Islamabad: Ch Shujaat urges action against officials mulling to demolish Centaurus

[Naveed Yaseen]

By Hanif Khalid
.... The delegation that visited the Zahoor Palace to condole the death of Chaudhry Shujaat's mother included Sardar Tanvir Ilyas, a candidate of the PML-Q for a Senate seat and partner in the Centaurus project. Sardar Tanvir later told The News by telephone that on the occasion Amir Muqam, former minister Ejaz Ali Durrani, MPA Nighat Orakzai and other PML-Q leaders were present.

According to Sardar Tanvir, the PML-Q chief said that Centaurus was a joint Pak-Saudi project and the threat of bulldozing it amounted to bulldozing Pakistan's brotherly relationship with Saudi Arabia. He said that they had raised the issue with the prime minister when he visited Gujrat a day earlier and were now awaiting his response. He said that instead of the top level, a minister and low-ranking officials had threatened to bulldoze the Centaurus project. He demanded immediate sacking of the said officials.

"We will not play the role of a silent spectator over the threat of razing the Centaurus project, which is a symbol of the Pak-Saudi friendship. We are hopeful of significant relief from Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani. If the government does not extend any relief and does not take any action against those who are hurling threats, it would be impossible for us to continue our unconditional cooperation with the government," Chaudhry Shujaat said.
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... Meanwhile, the CDA sources told The News that its chairman gave no threat to bulldoze the under construction structure of the multi-billion Centaurus, which is owned jointly by Sardar Tanvir's company and Al-Tamimi Group of Saudi Arabia.

A senior official of CDA said no telephone call was made to the company's Managing Director Kokab Mohiuddin to demolish the structure if Sardar Tanvir did not withdraw his nomination papers. "We never issue such threats to any investor rather we always facilitate them in timely completion of their projects," he said.
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