Web Desk
At least four people, including three Chinese nationals, were killed in a suicide attack inside the premises of Karachi University (KU) on Tuesday.
According to Sindh Counter Terrorism Department, the Karachi University blast was a suicide attack. It killed four people including two Chinese women and a man and also injured four.
The attacker was a female MPhil student, who said goodbyes to her friends on Twitter at 12:10pm, according to English newspaper Daily Express Tribune.
The bombing targetted a white Hiace van near the gate of the Confucius Institute inside the varsity premises. The Chinese nationals were part of the institute’s faculty.
According to a report by the bomb disposal squad, three to four kilos of explosives were used in the attack.
“We suspect that it’s a suicide attack. A burqa-clad woman approached the van and the blast took place,” said Karachi police chief Ghulam Nabi Memon.
“We are investigating the incident by collecting evidence, but it seems that the Chinese teachers were the actual target of the explosion,” the city police chief said.
However, DIG East Muqadas Hyder was more guarded in his statement and said the police has obtained the CCTV footage of the blast and were investigating. “It is premature to say whether or not it was a suicide attack. We also have to confirm if the burqa-clad woman was a passerby or the bomber.”
The KU vice-chancellor also confirmed that Chinese faculty members were among the deceased. The Pakistan driver was also killed in the blast.
Soon after the incident, a large contingent of law enforcers along with rescue personnel reached the site of the incident.
The university administration has announced that all classes in the university will remain suspended on Wednesday, April 27.
After the explosion, Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah contacted the police chief. The IGP informed the CM that the blast took place inside a van near the Commerce Department of the university.
The chief minister also ordered the Karachi commissioner to submit a report on the bombing.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif also called the Sindh CM after the blast. Murad informed the prime minister regarding the details of the incident.
