Two Chinese nationals were injured in a shooting in Karachi, Pakistan

KARACHI – Two Chinese nationals were shot and wounded in Pakistan’s Karachi shopping mall on Tuesday, police and hospital officials said, after a series of attacks prompted Beijing to demand increased security for its citizens.

Faizan Ali, a senior superintendent of police, said two Chinese nationals were shot dead, but gave no further details.

A spokesman for Liaquat National Hospital in the southern port city said it was treating two people, one of whom was in a serious condition.

It was not immediately clear who was responsible or whether a militant was behind the attack – one of several situations that prompted Beijing to call on Pakistan to impose stricter security measures on its citizens.

In October, a bomb attack near Karachi’s international airport killed two Chinese engineers in an attack claimed by the separatist militant group Baloch Liberation Army (BLA).

A decades-long insurgency in the southwestern region led by separatists demanding a share of regional resources has led to frequent attacks on China’s government, military and interests. REUTERS