Summary

An early morning attack on the Chinese consulate in Karachi has left three attackers and two police officers dead.

According to the Dawn news agency, the attackers opened fire on a checkpoint outside the consulate before detonating an explosive device. They gained entry into the reception area but no consular staff were harmed. Two civilians and a private security guard also died in the attack.

Elsewhere, in 32 people were killed and 31 injured in an explosion in a predominantly Shia area of Orakzai tribal district, south of Peshawar. According to Pakistan Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry, the attacks show some signs of being coordinated.

The Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) has claimed responsibility for the Karachi attack. The BLA is a separatist militant group operating in the border areas of western Pakistan and eastern Afghanistan.

The outfit has historically attacked Pakistan state institutions, and its targeting of China – which is funding the massive China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) that traverses Balochistan en route to Kashgar in China – could be a sign of things to come.