Transparency International Pakistan (TI Pakistan) has raised serious concerns over the Sindh government’s award of a Rs15 billion solar home system project, urging Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah to order an immediate inquiry into alleged violations of public procurement rules and potential misuse of funds.
In a letter sent to the CM on September 10, 2025, TI Pakistan revealed it received a complaint alleging that the Sindh Energy Department bypassed open competitive bidding by awarding the contract directly to NRTC Energies (Pvt) Ltd. The project is meant to deliver 130,000 on-grid and 120,000 off-grid solar kits to poor families across the province under a special initiative.
According to the complaint, the agreement was signed on April 16, 2025, with Rs6 billion paid upfront to the contractor. TI Pakistan claims the deal was presented as a government-to-government (G2G) arrangement, even though NRTC Energies is a privately controlled company, which does not meet the legal definition of a state-owned enterprise under amended Public Procurement Regulatory Authority (PPRA) rules introduced in June 2021.
Under these rules, direct contracting is allowed only between government entities for urgent, public-interest projects. The watchdog argued that since multiple suppliers are available in the market to provide solar home systems, the situation did not qualify as an emergency, and the exemption granted under SPPRA Rule 21(1) was misused.
TI Pakistan also pointed out that NRTC Energies failed to disclose its ultimate beneficial ownership, a mandatory requirement under SECP’s Anti-Money Laundering and Countering Financing of Terrorism Regulations 2018 and FATF standards, raising further concerns about transparency and accountability.
The organization warned that such practices weaken procurement integrity, expose public resources to corruption, and undermine public trust.
“Prima facie, the allegations appear to be correct after reviewing the complaint and relevant rules,” TI Pakistan stated in its letter. It urged the chief minister to cancel the contract if violations are confirmed and to reinitiate the process through open competitive bidding, ensuring that the project delivers value for money and protects taxpayer funds.
Copies of the letter were also forwarded to the Sindh chief secretary, provincial energy minister, SPPRA managing director, and the registrar of the Sindh High Court to ensure action within their respective mandates.
TI Pakistan clarified that it was acting solely as a whistleblower under Article 19-A of the Constitution, which grants citizens the right to access public information. The watchdog stressed that the case would serve as a litmus test for Sindh’s commitment to clean governance and its resolve to enforce transparency in the use of public funds.
