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Chinese engineers killed in Pakistan worked for a power plant, says minister

Two Chinese nationals who were killed in an explosion near Pakistan's Karachi global airport on Sunday worked for a power plant, Pakistan's financing minister said on Tuesday.

It was the most major attack versus Chinese nationals in Pakistan since a suicide bomber eliminated 5 Chinese engineers dealing with a hydropower task in March, which triggered Beijing to get in touch with Islamabad to execute more strict security steps.

The Chinese embassy in Islamabad and Pakistan's foreign ministry have described Sunday's blast as a terrorist attack.

In a statement emailed to reporters, separatist militant group Baloch Freedom Army (BLA) claimed the explosion was a. suicide attack carried out by them, utilizing a vehicle-borne bomb.

Pakistani media has actually reported that almost a dozen people were. injured in the blast.

A top security authorities in Islamabad told Reuters on. condition of anonymity that the current attack was a security. failure and that all senior personnel responsible for Chinese. security in Karachi had been eliminated from service.

Pakistan's interior ministry is primarily accountable for. the Chinese nationals' security.

There has actually been little information released about the. identities of the Chinese nationals who were killed in an extremely. secured area of the southern port city.

They were engineers who come from those IPPs (Independent. Power Producers) with whom we were negotiating tariff modification,. Financing Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb said in a video declaration. broadcast by regional television news channels.

Pakistan has been renegotiating contracts with independent. power manufacturers to check electrical power tariffs as families and. businesses give in skyrocketing energy expenses.

The Chinese embassy said a convoy from the Port Qasim. Electric Power Company was assaulted near the airport.

The BLA is among numerous separatist militant groups, which. looks for independence for the province of Balochistan, situated in. Pakistan's southwest and bordering Afghanistan and Iran.

In August, it launched coordinated attacks in the province,. in which more than 70 individuals were eliminated.

BLA particularly targets Chinese interests - in particular. the strategic port of Gwadar on the Arabian Sea, accusing. Beijing of helping Islamabad exploit regional resources. It has. formerly eliminated Chinese citizens operating in the area and. assaulted Beijing's consulate in Karachi.

The port belongs to Beijing's $65 billion financial investment in. Pakistan's roadway and facilities building called the. China-Pakistan Economic Passage

(source: Reuters)