Pakistan pitches motorways to Saudi investors
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Friday invited Saudi investors to participate in the construction of the long-awaited Sukkur-Hyderabad Motorway (M6) and two other major highway projects, as Islamabad sought to attract foreign capital into its expanding transport infrastructure sector.
Once completed, the motorway is expected to provide uninterrupted motorway connectivity from Karachi Port to Peshawar and onward to Gilgit.
The offer was extended by Federal Communications Minister Aleem Khan during a meeting with the Chairman of the Saudi-Pakistan Joint Business Council, Prince Mansour bin Muhammad Al Saud, who held high-level talks with the minister on promoting bilateral economic cooperation and investment.
According to the Ministry of Communications, Aleem Khan presented investment opportunities in three strategic road projects: the M6 Sukkur-Hyderabad Motorway, the M10 Karachi Port and the M13 Kharian-Rawalpindi motorways. The minister described the projects as commercially attractive ventures with strong potential for long-term returns.
The outreach comes as Pakistan accelerates efforts to develop its road infrastructure and secure private-sector participation in large-scale transport projects.
In April, the National Highway Authority (NHA) and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) signed an agreement for the construction of two sections of the M6 Motorway, a project regarded as a critical component of the country’s north-south transport corridor.
At the time, Mr Khan termed the agreement a significant milestone, saying the motorway project, which had remained unrealised for nearly three decades, was expected to move forward within two years. He described the M6 as the missing link in the Karachi-Sukkur corridor and a project of considerable economic importance.
The 306-kilometre, six-lane motorway will include 15 interchanges and 10 service areas. It is the only remaining missing segment in the motorway network connecting Karachi and Peshawar.
During Friday’s discussions, the minister formally invited the Saudi Business Council (SBC) to explore investment opportunities in Pakistan’s transport infrastructure, particularly in motorway development and related connectivity projects.
He said the proposed routes offered strong commercial prospects and could generate attractive returns for investors due to their strategic location and economic significance.
The minister assured the Saudi delegation that investors would be offered commercially viable investment models and noted that the expansion of Pakistan’s road network was playing a key role in facilitating trade and economic activity across the region.
Both sides also reaffirmed the importance of strengthening economic cooperation between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia through institutional platforms such as the Saudi-Pakistan Business Council.
Prince Mansour expressed the SBC’s interest in examining partnership opportunities in the motorway schemes, saying the council was well-positioned to collaborate in Pakistan’s communications and infrastructure sectors.