he April 26 suicide blast that claimed lives of four people, including three Chinese nationals, outside the University of Karachi’s Confucius Institute is being seen as the start of a new phase in Baloch insurgency.

The attack was claimed by Majeed Brigade, a terrorist outfit. The bomber was identified as 30-year-old Shaari Baloch, a married woman, mother to an eight-year-old girl and a four-year-old boy. The group that claimed responsibility for the attack said she was a science teacher studying for a master’s degree at the university. Suicide attacks by women have been very rare in Pakistan. Only four have been reported in recent years.

Baloch’s husband is a dentist and a professor at Makran Medical College in Balochistan. Her father is a retired civil servant who worked as a registrar at the University of Turbat in her hometown. She has three brothers: a doctor, a deputy director at a government-funded project, and a civil servant. One of her five sisters teaches English at the University of Turbat.

One of her uncles is a retired professor, a renowned author, poet and a human rights activist. At least two of her relatives are known to have been involved in the armed struggle in Balochistan.

The detained husband of the suicide bomber, however, has claimed that his wife was “mentally ill”.

The Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) claimed to have carried out the attack.

Speaking on a Geo News programme, Aaj Shahzeb Khanzada Kay Sath, correspondent Wajid Baloch said that the BLA had used a female suicide bomber for the first time. Talking about the family of the woman involved, he said her family had been unaware of her activities. However, the family confirmed her identity through a picture published by Majeed Brigade.

The woman had belonged to Kech district in Turbat and was married to a doctor. She had moved to Karachi along with her husband in pursuit of higher education and had last visited the Kech district on her sister’s wedding. She was also a teacher at a government school. Wajid Baloch said that several members of her family were government officers. Her father, he said, was a registrar at the University of Turbat.

Balochistan Chief Minister Mir Abdul Qudoos Bizenjo, in a video message, had said targetting Chinese teachers in Karachi University was “highly reprehensible” and a breach of Baloch tradition.

“This is the first time we have seen such a thing,” he had said.

At least two people were taken into custody and over a dozen were investigated, sources linked to security agencies said.

Meanwhile, the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) of Sindh Police and other law enforcement agencies have traced out two apartments used by the suicide bomber. Sources close to the investigtaion say that in a joint raid, the CTD seized laptops, mobile phones and important documents from the flat before sealing it off. They said that the flat was rented two months ago. Neighbours said that the suicide bomber had occasionally visited the flat with her husband and two children. They said the couple did not talk much to anyone.

Balochistan National Party chief Sardar Akhtar Mengal condemned the attack on the Chinese nationals. He took to Twitter to say that an act of violence against innocent civilians could never be justified. “Those who speak of being victims of state atrocities should not follow a similar path,” said Mengal.

A day after the blast, security agencies picked up a Baloch student from a Punjab University hostel in Lahore allegedly in connection with the Karachi University (KU) suicide blast case. Bebgar Imdad, a seventh semester student of English literature at National University of Modern Languages, Islamabad, and a native of Kech, was visiting his relative. Security sources said Imdad was suspected of being a facilitator for the suicide attack.

Investigators believe that highly effective C4 plastic explosive was used in the attack. However, a final determination can only be made after the ballistics laboratory test results are available. Investigators say the terrorists have used C4 with a mixture of nitrate fertiliser in the past to ignite a fire.

CCTV footage of the attack on the Confucius Institute showed a fire in the van shortly after the blast. The fire was so intense that it not only completely destroyed the van but also a Rangers’ motorcycle. A Bomb Disposal Unit (BDU) team visited the scene and collected the evidence. According to a BDU official, three to four kilograms of explosives was used in the attack. The use of ball bearings made the blast lethal.

Chinese authorities have condemned the terrorist attack in strong terms and extended condolences to the victims and sympathies to the injured and bereaved families.

“The Chinese side expresses strong condemnation and indignation over this major terrorist attack and extends deep condolences to the victims and sympathies to the injured and bereaved families,” a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said on Wednesday.

The spokesperson said that the Chinese Foreign Ministry and diplomatic missions in Pakistan had activated the emergency response mechanism immediately after the incident.

Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs Wu Jianghao made an urgent phone call to the Pakistani Ambassador to China, Moin ul Haque to express his concerns.

He demanded that the Pakistani side to immediately conduct a thorough investigation of the incident, apprehend and punish the perpetrators with the full force of the law, take all possible measures to ensure the safety of Chinese citizens in Pakistan and prevent such incidents from happening again.

“The Chinese Embassy in Pakistan and Consulate-General in Karachi are working with the Pakistani side to deal with the follow-up matters of the casualties,” the spokesperson said.

Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif visited the Chinese Embassy on the evening of April 26 to convey condolences, saying that the Pakistani government will conduct an in-depth probe into the incident, give an exemplary punishment to the perpetrators, and strengthen security for Chinese personnel, projects and institutions in Pakistan in a holistic way. The premier said his government will never allow any actors to undermine Pakistan-China friendship.

“The blood of the Chinese people should not be in vain. Those behind this incident will surely pay the price,” he added. Moin ul Haque, Pakistan’sambassador to China, expressed shock and condolences over the loss of precious lives including Chinese nationals in the Karachi terrorist attack.

“The entire nation is in shock and mourns the loss of these precious lives including our Chinese friends,” he said in a message. He said that this cowardly act was a direct attack on the Pakistan-China friendship and ongoing cooperation.

The attack left students at the Confucius Institute astounded. They staged a protest on Friday against the suicide bombing attack. The students carried placards and Pakistani and Chinese flags, with slogans of Pak-China Friendship, Terrorism is Unacceptable and photographs of the deceased. The students strongly condemned the suicide attack on their teachers and the Pakistani driver and demanded immediate punishment for the perpetrators.

They asked the university administration to make arrangements to restore their classes and ensure the safety of their teachers as soon as possible, adding that they wanted to continue learning the Chinese language.

Balochistan National Party chief Sardar Akhtar Mengal condemned the attack on the Chinese nationals. He took to Twitter to say that an act of violence against innocent civilians could never be justified.

“Those who speak of being victims of state atrocities should not follow a similar path,” said Mengal.

The writer is a   student of politics and literature based in Karachi.