ISLAMABAD, July 10: A ‘favour’ given to the military-run Frontier Works Organisation by former president Gen (retd) Pervez Musharraf to provide rescue and emergency services to commuters on motorways was questioned in Senate on Tuesday.

The upper house was informed that the former chief executive had given the contract to the FWO to provide rescue and emergency services to motorists on motorways on a single tender basis and no bidding was called in this regard.

The question was raised by Senator Tahir Hussain Mashhadi to seek details of first aid and other facilities being provided to motorists on motorways.

Replying to the question, Communications Minister Arbab Alamgir Khan said that the contract had been given to the FWO by the then chief executive through an executive order.

“The tender was given on single tender basis under which the FWO has been providing ambulance, doctors, fire brigade, light crane, heavy duty crane and helpers’ services to motorists on the motorways,” he said.

For emergency, he said, the FWO had been providing first aid at the accident site, ambulance service, fire extinguishing, evacuation of casualties/ seriously injured commuters to the nearest designated hospitals.

However, the minister expressed dissatisfaction over the services being provided by the FWO.

A supplementary question was raised by Senator Farhatullah Babar who said as to how could the Frontier Works Organisation, which was mainly an engineering organisation, provide medical services and expertise to motorists.

On this question, the communications minister assured Senators that he was going to re-tender the contract.