Babusar Top incident: Why tourists not stopped from entering dangerous areas, Senate penal asks NHA
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Chairman Senate Standing Committee on Communications Senator Pervaiz Rashid presides over the committee on July 28, 2025. — Facebook@Pakistansenate
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ISLAMABAD: Referring to the recent Babusar Top incident, the Senate Standing Committee for Communications on Monday questioned the National Highway Authority (NHA) as to why it did not take steps to prevent tourists from entering the area despite being aware of the dangers.
It also raised concerns over irrelevant posting, including MBBS/BDS doctors and officials of the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), whose ability was not in accordance with the NHA mandate.
During the committee meeting chaired by Senator Pervez Rashid, members pointed out that on the motorways, if a vehicle was found at a more speedy, the driver immediately. He was detained and his family was left behind, while in some cases the motorway officials were reportedly informed of the misconduct. He questioned why similar steps cannot be taken to prevent tourists from going to effective areas like Babusar Top.
The committee directed that motorway police officials should be directed to avoid mismanagement with the public, Chairman Senator Pervez Rashid has recommended the IG Motorway Police to summon the IG Motorway Police for detailed briefing on the matter.
The committee sought a comprehensive list of 43 deputations (BS-16 and above) serving at the National Institute of Health (NIH), including details such as names, positions, qualifications, parental departments, deputation duration, and the number of expansion. Of the 20,900 employees, 43 were initially on deputation, and now the number has dropped to 39, the NHA chairman said. One member termed the situation as alarming and said that according to the court’s directive, deputation should not be more than three years, while several officers in the NHA have exceeded the limit.
There were also concerns about irrelevant posting, including MBBS/BDS doctors and NDMA officials, whose ability was not in accordance with the NHA mandate. The committee questioned why such non -competitive appointments were made instead of hiring professionals through a merit -based process. After that, the chairman of the committee recommended that a detailed discussion would be held at the next meeting.
The committee was also informed about the possibility of availability of funds for the construction of Sehwan Bypass under the Central Asia Regional Economic Cooperation (CAREC) Program Tranch One Project. The Chairman of the NHA said that the CEREC TRUNCH 1 project was approved by the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council on July 26, 2017 on July 26, 2017 at a cost of Rs 21,041 million. Subsequently, the first revised PC-I was approved by ECNEC on December 30, 2024, with the latest cost of Rs 29,966 million. For the financial year 2025-26, a fund of Rs 1,323 million has been allocated for the financial support project under the Asian Development Bank (ADB) loan, which was due to be closed on December 31 this year.
The committee was informed that Messrs The committee was told that the Sean Bypass could not be included in the ADB-funded Carec Trache1 project, which was at the closing stage. The revised PC-I was approved with the completion date of December 31, 2025, and no additional scope could be adjusted.
It was noted that any new work would require ADB approval and policy compliance, while land acquisition funds were not available. With the completion of the two parts and the third completion, it was suggested that the CHEwan Bypass be picked up in the next Public Sector Development Program (PSDP) through a separate PC -1.
The committee was briefed by the NHA about the flood -affected part of the Indus Highway during the flood of the Lake of 2022.
A comprehensive briefing was also given to the Committee on the current status of the M-6 Motorway Project. It was reported that Hyderabad Soccer Motorway (M-6) was an important project and on the top priority of the government and the NHA. It was highlighted that the Islamic Development Bank (ISDB) has indicated US $ 475 million for two parts (4 and 5). The request for advance purchase was discussed with the ISDB and formal approval was being processed.
The meeting was attended by Senators Zamir Hussain Ghooro, Jam Saifullah Khan, Saifullah Awabar, Dost Ali Jasir, Plosha Mohammad Zai Khan, Kamil Ali Agha, Abdul -Awas and Ministry of Communications and the concerned departments.
