Pakistan, July 1 -- The Senate Standing Committee on Economic Affairs has exposed major irregularities in the Rs170 billion CAREC Tranche-III corridor project, accusing the National Highway Authority (NHA) of corruption and ghost tendering. The committee found that all four project contracts were awarded to a previously disqualified Chinese firm, Ningxia Communication Construction (NXCC), raising serious questions about transparency.

Senator Saifullah Abro, who chaired the meeting, criticized NHA for awarding contracts to NXCC, which had failed to complete the Rs6.86 billion Lodhran-Multan road project in 2023. Despite completing only 8% of the work and receiving nearly Rs2 billion, the company was allowed to bid again in 2024. "This is ...