Chinese premier could inaugurate Beijing-funded airport in Pakistan during visit

KARACHI (Reuters) - Chinese premier Li Qiang could inaugurate operations at a Chinese-funded airport in Pakistan's Balochistan province during his visit to the country in the coming week, information minister Attaullah Tarar told reporters on Sunday.

The start of operations at the $200-million Gwadar International Airport has been pushed back for a security review after deadly attacks by separatist militants in August in the area, government and aviation sources said.

Li, along with ministers and government officials will visit Pakistan from Oct. 14 to 17, Pakistan's foreign affairs ministry said on Sunday.

Pakistan is hosting the meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), which comprises nine full members, including China, India, Iran and Russia, and is scheduled for Oct. 15 and 16 in Islamabad.

The new airport will handle domestic and international flights, according to Pakistan's Civil Aviation Authority, and will be one of the country's biggest airports.

The initial plan was for Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to inaugurate the airport on Aug. 14 alongside Chinese officials, but that was called off after an ethnic Baloch rights group started a sit-in protest, the officials said.

A decades-long insurgency in Balochistan by separatist militant groups has led to frequent attacks against the government, army and Chinese interests in the region to press demands for a share in mineral-rich regional resources.

Two Chinese nationals were killed in an explosion near the international airport of the southern Pakistani city of Karachi last week, the Chinese embassy in Pakistan said.

Separatist militant group the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) claimed responsibility for the attack, which it said had targeted Chinese nationals, including engineers.  

China said on Thursday it would work with Pakistan to protect the safety and security of Chinese personnel, projects and institutions in Pakistan.

Besides the separatists, the region is also home to Islamist militants, who have been active again since 2022 after revoking a ceasefire with the government.

(Reporting by Gibran Peshimam in Islamabad; Writing by Ariba Shahid in Karachi; Editing by Emelia Sithole-Matarise)