ISLAMABAD: Transparency International Pakistan (TIP) has raised serious concerns over alleged violations of public procurement rules in the award of a Rs20billion e-gate project by the Pakistan Airports Authority (PAA), urging the Ministry of Defence to intervene.
In a letter addressed to Secretary Defence Lt Gen Muhammad Ali (retd), copies of which have also been sent to Advisor to PM, Dr Tauqeer Shah, Chairman PM Inspection Commission, Chairman NAB, Director General FIA and Registrar, Supreme Court of Pakistan, TIP pointed to alleged misuse of Rule 42(f) of the Public Procurement Regulatory Authority (PPRA) Rules 2004, which allows procurement through direct contracting under specific conditions.
The watchdog stated that it had earlier written to the Director General of PAA highlighting the alleged irregularities in the procurement process.
READ MORE: E-Gate project: PPRA initiates probe into award of Rs20bn contract
However, it claimed that no response has been received from the authority regarding whether the allegations were reviewed or any corrective action was taken.
According to TIP, the PPRA has also taken up the matter and written to the PAA on multiple occasions — including letters of May 11, May 21 and June 3, 2026 — expressing serious concerns over procurement irregularities in the e-gate project, as well as, broader airport planning issues. The regulator reportedly directed the PAA to submit a detailed report within five days, but the authority has yet to furnish the required information.
TIP has urged the Ministry of Defence to look into the matter and issue directives to the PAA to ensure that the project is awarded through an open and competitive bidding process in line with PPRA Rules 2004, warning that failure to do so may result in mis-procurement.
The organisation also requested the Ministry to share details of any inquiry or action taken on the complaint.
The Rs20 billion e-gate project is aimed at modernising immigration processing at airports, but the allegations have raised questions about transparency and adherence to procurement regulations in major public sector projects.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2026
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