Three Chinese nationals killed in Pakistan

Islamabad, July 9 (UNI) Unidentified gunmen shot dead three Chinese workers in Pakistan's northwestern city of Peshawar.

Daily Times quoted a local police official as saying that the four Chinese nationals had been attacked at around 2200 hours (local time) near the Landi Sarak area yesterday, where they were building three-wheeled Qinqi auto-rickshaws.

Capital City Police Officer Abdul Majeed Marwat confirmed that unidentified gunmen who had been riding in cars had killed three Chinese citizens.

He said the fourth Chinese man, who was injured, had been admitted to the Lady Reading Hospital here. Police have registered a case and started an investigation.

Several bearded men came to the house in a jeep and barged into the house that was serving as the Chinese men's residence and auto-rickshaw factory.

The wounded Chinese man said, ''My son and two nephews were killed, everything is finished.'' The incident comes in the wake of a spate of attacks in recent days on security forces in the region bordering Afghanistan. The attacks have coincided with an ongoing confrontation between security forces and Lal Masjid.

China on Thursday, voiced support for the Pakistani government's crackdown on the mosque, but also urged Islamabad to do a better job of protecting Chinese nationals.

Chinese Ambassador to Pakistan Luo Zhaohui condemned the violent incident and asked Pakistani government ''to investigate the incident, round up the culprits and take effective measures to protect all the Chinese in Pakistan.

UNI