KARACHI (Reuters). – The woman who attacked three Chinese teachers in Pakistan with a suicide bomber was a teacher. She had enrolled months earlier for a master’s in education. This attack was carried out by separatist insurgents. A Pakistani official stated Wednesday.

A blast set off Tuesday by the 30-year old woman blew up the minivan at Karachi University’s Confucius Institute. The Confucius Institute is a Chinese language-and cultural centre.

This was China’s first serious attack against Pakistani nationals working for its long-standing ally China. Beijing condemned it.

Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), a separatist group based out of the southwest province of Balochistan. The mother of two who holds a graduate degree and is studying for another in Zoology had offered to help in the attack against China. They oppose the investment projects of China in Balochistan.

China is warned by the Baloch Liberation Army to stop all exploitation activities. In an email, the BLA stated that future attacks would be more severe.

Baloch separatists guerrillas are fighting for a larger share of their province’s natural resources. For decades they have mainly focused attacks on security forces, infrastructure and projects.

They have been attacking Chinese workers and projects in the recent past. Balochistan and Gwadar’s deep-water port are key links in China’s Belt and Road network, which includes infrastructure and energy projects that reach the Middle East and beyond.

Since years suicide bombing in Pakistan has been an Islamist militant tactic. Usually carried out by either men or women, it is a common tactic. Baloch separatists claimed that this was the first suicide attack committed by a woman, and they warned about more.

Pakistan will have to be concerned about the possibility of BLA-led suicide attacks as it attempts to assure China that it does everything possible to safeguard its people and projects.

China’s Foreign Ministry condemned the attack strongly and demanded Pakistan to punish those responsible and stop similar incidents from happening again.

An official from Pakistan’s interior ministry declined to identify the woman as she was a Balochistan science teacher who had applied for a second master’s at Karachi University around five months back.

The official stated that police, civil and military intelligence agencies had all launched an investigation.

Nasira Khatoon (acting vice-chancellor of Karachi University) expressed her condolences to the victims’ families and stated that the university would be closed Wednesday.

She stated that she hoped that the government would punish those involved and that all steps will be taken in order to get at the attackers.