Project Director of New Islamabad Airport Removed

The federal government has removed yet another project director of new Islamabad airport, the fifth such removal of top executor of the under-construction airfield in 11 months, The Nation learnt on Saturday.

The removal of Project Director Brig (Retd) Mushtaq Ali comes at a time when Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has given March 23, 2015 as deadline for the completion of the airport; however, insiders said the accomplishment of the airport in stipulated time was feared to face further delay, besides escalation of the cost.

Though Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) argues the removal of the project director was in line with termination of his contract period, official sources involved in execution of the multibillion rupees project reveal the suspension was done because of slow pace of work.

The government has given additional charge of the project to Air Vice Marshal Riazul Haq and would float fresh advertisement for hiring permanent project director for the project.

CAA spokesman Abid Qaimkhani, when contacted, said the contract term of the outgoing project director had lapsed, adding advertisements will be floated in national media for appointment of new head of the airport.

Officials in CAA complain that the authority’s top officials had been engaged in construction of the airfield but the government had never given them a chance to work as project director of the project.

The first project director (Engr Musharraf Ali) was removed by the then Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhary. After a few months Riazul Haq was replaced with Engr Nadir Shafi Dar. But soon he was barred by Islamabad High Court from performing duty and the charge was again given to M Riazul Haq.

After a few weeks, Brig (Retd) Mushtaq was appointed as project director but his contract was not renewed by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Friday.

A source said the construction of main access road to the airport has been closed for CAA on the orders of high court, adding most of the contractors were implicated in court cases, resulting in expiry of project management consultant agreement. The under-construction airport near Fateh Jang would be the country’s first green field airport sprawling over the area of 13 square kilometres having two runways and state-of-the-art facilities.

The project was announced in January 2005 after a 10-year delay due to political...