Transparency International Pakistan has urged Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to suspend a proposed Rs20 billion airport e-Gate project over alleged procurement irregularities and order an independent inquiry.
By MediaBites News Desk
ISLAMABAD: Transparency International Pakistan (TIP) has called on Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to immediately suspend the Pakistan Airports Authority’s (PAA) proposed Rs20 billion e-Gate project, alleging serious violations of public procurement rules in the contract award process.
In a letter sent to the Prime Minister’s Office on July 16, TIP urged the government to order an independent inquiry into the procurement process before any contract is finalized.
According to TIP, the Pakistan Airports Authority initially launched an open international competitive bidding process in 2020, inviting international companies to participate in the project. However, the organization alleges that the process was later abandoned without a clear public explanation.
TIP claims that a fresh procurement process was initiated in 2024, but instead of an open international tender, only three companies were shortlisted for consideration.
The anti-corruption watchdog has further alleged that the PAA sought to award the contract by invoking Rule 42(f) of the Public Procurement Regulatory Authority (PPRA) Rules, 2004, which permits procurement under specific circumstances without following the standard competitive bidding process.
In its letter, TIP argued that the use of this provision raises questions about transparency and fairness in awarding a project of such significant financial value.
The organization has also questioned the credentials of the company reportedly being considered for the contract. According to TIP, the company is allegedly not registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP), does not appear on the Federal Board of Revenue’s Active Taxpayers List (ATL), and has no record of sales tax registration, raising concerns about its eligibility.
TIP has asked the federal government to verify these claims and ensure that all procurement procedures comply with PPRA rules and principles of transparency, competition, and accountability.
The Pakistan Airports Authority has not publicly responded to the allegations, and the Prime Minister’s Office has yet to issue an official statement regarding TIP’s request.
If confirmed, the allegations could trigger greater scrutiny of one of the country’s major airport modernization initiatives, with calls for greater transparency in public procurement and infrastructure development.
