LAHORE: PML-Q leader Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi has asked Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif as to why he remained silent for eight years over the Ring Road contract details.

“Why Shahbaz remained silent against Gen Kayani and Kamran Kayani for eight long years,” Mr Elahi said while talking to reporters here on Thursday.

He said his government had awarded the Lahore Ring Road contract on merit after pre-qualification.

“It is not the business of the chief minister that he should know the contractor. This is the reason my government during 2002 to 2007 had constructed 55,000 kilometres of roads,” he said.

PML-Q leader talks on non-issues: Zaeem

Shahbaz had said his government cancelled the Ring Road contract awarded to Kamran Kayani, the brother of former army chief Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, for his failure to honour the commitment.Pervaiz Elahi said no extension to the Lahore Ring Road project had been carried out because the lands of the Sharif brothers were hit by the expansion.

“During my government decisions were not made by an individual,” he said.

Mr Elahi said during his tenure every work was done openly but now even documents of the Orange Line project worth billions of rupees had not been made public.

“The current contractual system is based on corruption and the chief minister awards contracts without any proper plan,” he said.

“Our government had constructed the Ring Road and other projects but not a single person was affected,” Mr Elahi said.Punjab government spokesman Zaeem Qadri asked the PML-Q leader what did he want to prove by talking on non-issues.

“Pervaiz Elahi wants to keep him alive in politics by leveling allegations.” He further said that ruination of Ring Road Project was a clear proof of maladministration and nepotism of Ch Brothers. He said that PML-N government had completed the project according to public needs.

Published in Dawn, January 15th, 2016