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 KARACHI: Two Pakistani employees of Japan's consulate in Karachi were wounded Thursday when gunmen opened fire on their diplomatic car in an apparent robbery attempt, police and a consulate official said. The wounded men were a guard and an administrative officer, senior Japanese diplomat Toshikazu Isomura told AFP. "They were local employees, no Japanese diplomat was there in the car," he said. "It appears to be a burglary attempt." City police chief Fayyaz Leghari said the unidentified gunmen opened fire when the two Pakistani consulate staffers stopped outside a restaurant after withdrawing cash from a bank. The attackers fled on a motorbike, and the wounded men were taken to hospital, he said, adding that police were checking to see if the cash had been taken. Karachi, a teeming port city of 16 million, is Pakistan's economic hub. It has been rocked by political violence that has claimed dozens of lives in recent weeks. AGENCIES |