ISLAMABAD: A consortium led by Chinese firm Ningxia Communications Construction has once again reaffirmed its commitment to completing CAREC Tranche-III, provided the National Highway Authority (NHA) clears the process and allows them to proceed as the project’s awarded contractor.
Talking to media here on Tuesday, the spokesperson Imdadullah stated that the contracts for the dualization of 326 kilometres of the N-55 highway, stretching from Rajanpur through D.G. Khan to D.I. Khan, were awarded purely on merit, with no ill intent from any bidder.
Recently, in a letter to the Economic Affairs Division, the ADB also has expressed concern that USD360 million (Rs108 billion) loan earmarked for the Central Asia Regional Economic Cooperation Corridor (CAREC) Development Investment Programme’s Tranche III could lapse next year without project’s completion. Without immediate acceleration by the National Highway Authority (NHA), the funds will expire without the completion of the Tranche-III road project.
Imdadullah further stated that the project has been stalled for eight months following controversies surrounding the bidding process.
Open procurement process began in December 2023 and lasted nearly 18 months, with bids from almost 20 national and international firms Bids were opened in February 2025 and approved by the ADB. The project, valued at Rs. 146 billion, is part of Pakistan’s commitments under the Central Asia Regional Economic Cooperation (CAREC) programme and is being co-financed by the Asian Development Bank with Rs108 billion.
Spokesperson mentioned that the parliamentary panel also recommended that work on the project should be initiated within 15 days, and progress updates would be submitted to the main committee from time to time.
NXCC consortium, along with local partners Rustam Associates and Dynamic Constructors, lawfully declared the lowest evaluated bidder with a margin of Rs. 13.2 billion for all four construction lots after a transparent and ADB-approved process.
The Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) has also approved the bids from a joint venture comprising NXCC, Dynamic Constructor and Rustam Associates even though parliamentary committees and the PPRA expressed concerns, he maintained.
The NHA defended the choice, stating that allegations of non-performance against the lead partner “did not reach finality in accordance with the procedure and rules”, and the firm was never blacklisted by any agency. The ADB confirmed it has no objection to awarding the contracts to the lowest evaluated bidder across four specific lots including lot 1 Rajanpur to Jampur (57.5km) for Rs23.5bn; Lot 2: Jampur to Dera Ghazi Khan (64km) for Rs29.1bn; Lot 3: Dera Ghazi Khan to TibiQaisrani (111.7km) for Rs52bn; Lot 4: TibiQaisrani to Dera Ismail Khan (96.2km) for Rs42bn.
The project, executed by the NHA, is considered crucial for regional connectivity and economic development, the spokesperson added.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2026
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