ISLAMABAD – Mishal Pakistan, the World Economic Forum’s country partner, has written to Senate Chairman Yousaf Raza Gillani, flagging a potential conflict of interest involving Senator Saifullah Abbro, whose family’s construction firm is executing National Highway Authority (NHA) contracts while he serves on the Senate committee overseeing the same agency.
The letter, signed by Mishal Pakistan CEO Amir Jahangir, states that Qalandar Bakhsh Abro & Company, a construction firm engaged in NHA contracts, lists Senator Abbro’s son as Chief Executive Officer and his daughter as a director. At the same time, the senator is an active member of the Senate Standing Committee on Communications.
“This overlap creates a direct conflict of interest,” the letter said, adding that it could negatively impact global governance metrics and violate constitutional and legal provisions.
When contacted, Senator Abbro rejected the allegations, calling the letter a reaction to his efforts to expose corruption in public departments. While speaking to The Nation, he acknowledged that his family’s company was working in interior Sindh on NHA contracts but maintained that all contracts were awarded on merit.
“The firm is not involved in the CAREC Tranche-III project,” he said, claiming that other lawmakers, including Engineer Amir Muqam, Senator Abdul Qadir and Senator Ahmed Khan, were also bidding for the same contract.
However, Mishal’s letter cites media reports alleging that Senator Abbro exerted undue influence on NHA officials while maintaining financial interests in a firm benefiting from NHA tenders. It warns that this may contravene Senate rules, Rule 163(1), Section 230 of the Elections Act 2017, and Articles 62 and 63 of the Constitution.
The letter also references a previous instance in 2023 when Senator Abbro was removed from the Senate Committee on Power over similar allegations of interference, an event that reportedly raised concerns among foreign donors.
The current matter reportedly involves contracts linked to Asian Development Bank financing and Chinese implementing firms.
Mishal Pakistan has urged the Senate chairman to initiate an independent inquiry and to suspend Senator Abbro from related committees during the investigation.
