Two policemen were martyred and a security guard injured in an attack outside the Chinese consulate in Karachi's Clifton Block-4 on Friday morning, police said.
Three gunmen tried to enter the consulate but were intercepted by security guards at a checkpoint, Deputy Inspector General (DIG) South Karachi Javed Alam Odho said. Retaliatory firing resulted in martyrdom of two police officials, he added.
Three suspects were killed, Karachi Police Chief Dr Amir Shaikh said. "The men came to the consulate in a car which was loaded with explosives," the Karachi police chief said while speaking to the media outside the consulate.
Suicide jackets and weapons were recovered from the possession of the terrorists.
All the staff inside the Chinese consulate is safe, security sources said.
Jinnah Hospital spokesperson Dr Seemi Jamali confirmed that two bodies were brought to the hospital and said the injured guard is in critical condition.
Heavy contingents of police and Rangers have been deployed at the site of the incident and roads leading to the consulate have been cordoned off.
Police teams are currently conducting a clearing operation inside and around the Chinese consulate.
CM Sindh takes notice
Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah has taken notice of the attack outside the Chinese consulate in Karachi and directed authorities to ensure security of the staff present inside.
The chief minister also telephoned Additional IG Sindh and issued instructions to send additional contingents of forces to the consulate.
CM Shah also telephoned the Chinese consul general and said all staff members were safe. The Sindh chief minister assured the Chinese consul general that security measures were being taken and that he had contacted DG Rangers and IG police.
PTI's Faisal Vawda visits consulate
PTI leader Faisal Vawda visited the consulate after the attack. "Police and Rangers successfully foiled the attack and did not let the suspects enter," he said.
"I have reached here on the directives of Prime Minister Imran Khan," he said.
Karachi, Pakistan's largest city and a financial hub, was for years rife with political, sectarian and ethnic militancy. A crackdown in the city by security forces in recent years has brought a lull in violence, but scattered attacks still take place.
China, one of Pakistan's closest allies, has poured billions into the South Asian country in recent years as part of a massive infrastructure project that seeks to connect its western province Xinjiang with the Arabian Sea.
