Faizan Ali, a senior superintendent of police, said two Chinese nationals had been shot, but gave no further details.
A spokesperson for Liaquat National Hospital in the southern port city said it was treating the two, one of whom was in serious condition.
It was not immediately clear who was responsible or if militant violence was behind the attack, one of several that have prompted Beijing to urge Pakistan to roll out more stringent security measures for its citizens.
Chinese engineers have been working on a number of projects in Pakistan with Beijing investing over $65 billion in infrastructure as part of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) under its wider Belt and Road initiative
Chinese nationals have previously come under attack by several militant groups in Pakistan.
In October this year, a bombing near Karachi’s international airport killed two Chinese engineers.
In a statement emailed to journalists, separatist militant group Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) claimed the explosion was an attack carried out by them using a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device targeting Chinese nationals, including engineers,
Speaking to reporters at the site of the incident, Kemari Senior Superintendent of Police Faizan Ali said: “Two Chinese [nationals] have been injured due to a security guard’s firing.”
According to a statement by the Sindh home department, a clash broke out between the foreigners and security guards at a police station in Karachi’s Sindh Industrial Trading Estate (SITE) A area.
Sindh Home Minister Ziaul Hassan Lanjar instructed authorities to arrest the security guard involved in the incident, the statement said.
Lanjar sought details from the South deputy inspector general, stating that facts of the incident must be confirmed with a comprehensive inquiry and said, “[He] must be informed of the inquiry report and police action,” it added.
The home minister was further quoted as saying that companies providing security to Chinese experts/residents and foreigners should be audited and the audit report must be sent for review.
Lanjar asserted that physical and mental fitness tests for the guards who were assigned to security duties must be ensured, adding that services should be taken from fully trained and fit security guards.
He also ordered a crackdown on unregistered and illegal security companies, according to the statement.
Reuters reported a Liaquat National Hospital spokesperson as saying it was treating the two Chinese citizens, one of whom was in serious condition.
Sindh Governor Kamran Khan Tessori expressed concern over the injured foreigners and requested a report of the incident from Sindh Inspector General of Police Ghulam Nabi Memon.
“Safety of foreign residents is [our] first priority,” a statement from his office quoted him as saying. “[The] elements involved in the incident will be brought under justice in any case.”
Earlier in October, a Chinese citizen was injured in a massive explosion on a road near Jinnah International Airport. Three people died in the blast, while 10 others were injured.
The outlawed Majeed Brigade of the banned outfit Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) had claimed responsibility for the attack.
