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A deadly explosion at a luxury hotel shook the Pakistani city of Quetta on Wednesday. The blast killed at least four people. Pakistan's Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed told AFP that a Chinese delegation led by the ambassador was staying at the hotel.
Quetta is the capital of the Pakistani province of Balochistan where Pakistani troops have been battling low-level insurgency for ten years.
"At least four people have been killed and 12 others injured," Pakistani Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed told AFP, describing this as "an act of terrorism".
"A Chinese delegation of about four people led by the ambassador was staying at a hotel.
"The ambassador was out of the meeting when the incident took place," he added.
Balochistan is poor despite having natural resources - a source of great frustration for residents who complain that they are not getting the right share of gas and mineral wealth.
Anger has risen after CPEC (China Pakistan Economic Corridor) projects say locals are not benefiting as much as jobs have been outsourced.
Azhar Ikram, the city's chief of police, confirmed the death toll and said the Chinese ambassador was staying at the hotel, but was not present at the time of the blast.
"Preliminary investigations indicate that it was an IED implanted in one of the vehicles," Ikram said.
No group said they were immediately attacked.
In 2019 gunmen stormed a luxury hotel overlooking CPP's main project - a deep-seated port in Gwadar that gives China access to the Arabian Sea - killing at least eight people.
And in June, Baloch rebels targeted the Pakistan Stock Exchange, which is owned by Chinese companies.
All these attacks were wanted by the Balochistan Liberation Army.
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