Is Zulfi Bukhari escaping from Ring Road scam inquiry?

As the Rawalpindi Ring Road project scandal deepens, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister Zulfiqar Abbas Bukhari (Zulfi Bukhari) on Saturday had reportedly left the country for Dubai days after resigned from his position as his name was referenced in the Ring Road scam inquiry report for giving benefit to a housing scheme.

Bukhari departed for Dubai from Islamabad International Airport (IIA) on a chartered flight in the wee of Saturday. He was accompanied by three other people, while the purpose of the visit is not known.

As Prime Minister Imran Khan’s trusted aide and confidant, Bukhari’s departure indicates the seriousness of the issue and the realization within the top ranks of the PTI government that the scandal can burn through its reliability.

Rawalpindi ring road Project 

Rawalpindi Ring Road was visualized in 1997, yet for over more than two decades, no government could truly initiate the plan. In 2017, the last ineffective attempt to accomplish the project was made.

The PTI government after coming to power dusted off the plan proposal and started afresh. The proposal was significantly revised and upgraded. The Rawalpindi Ring Road would start from the GT Road near Rawat, and after connecting Lahore-Islamabad and Hakla-DI Khan motorways, would terminate at Sangjani, connecting to Margalla Highway.

Margalla Highway, being developed by CDA, would end on N-95 after Bara Kahu (bypassing the current traffic bottleneck) and from there the proposed eastern bypass would link back to the Ring Road, thus completing the full loop. The whole project once complete will redefine the twin cities. If successful, this could be a flagship project for the PTI government.

Tender for the project

The tender for the project was floated in March 2021 undertaken in public-private partnership mode. However, right before the bid submission time limit, the process was crumbled due to the controversy.

Reports alleged that a whopping Rs25 billion had been included in the scheme cost, while sources disclosed that a new 25km addition to the road had been made to benefit certain political individuals.

Commissioner Gulzar’s report and revelations

The fact-finding report that the commissioner had prepared in 10 days stated that some officials of the Rawalpindi division, Punjab were involved in the scandal and some housing societies were benefitted when the alignment of the road was changed.

According to the report, the society owned 970 acres of land however, owner Junaid Chaudhry made 30,000 fake files and sold them in the market. Aviation Minister’s son Mansoor Khan is a partner in this natter. Only one agent earned Rs. 341 million in one month by selling files. The rest can be estimated, the report stated.

It alleged that ex-commissioner retired Capt Mehmood and suspended Land Acquisition commissioner Waseem Tabish wrongly paid Rs2.3 billion in compensation for land acquired in the Attock area.

NAB to probe the scandal

Earlier, PM Imran instructed a full-fledged investigation into the Rawalpindi Ring Road project scandal after which the Punjab authorities decided to send the case to the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) or the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) for a thorough investigation.

Meanwhile, an official statement issued by the NAB headquarters said NAB chairman Javed Iqbal directed Rawalpindi NAB director general to conduct a transparent, merit-based and indiscriminate probe of the Rawalpindi Ring Road project in which billion of rupee corruption, irregularities and illegal land acquisition has been reported. The NAB chairman claimed that they had no affiliation with any group, individual and political party but the state of Pakistan.

A mystery about the project

There is much that remains shrouded in mystery and anonymity about the Rawalpindi Ring Road project. If there were indeed distrusts over the transparency of the revamp, why did government officials including CM Usman Buzdar approve the summary?

 It is also indistinct why a meeting chaired by PM Imran Khan himself approved funds for the scheme. These and other features of the scum will need to be investigated in spite of how high the blame might go. PM Imran Khan has done well to relieve his trust aide Bukhari of his official duties pending the investigation and now the question is that will Bukhari return home?

It seems that Zulfi Bukhari left the country to avoid the investigation of the Rawalpindi Ring Road project, however, Zulfi Bukhari himself has not made any statement in this regard, which is expected to come to light soon.

The prime minister should leave no stone unturned to unearth the facts behind the scandal. As Imran Khan himself has always backed across-the-board accountability for people in power, he should spare no one, including those who made him approve the funding for a project that was surrounded by allegations of wrongdoing and corrupt practices.

The Rawalpindi Ring Road project scandal is refusing to pass the smell test and the odour is reaching up to high places. The PTI government must now lay itself open for ruthless accountability.