Communication Minister Murad Saeed’s brickbats alleging Rs70 billion corruption in a CPEC project — the Sukkur-Multan motorway — have ‘shocked’ the Chinese state-owned company that won the contract and undertook the project.
“China State Construction Engineering Corporation Ltd [CSCEC] feels extremely shocked by the recent groundless allegations made publicly through the media against the Sukkur-Multan motorway project, undertaken by our company,” an official press release reads.
Mr Saeed recently alleged that the PML-N government had signed a Memorandum of Understanding worth Rs259bn for the construction of the motorway, but later the cost was jacked up to Rs292bn due to financial mismanagement; thus, he said, the project suffered huge losses. He also accused the Sharif brothers, former minister for planning and development Ahsan Iqbal, and Javed Sadiq, CSCEC director in Pakistan, of being involved in the ‘scam’ and alleged that Mr Iqbal appropriated the cost differential of about Rs 70bn.
The CSCEC, in its rejoinder, says it has “profound respect for Pakistan and its people. In the spirit of win-win cooperation and benefiting the Pakistani people, we have been carrying out our business activities and all of our operations fully in compliance with Pakistani laws and regulations.”
