PESHAWAR: Pakistan’s National Accountability Bureau (NAB) announced on Friday that it was launching a formal inquiry into Peshawar’s Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project. The announcement followed Thursday’s order by the Peshawar High Court (PHC) for the NAB to look into the BRT project, which recently announced an increase in construction costs to Rs68 billion.
The NAB’s assistant director in Peshawar, Salma Begum, told Arab New that the inquiry would begin on Monday.
“After the court directives, our chairman authorized an inquire at a meeting on Friday, and now we will open the case,” Begum added.
The PHC also removed the director general of the Peshawar Development Authority (PDA), Israrul Haq on Thursday.
Following the filing of a petition by Amanullah Haqqani, leader of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazlur Rahman (JUI-F) — an assembly of Islamic clerics — the court ordered the NAB to investigate the project and to submit its report before September 5.
On May 24, at the last meeting of the Khyber Pakhtunkwa (KP) administrative district cabinet, it was announced that the expected cost of the BRT project had increased from Rs49 billion to Rs68 billion due to changes in design and the adjustment of funds from the Asian Development Bank.
Former PDA director general Haq told Arab News that the changes in cost and design of the project were communicated to NAB earlier this year, and said the project would be functional by mid-October this year.
“We communicated to the NAB on January 4 about the changes, as per the requirements, and about the cost increase,” he said. “A similar project in Punjab took more than two years to complete, while we will complete this mega-project in around one year.”
Haq added that Rs30 billion would be spent on the 28-km BRT corridor, the buses would cost Rs8.5 billion, while Rs3.5 billion would be paid as customs duty for the vehicles. Rs7.5 billion would be spent on commercial plazas, Rs1 billion on the scrapping of old buses, Rs1.5 billion on the relocation of utilities, Rs1.5 billion on land, and Rs12 billion on facade improvement and drainage systems.
“When the project was initiated, the price of iron was Rs72 per kg, but now it is Rs108 per kg; diesel was Rs80 per liter but now it is Rs114 per liter. The increasing value of the US dollar (from Rs104 at the start of the project to around Rs130 recently) are also reasons behind the increased cost,” he said. “The project entails Rs3.5 billion tax; the construction of an additional 1km bridge at Tehkal, which local residents are demanding, would cost Rs1.2 billion; two bridges in Chamkani would cost 1.2 billion; the cost of commercial buildings and shops on the corridor has increased from Rs3.5 billion to Rs7.5 billion; and an underpass near Hajji Camp housing 150 shops would cost Rs1 billion. All these changes have increased the project cost.”
Meanwhile, a former assistant engineer Gohar Mohammad Khan, who joined the project on May 11 and resigned two months later, told Arab News that the construction of the project was sub-standard, which could have serious consequences once it is operational.
“I resigned because I learned that about 60 pillars of the BRT in different parts of the city do not have strong foundations,” he said. “They have laid iron bars on muddy ground. The iron bars in the foundations need to be laid over a concrete surface.”
Haq rejected those allegations, saying the engineer “didn’t work long enough to know the full details of what he is talking about.” Haq said Khan was “fired because his performance was not satisfactory.”
Dr. Sarfaraz Khan, an analyst based in Peshawar, says that it would have been better for Peshawar’s PTI government if the BRT had been completed during their term, adding that the party may not receive credit for the new transport system.
“In order to claim a project, a government should complete it, so that the public benefits from it before the end of their rule,” he said.
A spokesman for the outgoing government, Shaukat Yousafzai, said that the project had been delayed because of an administrative hiccup in the federal government.
“We were in touch with the Asian Development Bank since 2014 about the project. But the federal government delayed the No-Objection Certificate for the project and subsequent formalities like the approval and release of funds by the ADB also took time,” he claimed.
High Court orders probe into possible corruption linked to Peshawar bus project
High Court orders probe into possible corruption linked to Peshawar bus project
- High Court asks anti-corruption watchdog to investigate Peshawar’s BRT project.
- Peshawar Development Authority claims it informed the National Accountability Bureau about changes in design and increased cost in January.
Islamabad says surge in aircraft orders after India standoff could end IMF reliance
- Pakistani jets came into the limelight after Islamabad claimed to have shot down six Indian aircraft during a standoff in May last year
- Many countries have since stepped up engagement with Pakistan, while others have proposed learning from PAF’s multi-domain capabilities
ISLAMABAD: Defense Minister Khawaja Asif on Tuesday said Pakistan has witnessed a surge in aircraft orders after a four-day military standoff with India last year and, if materialized, they could end the country’s reliance on the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
The statement came hours after a high-level Bangladeshi defense delegation met Pakistan’s Air Chief Marshal Zaheer Ahmed Baber Sidhu to discuss a potential sale of JF-17 Thunder aircraft, a multi-role fighter jointly developed by China and Pakistan that has become the backbone of the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) over the past decade.
Fighter jets used by Pakistan came into the limelight after Islamabad claimed to have shot down six Indian aircraft, including French-made Rafale jets, during the military conflict with India in May last year. India acknowledged losses in the aerial combat but did not specify a number.
Many countries have since stepped up defense engagement with Pakistan, while delegations from multiple other nations have proposed learning from Pakistan Air Force’s multi-domain air warfare capabilities that successfully advanced Chinese military technology performs against Western hardware.
“Right now, the number of orders we are receiving after reaching this point is significant because our aircraft have been tested,” Defense Minister Asif told a Pakistan’s Geo News channel.
“We are receiving those orders, and it is possible that after six months we may not even need the IMF.”
Pakistan markets the Chinese co-developed JF-17 as a lower-cost multi-role fighter and has positioned itself as a supplier able to offer aircraft, training and maintenance outside Western supply chains.
“I am saying this to you with full confidence,” Asif continued. “If, after six months, all these orders materialize, we will not need the IMF.”
Pakistan has repeatedly turned to the IMF for financial assistance to stabilize its economy. These loans come with strict conditions including fiscal reforms, subsidy cuts and measures to increase revenue that Pakistan must implement to secure disbursements.
In Sept. 2024, the IMF approved a $7 billion bailout for Pakistan under its Extended Fund Facility (EFF) program and a separate $1.4 billion loan under its climate resilience fund in May 2025, aimed at strengthening the country’s economic and climate resilience.
Pakistan has long been striving to expand defense exports by leveraging its decades of counter-insurgency experience and a domestic industry that produces aircraft, armored vehicles, munitions and other equipment.
The South Asian country reached a deal worth over $4 billion to sell military equipment to the Libyan National Army, Reuters report last month, citing Pakistani officials. The deal, one of Pakistan’s largest-ever weapons sales, included the sale of 16 JF-17 fighter jets and 12 Super Mushak trainer aircraft for basic pilot training.
