Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: Despite recent assurances by departments concerned, that the completion of the new Islamabad International Airport (IIAP) will be achieved by August 14 next year, some officials monitoring the work and progress are sure a 100 per cent fully operational airport will only be realised by the end of year 2017.

Provision of water supply, energising of electricity distribution feeders, and a major road link to the airport are till date major impediments in the way of timely completion of the project. October 2016 has been set for providing full electricity to the airport, and December 31, 2016 for completion of the link road to the airport by the National Highway Authority (NHA). But all this seems an uphill task till date.

Interestingly, the completion date of the IIAP set by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif for March 25, 2015, lapsed conveniently, and then the CAA revised the date to the end of 2016, and later on officials set the date for mid 2016 under various pretexts. That was revised to the end of 2016, and revised again to August 1, 2017 at a briefing to the premier, recently. Former Chairman WAPDA, Eng. Shamsul Mulk’s Special Review Committee had earlier set March 31, 2017 as a realistic target for the commissioning of the airport. But on ground assessment and background interviews with officials concerned suggest, it could take the end of 2017, for the airport to be fully operational.

Lately, vested interests are trying to raise false flags over the inordinate delay in the completion of the new Islamabad International Airport (IIAP) shifting the blame from some lethargic and incompetent bureaucrats to business personalities, having a stake in the project as well as contractors, for their proximity and relations with the ruling family.

A number of allegations were hurled against reputed businessman Chaudhry Munir’s family company, and it was alleged that his son’s marriage with the granddaughter of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif was the reason behind his company’s inclusion in the new contract in year 2010. And some disputed payments were made to his company afterwards even when the matter was in dispute resolution and the arbitration stage.

In fact, officials say, the first contract of the new airport was awarded in 2008, and then the revised contract was issued in 2010, through which Technical Associates Pakistan Limited (TAPL), was included in the joint venture. TAPL is owned by Ch Munir’s son, Faisal Munir.

On both the occasions, the PPP was in power at the centre, and the incumbent PM was heading the opposition ranks as the PML-N chief. Ch Munir’s son Raheel Munir got married to the PM’s granddaughter Mahrunnisa Safdar in 2015.

In fact, bureaucratic negligence (sometimes criminal in nature), ill planning, and lack of expertise have been listed as the major hurdles in the timely completion and execution of critical works for the new Islamabad airport as reported by the Shamsul Mulk Special Review Committee’s report, the Shahid Niaz committee report and the FIA investigations as well as the Supreme Court’s orders/observations, from early 2013 to the end of 2015.

Interestingly, the project was conceived in 1984, the site selection done in 2005, the ground breaking was done in April 2007 by the then President Pervez Musharraf and PM Shaukat Aziz. Inordinate delays, lack of capacity and expertise, and bureaucratic hurdles caused the transfer of the project from the ministry of defence to the Aviation Division in June 2013.

Finally, a new project management consultant was appointed in mid-June 2015. Till date, a record number of project directors have been changed.

Recently, the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), in its briefing to the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), had explained that the project cost had been revised to Rs 87 billion from the original PC-1 of Rs 36 billion due to addition of items (construction packages) not included earlier — thus resulting in the inordinate delay and completion date lapses. But, till date no action has been taken against 19 officials of the CAA and the former project and design consultants, for their criminal negligence which caused billions of rupees of losses to the national exchequer.

The airport has a very important geographical location as it falls in the middle of the east and the west of the country.

“The New Islamabad International Airport (IIAP) was an institutional failure with respect to the capacity of the CAA to handle the mega project of such nature,” noted the Special Review Committee headed by Eng. Shamsul Mulk and comprising Lt Gen ® Shahid Niaz, former engineer-in-chief Pak Army, and Major General Asghar Nawaz, the former chairman NDMA.

“Political expediency by the government of that time (PPP) at the inception of the project induced an inflated urgency at the tiers of the controlling ministry of defence, the CAA and its P&D Directorate which resulted in faulty decisions, ambitious targets and professional lapses.

Resultant effects during the cycle of the project were confused mismanagement and inordinate delays beyond the control of the client, the consultants and the contractors. “The role of P&D Directorate of the CAA, being the technical pivot and advisory body of the CAA Board and Management, was a failure at the most crucial step of the project and its start, thus laying down a fragile foundation at the outset.

“The P& D Directorate had the experience of expansion of existing airports i.e. the Lahore and Karachi ones, but it was never involved in the planning and construction of a Greenfield Airport like the IIAP,” the report notes.

In 2010, the joint venture was reconstituted as the owner of the local JV partner died, and TAPL and Habib Construction were brought in with the consent of the CAA. Now the TAPL is responsible for 35 per cent of the project, Lagan holds 60 per cent and Habib is responsible for five per cent.

As a contractor, the TAPL is responsible for two packages of the new airport (IIAP) i.e. Package 1 of the Airside Infrastructure and Package-8A of the Landside Infrastructure. Both have been completed by now.

In 2013, as auditors raised objections over a payment of four billion rupees by the CAA to the contractor over claims of extra contractual work and the matter was referred to the dispute review board. And then both the parties decided to settle the matter through arbitration as provided in the contract. Regarding allegations of securing extra contractual money instead of the approved amount, the company categorically claims that the subsequent FIA inquiry and observations of the Supreme Court into the matter proved these allegations as false.

Officials say arbitration on this matter is under progress. Justice (r) Sair Ali represents the CAA, and justice (r) Ather Saeed represents the LTH JV. In case of differences at the awards stage, the matter goes before the Umpire Justice (r) Tassaduq Jillani, the former chief justice of Pakistan.