Questions have been raised over the briefing provided to Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti regarding the 115-kilometre Turbat-Mand Road, with concerns that his advisers may have failed to present the complete facts about the project and the contractors involved.
The road project has come under scrutiny, but questions remain about whether the chief minister was given a comprehensive account of the work carried out by the Frontier Works Organisation (FWO), the contractors responsible for different sections and the departments tasked with monitoring construction quality.
The project was awarded to FWO through an open bidding process, according to claims circulating about the contract. Bugti had previously praised the road project and taken credit for its progress on multiple occasions.
FWO workers also made sacrifices during the construction, including the loss of Lieutenant Colonel Arsalan, according to the account shared in defence of the organisation.
The controversy has prompted questions about why concerns over the project’s pace or quality were not raised earlier through official or public forums, and why the matter has now become a subject of debate in the Balochistan Assembly.
A key question is whether the chief minister’s advisers provided him with section-wise details of the 115-kilometre road, including the companies involved, the allocation of contracts, payments made and reports on construction standards.
If any section of the road is substandard, the company responsible should be identified. Similarly, any irregular payments or failures in quality monitoring should be investigated, with the relevant officials held accountable where evidence establishes wrongdoing.
Claims have also been raised that disagreements over the allocation of contracts may have contributed to the controversy.
FWO has played a role in several major infrastructure projects in Pakistan, including the Karakoram Highway, motorways, roads linked to the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), the Kartarpur Corridor and infrastructure development in mountainous areas of Azad Jammu and Kashmir and northern Pakistan.
Its record does not place any individual project beyond scrutiny. However, questions about the Turbat-Mand Road should be addressed through project records, technical assessments and transparent accountability rather than incomplete information.
The chief minister should seek a detailed briefing from his advisers covering each section of the road, the contractors involved, payments, inspection reports and the authorities responsible for approving the work.
The responsibility of the chief minister’s team is to provide complete and accurate information. Without a comprehensive account of the facts, public statements may fuel controversy without establishing who is responsible for any shortcomings in the project.
