KARACHI: A Pakistani anti-terrorism court on Friday handed a man prison sentences totaling 48 years for a 2021 gun attack on Chinese engineers in Karachi, ordering the terms to run concurrently, according to a judgment seen by Arab News.

Judge Ameenuddin Khaskheli of Anti-Terrorism Court No. IV convicted Dad Bux on seven counts, including terrorism, attempted murder and illegal firearm possession, over the July 28, 2021, shooting near Gulbai Bridge that injured a Chinese engineer.

The court said the prosecution had successfully established the charges against Bux, sentencing him to seven prison terms ranging from two to 14 years for offenses including causing injuries, damaging property and illegal firearm possession.

“All the sentences awarded to the accused shall run concurrently,” Judge Khaskheli said in the judgment.

The ruling means Bux would serve the longest individual sentence of 14 years rather than the combined 48-year total, subject to applicable legal provisions.

The sentences included 14 years for terrorism, 10 years each for attempted murder and illegal firearm possession, seven and three years on separate counts of causing firearm injuries, and two years each for causing injury and damaging a vehicle.

The court also imposed fines totaling Rs1.35 million ($4,800) and ordered compensation for the injured engineer.

According to the judgment, two Chinese engineers were traveling to a factory in Karachi’s SITE industrial area to install machinery when gunmen riding a motorcycle opened fire on their vehicle.

One engineer, identified as Yuan Changfeng, sustained gunshot injuries, while his Chinese colleague and their Pakistani driver escaped unharmed.

The court found that the attack had been planned in advance and was intended to intimidate Chinese nationals working in Pakistan.

During the trial, prosecutors presented eyewitness testimony, medical records and forensic evidence linking Bux to the shooting.

A rickshaw driver who witnessed the attack identified Bux during a judicial identification parade and subsequently before the trial court. Forensic examination also linked cartridge cases recovered from the crime scene to a 9mm pistol recovered during the investigation.

The banned Balochistan Liberation Front (BLF), a separatist militant group, had claimed responsibility for the shooting, according to a statement presented by investigators. However, the court observed that the claim alone was insufficient to establish Bux’s affiliation with the organization.

Bux was also accused by Pakistani authorities of facilitating an April 2022 suicide bombing at the Confucius Institute of the University of Karachi, which killed three Chinese teachers and their Pakistani driver.

Investigators alleged that he had conducted surveillance of Chinese nationals before the attack, claimed by the banned Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA). He was subsequently charged in the university bombing case, but Friday’s conviction concerned only the separate 2021 shooting.

Pakistan has faced sustained pressure from China in recent years to improve security for Chinese nationals working on infrastructure and energy projects, many of them linked to the multibillion-dollar China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).

Beijing has repeatedly urged Islamabad to take stronger measures to protect its citizens and bring those responsible for attacks to justice, while Pakistan has pledged to strengthen security arrangements and increase cooperation with Chinese authorities.

In March 2024, five Chinese engineers and their Pakistani driver were killed in a suicide bombing in Bisham, in northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. Another attack near Karachi’s international airport in October that year killed two Chinese nationals and a Pakistani.

Following the attacks, Pakistan and China issued a joint statement in October 2024 reaffirming their commitment to protecting Chinese personnel and projects, with Beijing emphasizing the need for more effective security measures.

Bux, who was already in judicial custody, was ordered to serve his sentence at Karachi’s Central Prison. He may appeal the conviction before the Sindh High Court.