Slain Chinese engineers were not part of IPP talks: Finance Ministry

Officials refute earlier reports that said the Chinese engineers were part of talks on IPPs

The Finance Division has issued a clarification regarding media reports that said the two Chinese engineers killed in the Karachi blast were involved in ongoing negotiations with Independent Power Producers (IPPs).

In its statement, the Finance Ministry emphasised that any perception arising from media reports claiming that the deceased Chinese engineers were a part of IPPs talks was misleading and unfounded.

According to the Finance Ministry, negotiations with the IPPs are ongoing and include the power plant where the deceased engineers were employed.

Alluding to the incidents of the killings of Chinese engineers, Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb had said this is the irreparable loss of country as they were working on the tariff reduction to provide relief to general public, according top a report on the Radio Pakistan website.

Meanwhile in his address on Tuesday, Aurangzeb had said the slain engineers represented those Chinese Independent Power Plants (IPPs) who told us that they would “create a win-win situation for China and Pakistan”.

Oil tanker explosion near Karachi airport kills two, injures ten

The oil tanker explosion near Jinnah International Airport in Karachi created chaos and fear, resulting in two fatalities and injuries to ten others, including several security personnel.

The blast occurred close to the airport signal and was so powerful that it was heard from a significant distance, prompting residents to evacuate their homes in panic.

Three cars and four motorcycles were destroyed due to the explosion, leading to immediate traffic disruption on Sharea Faisal as authorities worked to manage the situation.

Rangers and police swiftly arrived at the scene, cordoning off the area and allowing fire brigade teams to combat the flames resulting from the blast.

It took about an hour for the fire to be brought under control, and rescue officials confirmed that among the injured were three security guards, two Rangers, a police officer, a foreign national, and three civilians.

The separatist militant group, the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), claimed responsibility for the attack, asserting that it was executed using a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device aimed specifically at Chinese engineers, according to Express news.