Ex-PTI member calls BRT ‘mega corruption project’
Ziaullah Afridi claims blacklisted contractor, criticised by Imran, hired for mass transit project
Ziaullah Afridi claims blacklisted contractor, criticised by Imran, hired for mass transit project. PHOTO: FILE
PESHAWAR:
Weeks after an opposition party went to court claiming that the Bus Rapid Transit project in Peshawar was illegal, another voice has joined the chorus.
This time it is disgruntled former Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and provincial cabinet member Ziaullah Afridi who has levelled allegations of graft in the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project calling it a ‘mega corruption project’ in the provincial capital.
Afridi, who had joined the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) in August, claimed that a firm which had been blacklisted on corruption charges and had later opted for a plea bargain with the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), had been awarded the contract for BRT.
Addressing a news conference at Peshawar Press Club on Wednesday, Afridi told reporters that PTI Chairman Imran Khan, who once criticised the Lahore and Islamabad metro bus projects, was himself spending billions in the provincial capital on a similar project.
He added that Imran had levelled accusations of corruption in both the bus projects but had opted to award the contract for BRT to the very firm he had criticised in the past.
Afridi asked how could a 450-buss project be launched for a city which is smaller than Lahore since the latter only has 80 busses were ferrying passengers between their destinations.
The former PTI MPA claimed that he would unmask the corruption of Imran and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Parvez Khattak.
He added that the provincial government had spent an incredulous Rs680million on green belts which were ultimately demolished to make way for the BRT project.
Furthermore, he called into question the loan taken to build for BRT project, noting that it would have an adverse impact on the finance of the province.
“We do not call it a mega project but mega corruption,” Afridi told reporters as he challenged Khattak to an open dialogue on the project.
PPP leader Bahramand Tangi alleged that the K-P government had looted a large amount of money in different sectors including Bank of Khyber, education, forests at tourism adding that soon they will issue a whitepaper on K-P government’s corruption.
Published in The Express Tribune, November 9th, 2017.
Weeks after an opposition party went to court claiming that the Bus Rapid Transit project in Peshawar was illegal, another voice has joined the chorus.
This time it is disgruntled former Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and provincial cabinet member Ziaullah Afridi who has levelled allegations of graft in the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project calling it a ‘mega corruption project’ in the provincial capital.
Afridi, who had joined the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) in August, claimed that a firm which had been blacklisted on corruption charges and had later opted for a plea bargain with the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), had been awarded the contract for BRT.
Addressing a news conference at Peshawar Press Club on Wednesday, Afridi told reporters that PTI Chairman Imran Khan, who once criticised the Lahore and Islamabad metro bus projects, was himself spending billions in the provincial capital on a similar project.
He added that Imran had levelled accusations of corruption in both the bus projects but had opted to award the contract for BRT to the very firm he had criticised in the past.
Afridi asked how could a 450-buss project be launched for a city which is smaller than Lahore since the latter only has 80 busses were ferrying passengers between their destinations.
The former PTI MPA claimed that he would unmask the corruption of Imran and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Parvez Khattak.
He added that the provincial government had spent an incredulous Rs680million on green belts which were ultimately demolished to make way for the BRT project.
Furthermore, he called into question the loan taken to build for BRT project, noting that it would have an adverse impact on the finance of the province.
“We do not call it a mega project but mega corruption,” Afridi told reporters as he challenged Khattak to an open dialogue on the project.
PPP leader Bahramand Tangi alleged that the K-P government had looted a large amount of money in different sectors including Bank of Khyber, education, forests at tourism adding that soon they will issue a whitepaper on K-P government’s corruption.
Published in The Express Tribune, November 9th, 2017.