A massive corruption scandal surrounding irregularities in development contracts worth billions of rupees has surfaced in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, with sources revealing that Abdul Hadi, also known as ‘Patang Hadi’ and Chief Minister Sohail Afridi’s frontman and cousin, has fled to Dubai.
According to sources, the development has triggered serious concern within the provincial government following allegations of corruption in contracts awarded by the Communication and Works (C&W) Department and the use of Asian Development Bank funds.
Sources said that the corruption trail could expose influential political figures and create serious political pressure on the provincial government.
The sources further revealed that a laptop recovered from a dismissed project manager contains information relating to commissions, allocation of contracts and Patang Hadi’s involvement in the contracting process.
According to the same sources, concerns intensified after the evidence came to the attention of senior authorities and an inquiry began closing in on those suspected of involvement. They claim that Patang Hadi subsequently left the country and escaped to Dubai.
Sources also revealed that the dismissed project manager had previously been helped to go into hiding, potentially complicating efforts to investigate the irregularities.
The controversy has also fuelled tensions within the PTI-led provincial setup, with allegations of political and family influence over development projects adding to internal concerns.
Sources further claimed that disputes had already emerged over major projects in Khyber district, where allegations were raised regarding the involvement of people close to the chief minister.
The departure of Patang Hadi to Dubai has now intensified scrutiny from opposition circles and those calling for an investigation into the corruption in KP development projects.
