Female graduate student behind Pakistan university attack: Report

Suicide bomber who killed three Chinese teachers was herself a teacher who had enrolled for a master’s degree months before the attack.

A female suicide bomber who has killed three Chinese teachers in Pakistan was herself a teacher who had enrolled for a master’s degree months before the attack, carried out on behalf of separatist rebels, says a Pakistani official,

The blast detonated by the 30-year-old woman on Tuesday blew up a minivan outside University of Karachi’s Confucius Institute, a Chinese language and cultural centre, killing her, the three Chinese teachers and a Pakistani driver.

It was the first major attack this year against nationals of longtime ally China working in Pakistan, and it drew Beijing’s condemnation.

A separatist group, the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) based in the southwestern province of Balochistan, said the mother of two, who held a graduate degree in zoology and was studying for another, had volunteered for the attack targeting China, whose investment projects in Balochistan they oppose.

“Baloch Liberation Army once again warns China to immediately halt its exploitation projects … Otherwise our future attacks will be even harsher,” the BLA said in an email.

Baloch separatist fighters have been fighting for a greater share of their province’s natural resources for decades, mostly focusing attacks on natural gas projects, infrastructure and the security forces.

But in recent years they have attacked Chinese projects and workers. Balochistan and its deep-water port in Gwadar are a major link in China’s Belt and Road network of infrastructure and energy projects stretching to the Middle East and beyond.

A Pakistan interior ministry official who declined to be identified said the woman, a science teacher from Balochistan, had signed up for a second master’s degree at Karachi University about five months ago, the Reuters news agency reported on Wednesday.

#BalochLiberationArmy issues more details abt the 1st woman suicide bomber tht killed 3 Chinese in #KarachiUniversity.#BLA says her name is Shari Baloch whose husband is a doctor & has 2 kids.

It shows the extent the Baloch separatists could go for independence from #Pakistan. pic.twitter.com/wVRIBN8zhD

— Bashir Ahmad Gwakh (@bashirgwakh) April 26, 2022

An investigation had been launched by police and civilian and military intelligence agencies, the official said.

For years, suicide bombings in Pakistan have been a tactic of Muslim armed groups, usually carried out by men or boys. The Baloch separatists said this was their first suicide attack by a woman and warned of more.

The threat of suicide attacks by the BLA will be a major worry for Pakistan as it tries to reassure China it is doing everything it can to protect its projects and people.

China has strongly condemned the attack and demanded Pakistan punish the perpetrators and prevent such incidents from happening again.

“The blood of the Chinese people should not be shed in vain, and those behind this incident will surely pay the price,” China’s foreign ministry said in a statement.

The acting vice chancellor of Karachi University, Nasira Khatoon, expressed “heartfelt condolences” to the families of the blast victims and said the campus would remain closed on Wednesday.

“We hope that the government will punish the elements involved … and believe that every possible step will be taken to reach the elements behind the attack,” she said.