Procedure followed in construction of Pakistan Monument: Minister
By Asad Cheema

ISLAMABAD—Caretaker Minister for Inter-provincial Coordination Dr. Muhammad Amjad Tuesday said a proper procedure was followed in the construction of Pakistan Monument in the federal capital.
Replying to a question raised by Muhammad Azam Khan Swati, he said Universal Corporation (Pvt) Limited was awarded the contract for construction of Pakistan Monument in Islamabad. He said open procedure for completion of pre-qualification process as a result of notice in the newspapers was duly followed by the concerned authority.
The Minister said there was an open bidding and competition for the bidders to win the project at the lowest cost and the Planning Commission got the project approved from ECNEC on February 18 2004 before its execution.
He said Pakistan Council of Architects organised a design competition in September 2002 and a jury of experts was formed to select some designs out of twenty designs submitted to the council.
Dr. Amjad said three short listed designs were presented to President Pervez Musharraf and a design submitted by Arif Mehmood was selected as the best design winning him a cash prize of Rs 200,000 .
He said a total of 574 million rupees was approved for the project, but it was completed in 565 million rupees to commemorate the historic dream of freedom for the Muslims of the sub-continent and their glorious saga of struggle and sacrifice for creation of Pakistan.
Caretaker Minister for Tourism Barrister Muhammad Ali Saif while replying to a question raised by Shahid Hassan Bugti said a total number of 4,14,100 foreign tourists visited Pakistan from 1st January to 30th June, 2007.
He said when any foreigner applies for a visa, he or she must identify the purpose of the visit that helps the Ministry evaluate the number of tourists visiting the country every year.
The Minister said the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Interior also informed the Tourism Ministry about the tourists who aspire to visit different areas of Pakistan.
He said open procedure for completion of pre-qualification process as a result of notice in the newspapers was duly followed by the concerned authority.