Balochistan Home Minister Ziaullah Langove said most guests were evacuated from the five-star Pearl Continental Hotel, which helicopters circled as fighting was under way. Police said that in addition to the guard killed by the attackers, at least two other people were wounded but there was no final casualty total.
“AN ATTEMPT TO SABOTAGE OUR ECONOMIC PROJECTS”
The military said at least three gunmen killed a guard at the entrance to the hotel when they entered. Security forces cordoned off the area and cornered the attackers in a staircase leading to the top floor, the military said in a statement.
The Balochistan Liberation Army, a group fighting for greater autonomy in Pakistan’s poorest province whose resources it says are exploited for outside interests, claimed responsibility in an emailed statement that said the attack was aimed at “Chinese and other foreign investors”.
A Twitter account apparently run by the insurgents said the attackers had “achieved all their targets” but there was no official confirmation that the fighting was over and officials said security forces were ensuring no surviving attackers remained concealed. Prime Minister Imran Khan issued a statement condemning the attack. “Such attempts, especially in Balochistan are an effort to sabotage our economic projects and prosperity,” he said.
Gwadar is a strategic port on the Arabian Sea that is being developed as part of the $60 billion China Pakistan Economic Corridor, which is itself part of China’s Belt and Road infrastructure project.