PESHAWAR – Germany’s ambassador in Pakistan has questioned the performance of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government, which has supposedly built a road in Nowshera at a much higher cost than the diplomat’s expectations.

Martin Kobler, who finds himself ‘a Pakistani at heart’, took to Twitter on Wednesday and compared the price of two roads in Nowshehra’s Azakhel area – one financed by Germany, having a 12-inch layer of concrete; and the other built by KP government, with a 6-inch layer.

https://twitter.com/KoblerinPAK/status/1070259340869812224?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1070259340869812224&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.pakistantoday.com.pk%2F2018%2F12%2F05%2Fnowsheras-substandard-road-built-at-double-the-price-reveals-german-envoy%2F%3Ffbclid%3DIwAR3Hy4qJnFWw-2J0mEWJOaPR-mOKpx9fmwT4dcgBjLPvq-6jaf-72FS0rZY

“1 km build by villagers cost 4 million with a 12-inch layer. Same road built by @KPGovernment costs 10 million pkr with lower quality (6 inches). CAN YOU TELL ME WHY??” the envoy asked in the tweet.

Responding to Ambassador Kobler’s tweet, a PTI’s lawmaker from Nowshera clarified that the contractors didn’t keep their share on the projects funded by the NGO. On the other hand, the government “has to pay taxes on its projects and the cost increases by 22%”, Imran Khattak said.

The 65-year-old, after his appointment to Pakistan, has been to different parts of the country where he mingled with locals, visited local eateries, stopped to buy things from food vendors and traveled in a train.