Islamabad, January 19, 2026: The Sub-Committee of the Senate Standing Committee on Communications convened today at Parliament House under the chairmanship of Senator Kamil Ali Agha to review issues concerning Tranche-III (Rajanpur–D.G. Khan–D.I. Khan) of the CAREC project. Senators Zamir Hussain Ghumro and Saifullah Abro also attended the meeting.
During the session, the CEO of the National Highway Authority (NHA) briefed the Sub-Committee on the project proposal, the tendering process, and bidding documents. He informed that the Prime Minister’s Office had tasked the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) to conduct an inquiry into misconduct by NHA officers. The CEO acknowledged the wrongdoing, assured immediate disciplinary action, and noted that the inquiry committee had endorsed most recommendations of the Sub-Committee.
The briefing also revealed that four project packages had been awarded to a single company, contrary to regulations that each package should have been allocated to different companies. As a result, the procurement process is expected to face delays exceeding one year, significantly increasing project costs. The NHA plans to seek clarification from the Prime Minister’s Office to advance the project to the next stage.
Senator Kamil Ali Agha emphasized that scrapping the project would ultimately benefit the culprits. He highlighted that the issue was initially raised by Parliament and later brought to public attention by the media, which had nearly led to the project being canceled. He stressed the need for effective policies to address such challenges in a timely and prudent manner and expressed concern over the delayed provision of data by relevant ministries and departments.
Senator Zamir Hussain Ghumro stated that the Sub-Committee had never favored scrapping the project and suggested completing it in phases.
Senator Saifullah Abro strongly recommended terminating NHA officers responsible for misconduct to prevent recurrence, stressing that uncooperative officials should not hold key positions. He also suggested that beneficiaries involved be dealt with strictly according to the law, that the project loan remain intact until December 2027, and that variation orders be avoided. Additionally, he called for NHA to submit monthly progress reports to the Committee.
The Sub-Committee recommended that, as per the CEO’s commitment, work on the project be initiated within 15 days, with regular progress updates submitted to the main Committee to ensure accountability and timely completion.
