Dr. Yasmin Raashid, advisor to PTI Chairman said National Highway Authority (NHA) after causing colossal loss of Rs24 billion to national kitty in 230-kilometre Karachi-Lahore Motorway section, which is part of China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), has again caused a loss of over Rs650 million to the exchequer. Two of the four highway projects in Balochistan as apart of CPEC have been awarded to the second lowest bidders instead of the lowest one, causing a loss of over Rs650 million she added. She said Prime Minster Nawaz Sharif inaugurated the western route projects last week. Four contracts two for N-50 and two for N-70 were awarded to two separate joint ventures and to a single firm she added. She said if this not corruption then what else should we call it that the lowest bidder was not considered in two of the contracts. The second lowest firms has not been asked to match the lowest bids she added. She said Sharif Brothers with their shady practices are making CPEC controversial. Ruling elite has looted everything from every nook and corner of Pakistan. Interestingly they say they cannot think to make money from mega projects she added. She said the government is advised to award contracts in a transparent manner or PTI is going to protest on every forum.
PTI Information Secretary Andleeb Abbas said its seems NHA is working on someone else's agenda, and some big guns are behind this loot and plunder. Transparency is a rare commodity in the books of ruling elite, as kickbacks, bribes and commissions are part of their politics she added. She said the NHA officials said they rejected the lowest bid because the bidding firm was not financially capable and will not be able to execute the project. The nation wants to ask the question if the lowest bidder has no such capacity to carry out the rest of the two projects then why its bids were opened and why it had not been barred from submitting its bids for these projects she added. She said under PML-N government not only stories of corruption are surfacing in CPEC but the government has also changed CPEC the route in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to benefit Punjab. A controversy is being inflamed by PML-N over the historic game-changer, for petty political and personal gains she added. She said such prejudice of PML-N in national level projects is going to further weaken the foundation of Pakistan. Original route should not be changed as agreed in All Parties Conference (APC) she added.