On the night of October 7, a suicide attack targeted Chinese engineers at Karachi airport, carried out by the Majeed Brigade of the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) in coordination with the Zephyr Intelligence Research & Analysis Bureau (ZIRAB). The Chinese Embassy in Pakistan confirmed on its website that three Chinese engineers associated with Bin Qasim Port—Chi Jun, He Chunxin, and Li Zhao—were killed in the explosion. According to the BLA, the attack was carried out by Shah Fahad, also known as Aftab.
This is the second deadly attack on Chinese nationals in Karachi where China has confirmed the deaths of its citizens. The earlier attack occurred in April 2022, when Shari Baloch, the first female suicide bomber of the Majeed Brigade, attacked Chinese professors at Karachi University’s Confucius Institute, resulting in the deaths of three Chinese nationals and injuries to two others.
Since 2018, the Baloch Liberation Army has consistently targeted Chinese economic and military interests. The recent successful attack on Chinese engineers in Karachi, a highly sensitive and heavily secured location, demonstrates that the organisation, through its Majeed Brigade and intelligence wing ZIRAB, has the capability to strike Chinese projects and interests anywhere in Pakistan.
With this attack occurring just before the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit, the BLA is sending a clear message to China and the world: exploitative projects in Balochistan without the consent of the Baloch people are unacceptable. The strategic nature of these attacks indicates a shift in the BLA’s tactics, suggesting that similar planned operations are likely to continue in the future.
Balochistan has been a conflict zone for two decades, limiting the prospects for international investment. Pakistan’s assurances of security to global investors are increasingly proving hollow.
The situation makes it evident that foreign investors cannot operate safely in Balochistan without the consent of the Baloch people. All stakeholders in the region must now seriously recognise that without engaging the true representatives of the Baloch nation and addressing their concerns, no project in this region can succeed.