The sub-committee of the Senate’s Standing Committee on Ports and Shipping has questioned the constitutional legitimacy of Pakistan Deep Water Container Port (PDWCP), a deeper-draft container terminal being constructed by the Karachi Port Trust (KPT), at a mammoth cost of $1.6 billion or Rs140 billion, at Keamari Groyne.
Ensuring compliance:
If the KPT fails to satisfy the senate body on legitimacy of the project, as the committee’s Chairwomen Senator Gulshan Saeed later told Profit, concerned KPT officials, including Chairperson Nasrin Haque, might be removed from their posts. The visiting senate body on Wednesday met KPT officials here at the port operator’s head office and grilled Chairperson Nasrin Haque, General Manager Planning and Development Hanif Abdullah and General Manager Operations Azhar Hayat on various issues and projects being undertaken by the KPT.
Headed by Chairperson Senator Gulshan Saeed, sub-committee members included Senator Dr Abdul Malik, Senator Muhammad Ismail Buledi and others. Senate Joint Secretary Ghulam Murtaza and Director General Ports and Shipping were also present.
Constitutional prohibition:
The senate body cross-questioned KPT officials over legal status of the PDWCP, which they said was an ill-thought-out project in violation of the constitution of Pakistan that does not allow port operators to build new ports on their own. “Who allowed you to undertake this project? You need to show us a permit in black and white as well as the feasibility report,” committee chairperson warned KPT officials.
Terming KPT a “violator” of the constitution, committee members like Senator Malik and Senator Buledi said the planning to develop new ports was prerogative of the federal government.
“The question arises whether or not you (the KPT) have fulfilled this very constitutional requirement,” committee members said. They also said a new port could be constructed on the basis of KPT’s own Board’s nod. “Who approved this port and by which piece of legislation,” asked Senator Malik.
In their defence
In response to the committee’s questions, KPT Chairperson Nasrin Haque replied that under Section 29 of the KPT Act, the Trust was an autonomous body and could “maintain, reclaim and even construct” the port under its operation for development purposes. She said back in 2005 a feasibility report was prepared realising that “if we didn’t have this port we were going to die, because all over the world ships’ sizes are getting larger.” Seemingly unsatisfied, committee members asked for all relevant documents including constitutional articles and copy of the permission granted to the KPT for developing this terminal. Giving their ‘observation’, committee members said KPT had undertaken the big project on its own initiative and planning. They asked if it was permissible for the KPT to undertake dredging on its own, saving the Rs20 billion paid to Chinese contractors.
Bankruptcy concerns:
Committee members said the federal government had a complete deep seaport developed at Gwadar, Balochistan, at Rs17 billion and KPT was throwing more than Rs100 billion after three or four births only. “Don’t you think KPT would end up in bankruptcy,” members asked the KPT chief. “No! I don’t, because our earnings are in surplus and increasing, not decreasing. When I had taken over (the KPT) our (annual) profits amounted to Rs56 billion and now these have accumulated at Rs60 billion,” the confident KPT chairperson replied.
Asked about guarantee of Chinese contractors, KPT officials said their “performance” was the sole criterion to measure their guarantee in terms of efficiency. “We also have kept a certain amount, 15 per cent of the total project cost, as a bank guarantee from the contractors,” the General Manager P&D Hanif Abdullah said.
Stern warning:
“If the committee does not take this seriously, we (in personal capacity) are compelled to approach the supreme court to ask the superior court take a suo moto notice, as it involves Rs100 billion, that is a huge amount,” warned Malik and Buledi, both senators hailing from Balochistan. “Let the supreme court decide who authorised you (KPT) to construct this new port,” senator Buledi told the KPT chairperson who, however, looked unshaken by the rhetoric. The committee chairperson, however, expressed views to the contrary and told Profit after the discussion that the members’ intension to go to the apex court would require her approval. The sub-committee will meet again today (Thursday) at KPT offices to finalise things.
Comments are closed.