On Tuesday, Finance Minister Aurangzeb confirmed that the two Chinese nationals killed in Karachi were part of the team involved in renegotiating terms for Independent Power Producers (IPPs).
In a pre-recorded statement, he shared that the engineers were collaborating with Energy Minister Awais Leghari and himself to address Pakistan’s request to restructure its energy debt. Their aim was to extend repayment periods, lower power tariffs, and provide relief to the public. Pakistan is seeking a five-year extension to repay its $16 billion energy debt.
Aurangzeb expressed his condolences to the families of the deceased engineers, emphasizing that they were part of Chinese IPPs dedicated to resolving the energy crisis and creating a “win-win” situation for both nations.
Additionally, he criticized the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) for recent strikes, stating that they resulted in daily economic losses of Rs190 billion. He pointed out that business activities were halted for three to four days, leading to a total economic loss estimated between Rs570 billion and Rs760 billion.
