The following report is now a complimentary offering from MEMRI's Jihad and Terrorism Threat Monitor (JTTM). For JTTM subscription information, click here.
On April 19, 2024, two men attacked a van carrying five Japanese nationals, all of whom escaped unhurt, in Karachi, the financial capital of Pakistan. According to the Urdu daily Roznama Express, one attacker detonated his explosives while the other, who was also wearing a suicide vest, killed the van driver before being shot dead by police.[1]
In Karachi and recently in the Shangla district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, terrorists have attacked Chinese nationals. A highly educated female Baloch suicide bomber killed Chinese academics at the Confucius Institute of Karachi University on April 26, 2022. The Baloch feel aggrieved due to their economic marginalization in Baluchistan and are opposed to foreign projects in the province. The Japanese nationals, who were targeted on April 19 in Karachi, also work in the Export Processing Zone.
The latest attack has sparked fears over the re-emergence of terrorism in Karachi, the largest metropolis and business hub of Pakistan. In an editorial, the liberal newspaper Dawn said that the "presence of paramilitary forces in Karachi should have neutralized militant groups. At a time when the economy is flagging and geopolitical temperatures are on the rise, Pakistan's growth depends on a safe environment for foreigners and investment."
A press note issued by the Pakistani government
Following are excerpts from the editorial:[2]
"Is urban terrorism returning to Karachi? Yesterday's deplorable suicide bombing attack on a van carrying five Japanese nationals in the city's Landhi area comes two years after three Chinese academics were killed by a Baloch suicide bomber at the Karachi University [on April 26, 2022 at the university's Confucius Institute].
"The Japanese autoworkers survived the attack, but one security guard died of his injuries. They were on their way to the Export Processing Zone. According to the police, the suicide bomber was killed in the attack and his accomplice was shot dead. Law enforcers also say that the collaborator fired 15 rounds and was equipped with grenades.
"While the Sindh chief minister [Murad Ali Shah] has sought a report from the IGP [Inspector General of Police], the slain associate is believed to have had links with a Baloch separatist outfit, underscoring the need for foreign nationals working on development and other projects in the country to be provided with an extra layer of security.
"The violent incident cannot be taken lightly as it brings into question the vigilance and performance of the Counter-Terrorism Department and the intelligence machinery. Karachi was the venue of terror campaigns, political, sectarian, and ethnic carnage for over two decades. Presently, brutal street crime afflicts it, costing too many lives daily. Therefore, law enforcement must evaluate its competence, especially when it is aware of sleeper cells in the metropolis, to keep the commercial nerve-center from becoming an inferno again.
"Attempts to destabilize the city must be thwarted with precision. Although the reasons for this attack are unknown, security forces are duty-bound to intensify intelligence-gathering procedures, while the state must upgrade CT policies.
"Urban centers are seats of progress and power, thus hostile elements exploit flaccid security networks to target them. Moreover, the presence of paramilitary forces in Karachi should have neutralized militant groups. At a time when the economy is flagging and geopolitical temperatures are on the rise, Pakistan's growth depends on a safe environment for foreigners and investment."
