Gunmen attacked the Chinese consulate in Pakistan’s southern city of Karachi early on Friday and appeared to have entered a part of it, security sources and media said.
It was unclear if there were any immediate casualties, but a blast and gunshots rang out in the affluent Clifton neighborhood, where the consulate is located, along with those of several other nations.
“Two attackers have entered the visa section of the consulate, diplomats are safe,” a senior police officer told Reuters on condition of anonymity. An intelligence source confirmed the attack on the consulate.
TV channel Geo said police had surrounded the attackers inside the consulate. The channel earlier broadcast images of a plume of smoke, apparently sent billowing into the air by the prior blast.
Neighbor China is Pakistan’s closest ally and its main benefactor, ploughing in billions of dollars in infrastructure projects, as part of its vast Belt and Road initiative.
