KARACHI: Police on Wednesday claimed to have arrested two suspected militants, said to be associated with the outlawed Balochistan Liberation Front (BLF), for allegedly planning to carry out an attack against Chinese nationals to mark the first anniversary of the suicide bombing on the campus of Karachi University.

Malir SSP Hassan Sardar Niazi told a press conference at his office that suspects Murad and Waris were planning an act of terrorism in connection with the April 26 death anniversary of female suicide bomber Shari Baloch.

He said that both the suspects lived in Lyari and were part of the banned BLF.

He said that they worked for BLF militant Ali Hasan Sangu, who was hiding in Iran.

“The held suspects have planned to target Chinese nationals in Karachi for which they already completed recce,” he said, adding: “They were planning to sabotage the CPEC.”

The official said that the police came to know about the suspects during the investigations of a grenade attack on a mobile van of the Shah Latif police station on March 29. He said that the proscribed BLF had claimed for the grenade attack through social media.

He said that the CCTV footage of the incident showed the held suspects riding on two motorbikes.

The SSP said that their handlers asked them to go to Turbat and return to Karachi on April 26 to carry out the attack.

On April 26, 2022, Shari Baloch, mother of two children, had carried out a suicide attack outside the Confucius Institute on KU premises and killed three Chinese teachers and their local driver. The outlawed Balochistan Liberation Army had claimed responsibility for the attack.

Published in Dawn, April 13th, 2023