Chinese national injured in firing on car in Karachi

KARACHI: Days after the Dasu incident that claimed at least 13 lives including that of nine Chinese nationals and four Pakistanis, a Chinese national was wounded while his Pakistani driver and another Chinese national remained unhurt in a firing incident in Karachi on Wednesday. This was the fourth attack on Chinese nationals in the city in the current year.

Police said that the incident took place after the two Chinese nationals with their Pakistani driver left their DHA residence in a Toyota Corolla car at around 7am for a factory in SITE area. When enroute, they were attacked at around 8am at Gulbai, falling in District Keamari.

The Chinese national, initially identified as Xongching Phung, was shot thrice in both the arms, while two bullets grazed his face and chest. He survived miraculously. He was immediately taken to the Civil Hospital, Karachi, where doctors termed his condition as out of danger.

District Keamari SSP Fida Hussain Janwari told The News that the injured Chinese national and his companion had arrived in Karachi on July 7 for maintenance of equipment at a factory in SITE area, but they did not inform the police or any other authority and neither had any private security at their house or workplace. The police also clarified that the Chinese national was not working on any CPEC project.

Later on Wednesday night, the police recorded the driver's statement who informed that two motorcyclists with face masks attacked the Chinese sitting on the rear seats from the right side of the car. SSP Janwari confirmed recovering the empty shells of the pistol used in the incident and sent them to the forensic division of the Sindh Police for ballistics cross match.

The officer said the police have launched an investigation but were "as of now" unable to ascertain the motive behind the attack. However, they were working on different angles and also looking for the CCTV footage, crime scene and eye-witness accounts. Reacting to the Baloch Liberation Front, a subnationalist group, claiming for the attack, SSP Janwari said that though they have claimed responsibility, nothing could be said with certainty until the investigations were completed.

This was the fourth incident to have occurred in Karachi in the current year in which Chinese nationals were targeted. The year started with terrorists attempting to target the owner of the China Town restaurant in Clifton, later, one Chinese national came under attack separately on Super Highway, Sacchal Police Jurisdiction, and another in Lyari. SSP Janwari said that the suspects involved in the attack on the owner of the China Town restaurant were arrested and that the organisation does not seem to be not linked with today's incident. A case has been registered while further investigations were underway, he added.