LAHORE: Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) chairman’s adviser on health Dr Yasmin Rashid says the stories of corruption in the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) have begun to surface as “the Sharif brothers cannot live without making money via corruption”.

She said the National Highway Authority (NHA) had awarded a Rs148 billion contract to a Pakistan-China joint venture firm for building a 230-kilometre section of the Karachi-Lahore Motorway, which is part of the CPEC.

Instead of awarding the contract to Pakistan premium construction company i.e. Frontier Works Organisation (FWO), she said, the NHA had awarded it to joint venture of China Railway 20 Bureau and ZKB of Pakistan.

She said the FWO bid was rejected by the NHA even though it was the lowest one bid.

“The NHA could have saved Rs24 billion public money, if the project was awarded to the lowest bidder,” she asserted, and alleged that this money would be going into the pockets of the corrupt ruling elite. She alleged the NHA did not give contract to the FWO because there were no chances of commissions and kickbacks, because organisation’s operations were being looked after by the Pakistan Army.

Also, PTI chairman’s political adviser Ejaz Chaudhry says the PPP and the MQM are opposing extension in Rangers’ powers to protect their crimes.

He said PML-N’s weak stance was damaging the Zarb-i-Azb and added that PML-N, PPP and MQM were also insulting superior courts and national institutions.

In a statement, he said Rangers’ successful operation had installed peace in Karachi.

He said the rulers in federal, Punjab and Sindh governments were looting national wealth and protecting each other.

Published in Dawn, December 15th, 2015