Dawn
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16:59 Jan 17, 2026
The Ministry of Maritime Affairs on Saturday constituted an inquiry committee to investigate the cause of a fire at the Karachi International Container Terminal (KICT) a day earlier. Imported goods, mostly lithium batteries, stored in at least 20 containers were destroyed as a huge fire erupted at the KICT at the Karachi Port Trust (KPT) on Friday afternoon, according to officials. A press release issued on Saturday said that Maritime Affairs Minister Muhammad Junaid Anwar Chaudhry had constituted an inquiry committee to investigate the cause of the fire and to “fix responsibility to prevent similar incidents in the future”. The committee will comprise senior officers from KPT, who will coordinate with KICT operators to determine the reasons for the incident, it said. “KICT is a private terminal and the primary responsibility for safety measures at the container terminal rests with its administration,” the minister was quoted as saying. The press release further said the minister took immediate notice of the ...