ISLAMABAD: The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) failed to probe into the multi-million-rupee scam of the Islamabad Cultural Complex (ICC) case. It has been referred to NAB by the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) since quite some time, learnt Pakistan Today.
The matter was referred to NAB since December 2014 and it was expected to probe in since the PAC had sought enough evidence. The country’s top anti-corruption body had started an investigation into the irregularities in the award of the contract of the Rs 1.1 billion ICC that was given without conducting a feasibility study.
In October 2015, the NAB initiated an investigation into the alleged wasteful expenditure of the Rs 1.1 billion cultural complex projects at Shakarparian on the recommendation of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC).
The statement was given by incumbent city managers before NAB officials, that the project was ‘ill-conceived’ and forced NAB investigators to summon former chairman Capital Development Authority (CDA), Kamran Lashari to justify that the project was ‘well-conceived’ rather than a wasteful expenditure since the project was initiated during his tenure.
However, Kamran Lashari did not appear before NAB investigators.
The mandate of NAB’s inquiry covers the investigation into the alleged corruption and corrupt practices in the non-recovery of the mobilization advance amounting to Rs 123 million to the contractor of the project besides other wasteful expenditures.
After that, no developments were made at NAB’s end on probing into the matter.
Then on 4th May 2017, the sub-committee of PAC once again directed the CDA and NAB to submit their reports in regard to the corruption in ICC till May 15, however, the investigation remained abandoned.
NAB Spokesman Asim Ali Nawazish did not respond to any attempt made by Pakistan Today after multiple efforts for a statement.
Situated within the scenic Shakarparian space, the cultural complex was destined to symbolize the wealthy cultural heritage of the nation, nevertheless, after years of stalled growth, the impressively designed set of buildings within the capital has fallen into dilapidation.
The project was the brainchild of former president Pervaiz Musharraf. After watching a stage play at an Islamabad membership auditorium, he introduced the project and advised Kamran Lashari to execute it.
The project was controversial since its initiation as it was launched by the CDA in 2007 without the undertaking of a feasibility study which was revealed in the NAB’s investigation.
The authority had set the completion date in 2009. Over Rs 1.1 billion were announced for phase 1 with a facility to operate on self-financing. According to the layout plan, nine buildings including conference halls, an auditorium, two cinemas, a cafeteria, mosque and many restaurants were to be constructed on 25 acres of the cultural complex.
Almost 28 per cent work was completed during 2009, however, the work was halted in the same year.
In 2011, former prime minister Yousaf Raza Gillani took an interest in the project and issued a supplementary grant of Rs 400 million for the project. Meanwhile, the contractor claimed that the cost has escalated 75 percent due to an increase in the price of construction material. This meant that the initial cost of Rs 1.1 billion had shot up to Rs 1.85 billion.
In the year 2012, the contractor again claimed that the cost had escalated another 70 per cent, so in connection with the escalation, the cost of the project consequently shot up to Rs 2.5 billion.
Five years later, neither does anyone have a clue of what is going on or what the cost for the completion of the project might be now, nor does it look like it is of anyone’s interest.
