Pakistan Today quoted journalist Mumtaz Bhatti as saying that the federal minister wanted the former KPT chairman to award the contract of $70m to MIBT, a company owned by his friend. However, Akhtar refused and told the minister that the contract will only be awarded via standard bidding procedure.
Later in the bidding process, a company named RAMD made a bid of $13-15m for the same project for which MIBT had asked for $70m. “Subsequently, Zaidi allegedly got the finance director removed, but that didn’t work out. Eventually, Zaidi in connivance with a secretary and his ‘friend’ in Islamabad sent the chairman of the KPT packing,” the news outlet noted.
Earlier on March 25, the federal government had removed Akhtar from the post of KPT chairman with immediate effect.
A notification was also issued in the regard: “The federal government is pleased to remove Rear Admiral Jamil Akhtar (retd) from the post of Chairman Karachi Port Trust (KPT) under Ministry of Maritime Affairs, forthwith by modifying/reducing his period of initial appointment in terms of Section 11 of KPT Act, 1886, with immediate effect.”