Chinese Ambassador to Pakistan Luo Zhaohui has condemned a
violent incident in which a group of Chinese citizens was attacked
Sunday evening in the northwestern region of the country.
In a press release by the Chinese embassy in Islamabad early
Monday, Luo requested for the Pakistani government "to investigate
it, round up the culprits, properly handle the follow-up issues and
take effective measures to protect all the Chinese in
Pakistan."
Four Chinese citizens were attacked by unidentified gunmen at
Peshawar, the capital city of Pakistan's Northwest Frontier
Province, resulting in the death of three and serious injuries for
the fourth, according to the Chinese embassy.
Local police officer Abdul Karim said that it was a robbery
attempt.
But one witness said that the attackers, who had their faces
covered, were shouting religious slogans when they opened fire on
the Chinese nationals in a three-wheel auto-rickshaw factory at
Khazana.
Mao Siwei, deputy chief of the Chinese embassy in Pakistan, has
left for Peshawar with a few Chinese diplomats to deal with the
issue, it said.
Earlier, Pakistani Foreign Office spokesperson Tasnim Aslam said
that Pakistan condemned the killing of Chinese citizens in the
country.
She added that the incident would not affect Sino-Pak
friendship.
(Xinhua News Agency July 9, 2007)