructure projects since its inception. Last month, Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng visited Pakistan's capital to commemorate the project's tenth anniversary.
