Pakistan president offers condolences

ISLAMABAD－Pakistan will thwart any attempt to undermine its relations with China, said Pakistani President Arif Alvi on Saturday, after a terrorist attack killed three Chinese nationals in Karachi last week.

A passenger van of the Confucius Institute at the University of Karachi was attacked on Tuesday, killing three Chinese teachers.

During a visit to the Chinese embassy in Islamabad, Alvi conveyed his condolences to the Chinese side and strongly condemned the attack, saying that Pakistan will spare no effort to fight against terrorism and ensure the safety of Chinese citizens and institutions in the country.

The victims were friendly ambassadors who promoted people-to-people exchanges between Pakistan and China, he said, adding that the terrorists aimed to damage the Pakistan-China friendship and the construction of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor.

Pakistan's development and the corridor construction cannot be achieved without the support of China, an "iron brother" of Pakistan, Alvi said.

Pang Chunxue, charge d'affaires of the Chinese embassy in Pakistan, thanked Alvi for his visit and said China strongly condemns the terrorist attack. Pang has also asked the Pakistani side to investigate the incident and bring the perpetrators to justice.

China will cooperate with Pakistan to ensure the safety of Chinese citizens, projects and institutions in Pakistan, combat terrorism and promote regional peace and stability, she added.

On Thursday, the United Nations Security Council strongly condemned the terrorist attack at the university.

On Tuesday, Pakistani Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif visited the Chinese embassy after the terrorist attack to express his condolences, saying that the Pakistani government will conduct an in-depth probe into the incident, punish the perpetrators, and strengthen the security of Chinese personnel, projects and institutions in Pakistan in an all-around way.

Xinhua