2 Chinese nationals shot at by Pakistani guard in Karachi

Karachi: Two Chinese nationals were injured on Tuesday when a local security guard opened fire at them following a quarrel in Pakistan's port city of Karachi, police said.

The incident reportedly took place at a police station in the Industrial Trading Estate area of Karachi in Sindh province.

Deputy Inspector General of Police Azhar Mahesar said they were investigating the incident to find out what had led to the security guard opening fire on his superiors.

"Two Chinese nationals were injured in the firing after an argument with the security guard who is now under arrest," he said.

Both were rushed to a hospital. The condition of one of the injured is said to be critical.

Sindh Home Minister Ziaul Hassan Lanjar instructed authorities to arrest the security guard involved in the incident.

According to a statement by the provincial home department, Lanjar sought details from the South deputy inspector general of police.

The home minister said that companies providing security to Chinese residents and foreigners should be audited and the audit report must be sent for review.

Lanjar asserted that physical and mental fitness tests for the guards, who were assigned to security duties, must be ensured, adding that services should be taken from fully trained and fit security guards.

He also ordered a crackdown on unregistered and illegal security companies, according to the statement.

This is the third incident involving attacks on Chinese or other foreign nationals in Karachi this year.In October, two Chinese engineers working at the Port Qasim terminal were killed when a suicide bomber struck the vehicle carrying them near the Karachi airport.

In April, five Japanese nationals working in the Landhi industrial zone came under attack by a suicide bomber but luckily escaped unhurt.

Last week, Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar said that the Pakistan government will leave no stone unturned to protect the lives and properties of Chinese nationals living in the country.

Thousands of Chinese personnel are working in Pakistan on several projects under the aegis of the USD 60 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).

The issue of security of Chinese nationals is a moot point between Pakistan and China. The two sides for the first time openly differed when the Chinese ambassador at a seminar last week expressed concerns over the security of Chinese nationals in Pakistan.

In response, Pakistan foreign office spokesperson Mumtaz Baloch termed his views as “perplexing”, while saying that Pakistan is committed to providing full security to Chinese nationals, projects and institutions in Pakistan.