This archive report was first published on 29 June 2020.
On June 29, 2020, a brazen attack shook the Pakistan Stock Exchange in Karachi, leaving six people dead, including a policeman.
According to authorities, four security guards, a police officer, and a bystander were killed in the melee, while local police chief Ghulam Nabi Memon confirmed that all four assailants were also dead.
Police recovered modern automatic weapons and explosive materials from the terrorists, as stated in a Karachi police statement.
The Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) later claimed responsibility for the attack, stating that an elite unit of fighters had carried out the assault.
The BLA has a history of high-profile attacks across the country, including in the southern port city of Karachi.
As one of several insurgent groups fighting primarily in Pakistan's southwestern Balochistan province, the BLA has targeted infrastructure projects and Chinese workers in recent years.
Notably, the group attacked Beijing's consulate in Karachi in 2018, killing four people, and also targeted a luxury hotel near the Afghan border at Gwadar in May last year.
Following Monday's attack, Pakistani authorities vowed to strike back against any group found responsible, promising to dismantle their networks and destroy their bases.
Interior Minister Ijaz Ahmad Shah stated that an investigation had been launched and that the masterminds behind the attack would soon be reached.
Business continued as usual at the Karachi stock exchange after the attack, with trading smooth and continuing, as tweeted by Mohammed Sohail, a broker at the exchange.
