KP cancels Rs8.92bn tenders issued during PTI govt amid kickback allegations

PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has cancelled development tenders worth Rs8.92 billion involving 71 schemes in Khyber district amid allegations of political favouritism and kickbacks, official sources said.

Sources said the tenders, reportedly issued during the tenure of Chief Minister Sohail Afridi, were allegedly awarded on political grounds, with advance kickbacks ranging from 5 to 10 per cent of the contract value.

Officials reportedly received complaints alleging that between Rs500 million and Rs900 million had been collected as kickbacks in connection with the development schemes, prompting authorities to cancel the tenders.

According to sources, development projects worth Rs5 billion under the Annual Development Programme (ADP) in Khyber district were allegedly associated with Naveed, a close associate of Chief Minister Sohail Afridi, while projects worth Rs3.9 billion were reportedly linked to MPA Abdul Ghani.

Authorities have launched an investigation into alleged corruption and a kickback network involving development projects in Khyber district, the chief minister’s home district.

Sources said SDO Bara Ziaullah was taken into custody for questioning, during which investigators reportedly obtained important information concerning alleged kickbacks in the distribution of development contracts.

Investigations were also conducted with C&W Executive Engineer Riaz, while officials examined records from the past two years.

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During the investigation, two development schemes allegedly linked to kickbacks involving MPA Abdul Ghani and Naveed also came under scrutiny, sources said.

The matter reportedly came to the attention of the authorities after an anonymous complaint was submitted to the Secretary of the Communication and Works (C&W) Department, seeking cancellation of the development tenders in Khyber district.

Following the complaint, the Secretary C&W issued a notification on November 6, cancelling tenders worth Rs8.92 billion, sources said.

An official cancellation notice issued by the Executive Engineer, Highway Division Khyber, stated that tender proceedings initiated under various ADP schemes had been cancelled with immediate effect, subject to applicable procurement rules and approval of the competent authority.

The notification said the cancellation was intended to facilitate fresh scrutiny, verification and reassessment of the identified road schemes in light of actual site conditions, technical requirements, public needs and the broader public interest.

Separately, an application submitted to the C&W Secretary had raised concerns that the identification of development schemes was allegedly influenced by political considerations and favouritism, rather than actual public needs, regional priorities and ground realities.

The applicant called for cancellation of the existing tenders and fresh tendering after a transparent assessment of the schemes on merit.