A gunman posing as a patient has killed one and injured two others in an attack at a dental clinic in Pakistan’s Karachi city.
The BBC reports that all three victims were Chinese-Pakistani dual nationals and had been operating the dentistry office in the area for 40 years.
The victims have been identified as Ronald Chou, who was an assistant to Richard Hu, 74 and his wife Margaret, 72.
Hu and his wife are being treated for their injuries; however, Chou did not survive the attack.
The attacker has been reported as a man in his early 30s who escaped from the scene on a motorbike, aided by an accomplice.
Detectives say the attacker “didn’t hurt Pakistanis” in the incident, which occurred on Wednesday, September 29.
China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson, Wang Wenbin said in a press conference that the victims were "not Chinese nationals," contradicting reports by the BBC.
China does not recognize dual nationality.
The official law on dual nationality in China states:
The People’s Republic of China does not recognise dual nationality for any Chinese national.
Any person born in China whose parents are both Chinese nationals or one of whose parents is a Chinese national shall have Chinese nationality.
Any person born abroad whose parents are both Chinese nationals or one of whose parents is a Chinese national shall have Chinese nationality. But a person whose parents are both Chinese nationals and have both settled abroad, or one of whose parents is a Chinese national and has settled abroad, and who has acquired foreign nationality at birth shall not have Chinese nationality.
Although the exact scenario for Chou and Mr. and Mrs. Hu is unclear, a picture of Chou's Pakistan national identity card has been shared on Chinese social media; accepting another national identity requires one to cancel their Chinese nationality.
Ronald Chou's identity card. Image via Weibo
Earlier this year, three Chinese nationals were killed and one was injured following a bomb attack.
The four were onboard a minibus outside the University of Karachi when the attack happened on the afternoon of Tuesday, April 26. The victims were teachers at the University’s Confucius Institute.
READ MORE: 3 Chinese Nationals Killed in Pakistan Bomb Attack
[Cover image via Weibo]
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