Police in the southern Pakistani city of Karachi are investigating a recent attack against a dental clinic. The clinic was well known in the community and was the victim of an attack that killed one person and injured two others. The police are seeking to determine whether the attack was targeted against members of Karachi’s Chinese community. Pakistan has suffered from a series of recent attacks against Chinese nationals over the past several years as their presences has grown with Beijing’s investment program. Pakistani authorities have struggled to contain ethnic separatists and jihadists who have targeted Chinese personnel and interests.
Pakistan is also one of China’s Bent and Road Initiative collaborators, a program launched by China to build infrastructure abroad and spread its influence. Pakistani police have confirmed that the three victims were dual Pakistani and Chinese victims. The founders of the clinic were both injured and the deceased individual was a cashier at the establishment. Although Pakistan allows for dual citizenship, China does not. Therefore, authorities are in the process of verifying their citizenship status with Chinese authorities. According to the police, a gunman posing as a patient entered the clinic and shot the three individuals before fleeing the scene on the back of a motorbike. The Sindhudesh Peoples Army, a separatist group, has claimed responsibility for the attack.
Read More: Police in Pakistan Probe Whether Attack on Dental Clinic Was Anti-Chinese
