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| Musharraf used FWO to benefit relatives, friends |
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| The News, March 17, 2010 |
ISLAMABAD: Former president Pervez Musharraf used the Frontier Works Organisation (FWO) to get Rs 55 billion contracts without tenders only to distribute them among those private companies and contractors where his relatives and friends were working to help them mint money through such secret deals.
Several military men were also doled out lease agreements to set up CNG/petrol pump stations along the motorways and national highways. This was disclosed to the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) here on Tuesday.
The PAC members also accused NHA Chairman Altaf Ahmed Chaudhry of protecting the interests of the military men and the powerful civilians, who were allowed to set up the CNG stations and petrol pumps.
The PAC met to discuss how the FWO was given Rs 55 billion contracts without tenders and to what extent transparency was observed and rules were followed. During the meeting, Chaudhry Nisar Ali claimed that the FWO was actually used to benefit some private companies where the relatives and friends of Musharraf were working and they were the real beneficiaries of these contracts and sub-contracts. It was also revealed that out of the 207 lease agreements signed by the NHA with different private parties and individuals, 150 did not pay and defaulted. But the NHA chairman remained tight-lipped about the charges.
The PAC members said the list of those who were given lease agreements did not contain the name of any politician although they were often targeted by the media and the civil society for alleged corruption.
The list showed that only the Army men and the powerful civilians managed to get these deals from the NHA. The NHA chief has been asked not to hide facts and give a written statement about the whereabouts and background information of all those who were doled out these lucrative deals.
Earlier, the NHA chairman, in his presentation to the PAC, admitted that the FWO was awarded 16 contracts without tenders and claimed everything was transparent. He also admitted that the FWO was further subletting the contracts to the civilian contractors. He said that under the agreement, the FWO could sublet any contract by 30 per cent. But he confessed that there were reports that in some cases, the ratio of subletting the contract was much higher than was allowed. PAC Chairman Nisar said to ensure transparency, there should be open bidding and the FWO should match the lowest bidder, so that the government agencies could get some benefits too.
But the real blow came from MNA Hamid Hiraj who blasted the NHA chairman and his team. Hiraj said the FWO, after getting the government contracts without tenders, was subletting them to the civilian contractors.
Nisar asked the NHA chairman to submit the details of sub-contracts awarded to different parties and private contractors by the FWO. He directed him to give a detailed information about 207 people, including the military men, who were given lease agreements to set up CNG stations and petrol pumps along motorways and national highways.
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