Contract for the construction of new international airport at Islamabad has been given to a blacklisted Chinese firm.
LAHORE: The power of the corruption mafia and its influence within the establishment and ruling political elite can be gauged from the recent awarding of contract for the construction of new international airport at Islamabad to a blacklisted Chinese firm, which is notorious for delays and financial irregularities.
The situation in the railway department is no different where a blacklisted Chinese company of ill-repute continues to be selected for the supply of locomotives, etc., irrespective of who rules in Islamabad. As long as the government of Pakistan does not strictly enforce that there is no conflict of interest among those who hold power, or hold public offices and those given contracts, Pakistan will suffer. It will continue to be a victim of looting and plundering, with massive flight of capital and curse of an undocumented economy.
Be it Wapda, Ogra, CAA, PSO, PIA, the Drug Regulatory Authority or other financial regulatory bodies, those at the helm hold citizenship of other countries. In foreign countries, they have acquired enormous assets from money transferred from Pakistan because none of them seem to have any known sources of income in the countries whose passports they hold. Nor do these individuals seem to have any legitimate financial resources in Pakistan to justify the massive accumulation of assets and bank accounts.
Starting from the choice of a site for the new Islamabad airport to the role of elected political governments in the past six years who have been patronising such malpractices, all of this needs to be studied. Many decisions need to be revised and many probes need to be made.
The Nawaz government’s choice for the adviser on aviation, a person who, along with another individual, is the main beneficiary of a major subcontract awarded to the debarred Chinese company, should expose massive financial irregularities in a state that is constantly on the brink of collapse.
Malik Tariq Ali
Published in The Express Tribune, July 24th, 2014.
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