Leaders call for safety of Chinese in Pakistan
(Xinhua)
Updated: 2004-05-04 16:16

Chinese President Hu Jintao and Premier Wen Jiabao have urged relevant departments to take effective measures to the safety of Chinese citizens in Pakistan after a car bomb killed three Chinese and injured nine others.

An injured Chinese engineer was carried to hospital in Karachi, Pakistan April 3. A car bomb blast killed three Chinese engineers and injured 11 others in a southwestern Pakistani port [Xinhua]

Earlier on Monday, three Chinese nationals were killed and 11 others including two Pakistanis were wounded when an unoccupied car exploded near their bus in Gwadar, about 500 km west of Karachi.

President Hu required the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China and the Chinese Embassy and consulates in Pakistan to spare no effort to assist the Pakistani side to treat the injured and properly handle related affairs of those killed.

Hu extended condolences to the families of the killed and comfort to the injured and their families in the bomb attack via the Chinese Embassy and consulates in Pakistan.

Premier Wen Jiabao, who is on an official visit to Europe, on Monday extended condolences to the families of three Chinese nationals killed in a bomb attack near Karachi in Pakistan and directed Chinese diplomats there to provide all possible assistance to treating those wounded.

The Chinese victims, all engineers, were among 300 Chinese nationals working on the Gwadar port.

An apparent car bomb in southwest Pakistan has killed three Chinese engineers helping to build a multi-million dollar seaport and injured 11 others, police and hospital officials say. Here Pakistani policemen  [AFP/File]

Pakistani Prime Minister Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali condemned the bombing as "an act of terrorism." In a statement issued in Islamabad Monday, Jamali said such terrorist acts shall not deter the two countries from their joint efforts for the development of the Gwadar port.

He said those responsible shall be tracked down and dealt with severely. Jamali also directed the government of Balochistan province, where the Gwadar port is located, to beef up security to avoid a recurrence of such incidents.

Latest reports say that two suspects have been detained over Monday's bombing attack on Chinese engineers at Gwadar port on Tuesday.

After the fatal bombing, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China and Chinese Embassy and consulates in Pakistan have tried their utmost to assist the Pakistani side to handle the related issues.

Pakistani side arranged flight to send Chinese victims to Karachi.

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