A day after the terror attack at the Confucius Institute in the University of Karachi in Pakistan which killed three Chinese nationals and a local and injured another Chinese, Sichuan Normal University that co-hosts the institute urged Pakistan to bring the perpetrators to justice, as many Pakistani students mourned the victims.
The three Chinese teachers killed were Huang Guiping, the Chinese director stationed in the Confucius Institute, Ding Mufang and Chen Sai, a volunteer. Another teacher, Wang Yuqing, was injured.
On Wednesday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin told a press conference that the Tuesday incident was a suicide terror attack targeting Chinese citizens. It was very vile in nature for making teachers, the promoter of culture exchanges and carriers of human civilization, the direct target.
The Chinese government has attached great importance to the security of Chinese people and organizations. The Foreign Ministry and the Chinese Embassy in Pakistan had started an emergency response and deployed staff to the site, said Wang, noting that the Consul General in Karachi had visited the injured Chinese national last night.
Wang reiterated that the blood of the Chinese people should not be shed in vain and China will work with Pakistan to bring the perpetrators to justice. The Pakistan government also promised to improve security on Chinese nationals and projects and not allow any forces to destroy the friendship and cooperation between China and Pakistan.
Pakistani Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif visited the Chinese Embassy in Islamabad on Tuesday afternoon, hours after the fatal blast, to express his condolences to the victims of the terrorist attack and vowed to do whatever it takes to bring the perpetrators to justice, according to a release from the Chinese Embassy in Pakistan.
Sichuan Normal University said it had set up a working group to assist the Chinese Embassy in Pakistan and related departments in aftermath settlement and to take care of the families of the victims.
According to the university’s website, the university launched the Confucius Institute at the University of Karachi in 2013. As one of the biggest Confucius institutes in Pakistan, it has 30 Chinese teachers and two local teachers with more than 7,000 students registered.
The terror attack shocked people in both China and Pakistan with many urging Pakistan to take measures to ensure the safety of Chinese nationals. And on Wednesday, many people, especially students at the University of Karachi, mourned the teachers killed.
Ramla, who is a student of Chen Sai, told the Global Times that she heard about the blast yesterday but did not know the names of the victims. “We were concerned and asked where our teachers were. Are they OK?” -The Daily Mail-Global Times News Exchange Item
