Those behind Karachi terrorist attack will pay price: FM spokesperson

BEIJING - The blood of the Chinese cannot be shed in vain, and those behind this incident will surely pay the price, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson on Wednesday made the remarks on the terrorist attack in Karachi, Pakistan.

An explosion ripped through a shuttle passenger van of the Confucius Institute at the University of Karachi on Tuesday, leaving three Chinese teachers dead, one Chinese teacher injured and causing several Pakistani casualties, according to the spokesperson.

China expressed its strong condemnation and great indignation at the attack, as well as deep condolences to the victims and sincere sympathy to the injured and the bereaved families, the spokesperson said.

Chinese Assistant Foreign Minister Wu Jianghao has made an urgent phone call to the Pakistani Ambassador to China to express extremely grave concern. He demanded that the Pakistani side should immediately make thorough investigation of the incident, apprehend and punish the perpetrators to the full extent of the law, and take all possible measures to ensure the safety of Chinese citizens in Pakistan and prevent such incidents from happening again, according to the spokesperson.

After the terrorist attack, Pakistani Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif visited the Chinese Embassy to express his condolences, saying that the Pakistani government will conduct an in-depth probe into the incident, give exemplary punishment to the perpetrators, and strengthen security of Chinese personnel, projects and institutions in Pakistan in an all-round way.

Sharif said his government will never allow any force to undermine Pakistan-China friendship. Local authorities in Sindh and Karachi have launched a full-scale investigation to hunt down the perpetrators, according to the spokesperson.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry and Chinese diplomatic missions in Pakistan will continue to urge relevant Pakistani departments to handle properly the follow-up matters of those killed, treat the injured, and resolutely crack down on the terrorist organization involved, the spokesperson added.

The spokesperson noted that the blood of the Chinese people should not be shed in vain, and those behind this incident will surely pay the price.