Chinese Consulate attack: Pakistan Army commends swift police action

RAWALPINDI: Pakistan Army Spokesperson Maj Gen Asif Ghafoor has lauded swift police action in response to militant attack on Chinese Consulate in Karachi which resulted in foiling a major terror bid in the city.

"Pakistan Police Service has evolved through testing times. Their displayed professionalism in recent times as first responders is commendable," the military said in a statement on Friday.

"From preempting the terrorism attempts to foiling these at first checking point is the testimony. Salute to our police and its martyrs."

Two policemen embraced martyrdom when gunmen armed with hand grenades and a suicide vest stormed the consulate earlier today.

Three gunmen tried to enter the consulate, but were intercepted by guards at a checkpoint, Karachi police chief Ameer Sheikh told media.

"They were holding Kalashnikovs. First, they hurled a small (grenade) and then started firing," said Allah Bakhsh, a guard at a nearby house who witnessed the attack.

A lady police officer SP Suhai Aziz bravely led the operation against the terrorists and received acknowledgement from Chief   Minister Sindh Syed Murad Ali Shah and provincial police  chief.

Police officials said two of their personnel were martyred, along with a father and son from Quetta, who were seeking Chinese visas and were caught in the crossfire.

At least one of the attackers was wearing a suicide vest which did not detonate, another senior police official said.

Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi told reporters in Islamabad that "all the terrorists have been eliminated", and that all 21 staff at the consulate during the attack had been taken to a safe location.