Corruption in Shangla-Alpuri Road project: FIA arrests Amir Muqam’s son, five other contractors

By PESHAWAR: The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has arrested the son of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz leader Amir Muqam along with five other contractors for alleged corruption in the construction of the Shangla-Alpuri Road.An official of the FIA said the five contractors, including Ishtiaq, son of Amir Muqam, were arrested after an inquiry into the alleged corruption in the construction of the Shangla-Alpuri Road. The official said a case was lodged as well in which the project director and the engineers were nominated.A source in the FIA said the company had to complete the project costing Rs850 million ina year’s time, but it could not be completed even after 10 years. The estimated cost of the project has now crossed Rs2,800 million. The inquiry by the FIA, added the source, had recommended to the National Highways Authority (NHA) to take departmental action against 11 officials who were hand-in-glove with these contractors. It also asked for blacklisting the firm -- Amir Muqam and Company.The company is owned by Amir Muqam, an engineer-turned-contractor who for the first time contested the 2002 general election as a candidate of Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal and won the lone National Assembly seat from his native Shangla district. He later quit his party, joined the PML-Q and started supporting General Pervez Musharraf, who called him his brother.Amir Muqam served as a federal minister and subsequently joined the PML-N. He is presently the provincial president of PML-N in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. He contested and lost from all three assembly constituencies in the July 2018 general election. Amir Muqam’s younger brother Dr Ibadullah is the elected PML-N MNA from Shangla while his son is District Nazim of Shangla. “The inquiry conducted by the FIA has recommended recovery of Rs626 million from the company,” the source said.Amir Muqam said on Monday that the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) should act as per the law of the land instead of appeasing Prime Minister Imran Khan. He said that the FIA should not register cases on the basis of political victimization. He said the registration of fake cases was a travesty of justice.Muqam alleged that FIA had been harassing him at the behest of Minister for Communications Murad Saeed. He asserted that he enjoyed an unblemished reputation and his political adversaries were conspiring against him. He said he could not be scared through fake cases and political victimisation.

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