The government has removed National Highway Authority (NHA) Chairman Sheheryar Sultan just days after an inquiry report on alleged irregularities in the awarding of the Rs. 170 billion Central Asian Regional Economic Cooperation (Carec) Tranche-III project was submitted to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
According to official notifications issued by the Establishment Division, Sultan has been directed to report to the Establishment Division, while NHA Member Administration Omar Saeed Chaudhri has been repatriated to his parent department, the Ministry of Defence.
The sudden removal of the NHA chairman follows the suspension of eight senior NHA officials over their alleged involvement in irregularities and ghost tendering related to the Carec Tranche-III project.
The NHA spokesman said the decision came as a surprise, noting that Sultan had worked in his office until 6pm on Wednesday before the announcement was made later that night.
The shakeup is seen as the most significant fallout yet from the ongoing Carec project controversy, which has rocked the NHA and raised questions about transparency and governance in major infrastructure contracts.