Lawmakers are raising alarms over a massive National Highway Authority (NHA) contract, accusing the body of awarding a multibillion-rupee road project to a joint venture previously blacklisted for poor performance.
The controversy centers on the Carec Tranche-III highway project, worth roughly Rs170 billion and funded by the Asian Development Bank (ADB). Parliamentary committees reviewing the deal say the contract was handed out despite violations of public procurement rules and without proper vetting of the winning bidder.
A Contractor With a Troubled Record
The joint venture at the heart of the dispute had already been disqualified by the NHA in 2023 after failing to complete a 62-kilometer section between Lodhran and Multan. Despite that setback, the same firm later secured one of the largest infrastructure packages under the Carec program.
Lawmakers argue this raises questions of collusion and “ghost tendering”—fake or manipulated bids used to tilt the process in favor of a preferred company.
Committees Push Back, NHA Stays Silent
For the past four months, standing committees of both the Senate and National Assembly have pressed NHA officials for answers. Yet, the authority has not provided the required documents to counter the allegations.
At an August 2 Senate meeting, NHA was given 15 days to submit all relevant records. Legislators signaled they will issue a final verdict in the next session, with some members calling the case an “open-and-shut example of corruption.”
Wider Pattern of Questionable Contracts
The controversy does not stop with Carec Tranche-III. The same joint venture has also been linked to irregularities in two other major undertakings—the Gilgit-Shandur motorway project and the Hanzol Hydropower Project. According to committee findings, inconsistencies appeared in work orders, bid documents, and audit trails.
Pakistan’s Public Procurement Regulatory Authority (PPRA) has backed the parliamentary observations, insisting that NHA verify the contractor’s technical and financial capacity. However, procurement rules prevent companies from adding documents that were not part of the original bidding process—leaving little room for the JV to justify its eligibility after the fact.
What’s at Stake
The disputed project is part of the Central Asia Regional Economic Cooperation (CAREC) program, an ADB-backed initiative launched in 1997 to boost regional trade and connectivity. Tranche-III includes four road sections stretching from Rajanpur to DI Khan, linking Pakistan’s southern regions with Central Asia.
If the committees force a rebid, the project could face delays, potentially affecting Pakistan’s commitments under the broader CAREC framework, which involves countries from Afghanistan and China to Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.
For now, all eyes remain on the Senate’s upcoming decision, which may determine whether the NHA must scrap the controversial award and start the tendering process anew.
