Web Desk: Questions over the performance of the National Logistics Cell (NLC) in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa have intensified after an investigation cited government records to challenge claims that project cancellations and delays were primarily linked to the organisation’s performance.
The review by Independent Investigations said available official documents indicated that financial constraints and security concerns were key factors behind several cancelled or delayed projects, rather than poor workmanship or inadequate performance by NLC.
According to the investigation, four major bridge projects in Peshawar were discontinued amid a shortage of funds within the provincial government.
Similarly, work associated with Sheikh Badin-I, Sheikh Badin-II and the Lakki Marwat Nursing College was halted amid security concerns and financial pressures facing the province.
The investigation said its examination of official records found no project awarded to NLC that had been cancelled specifically because of poor performance or substandard quality.
Despite criticism from the provincial government, NLC continues to work on a number of major development schemes in the province, according to the report.
Two flyovers being built in Dera Ismail Khan have an estimated cost of Rs2.607 billion. The project was handed to NLC following a request from former Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur and was originally scheduled for completion in October 2027.
The investigation said accelerated construction could allow the project to finish around April 2027, several months ahead of its contractual deadline.
Meanwhile, construction of Digital City Haripur, valued at Rs896 million, remains under way despite reported delays in the release of provincial funds.
Work on the Rs1.68 billion Tanda Dam project in Kohat is also progressing through a technically demanding phase, the report said.
The investigation also highlighted several major schemes that NLC has completed in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and subsequently handed over to the provincial authorities.
Among them are the Hayatabad Sports Complex, completed at a reported cost of Rs1.012 billion, and the Bab-e-Peshawar Flyover, which cost about Rs1.25 billion.
Other completed projects cited in the review include service roads along Peshawar’s Ring Road, the Mardan Mega Park, Sheikh Maltoon Town development, the Charsadda Chowk Flyover and the Javed Chowk Flyover in Mardan.
The reported costs of those projects were Rs1.16 billion, Rs391 million, Rs384 million, Rs516 million and Rs460 million respectively.
The report singled out Digital City Haripur as an example of how funding constraints can affect project timelines.
The scheme was initially expected to take 18 months and was due to be completed in November 2023. However, the investigation said delays in the release of funds by the provincial government pushed the expected completion date to December 2026.
NLC has continued construction despite the funding difficulties, according to the report.
At the heart of the controversy is the question of who should bear responsibility when development projects in the province fall behind schedule.
The investigation concluded that NLC remained bound by the terms of its contracts, while a lack of timely provincial financing contributed significantly to interruptions and delays across several schemes.
The findings therefore challenge the assertion that NLC’s performance alone was responsible for cancelled or delayed projects.
However, the claims remain part of an ongoing dispute between the provincial government and NLC, and the cited assessment does not by itself settle the competing positions.
The dispute is likely to keep attention focused on the progress, financing and contractual obligations of major infrastructure projects in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
For the provincial government, the central issue is the delivery of development schemes and the use of public funds. For NLC, the records cited in the investigation are being presented as evidence that financial and security constraints, rather than organisational shortcomings, account for many of the setbacks.
As projects continue, their completion dates, funding flows and official performance assessments are expected to provide a clearer measure of responsibility for the delays.
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