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Several parliamentary committees have expressed serious concerns over the Rs170 billion ADB road project, pointing to alleged ghost tendering, collusive practices, and procedural violations by the National Highway Authority (NHA).
For the past four months, the Senate and National Assembly standing committees on Economic Affairs Division (EAD) and communications, along with a Senate sub-committee, have been reviewing the project. Despite repeated requests, the NHA failed to provide documents to contest the allegations.
The Central Asia Regional Economic Cooperation (Carec) Tranche-III ADB road project is under scrutiny for being awarded to a joint venture (JV) that included a firm disqualified by the NHA in 2023. That firm, previously blacklisted for failing to complete the Lodhran-Multan section, was still allowed to submit financial and technical bids for Tranche-III.
The committees also noted that the JV partner remains entangled in litigation over the Lodhran-Multan project. Lawmakers further observed that contracts were initially granted based on auditor sheets without verifying the financial strength and credibility of the firms involved.
Despite violations of Public Procurement Authority (PPRA) rules highlighted by parliamentarians, the NHA retained its decision to keep the award with the controversial JV. In its August 2 meeting, the Senate EAD committee gave the NHA a final 15-day deadline to submit all necessary documents before a verdict is issued.
Two Other Projects Under Scrutiny
Apart from the Carec initiative, lawmakers also raised concerns about two other projects linked to the same JV. The Gilgit-Shandur motorway project showed signs of collusion and irregularities, while the Hanzol Hydropower Project presented major discrepancies. Officials noted that the project’s work order was issued in May 2024, completed by May 2025, yet its bid documents were only submitted in September 2024 and appeared in audit reports for 2023–24.
The PPRA, in a recent report, endorsed the committees’ findings and instructed the NHA to provide financial and technical records of the JV. However, under procurement rules, contractors cannot introduce documents that were not originally part of the bidding process.
In one meeting, the Senate panel described the case as clear corruption, recommending that the NHA cancel the entire process and restart the bidding.
The ADB-backed Carec program, launched in 1997, seeks to promote economic cooperation across Central Asia. Under Tranche-III, the project is divided into four sections: Lot-1 (58km from Rajanpur to Jampur), Lot-2 (64km from Jampur to DG Khan), Lot-3 (112km from DG Khan to Tibbi Qaisrani), and Lot-4 (96km from Tibbi Qaisrani to DI Khan). Participating countries include Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Mongolia, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan.
