After Years of Delay, Abbottabad Interchange Project Set to Break Ground
ABBOTTABAD: The Abbottabad Interchange project has been reapproved, with inauguration expected soon by Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif, according to former Federal Minister and PML-N Provincial General Secretary Murtaza Javed Abbasi.
Abbasi said the project was originally announced by the Prime Minister in 2022 on his request, while its tender was issued in 2023. He clarified that although some political circles had linked the project’s progress to Governor Faisal Karim Kundi, the approval and tendering process had already been completed before his appointment, and such claims are misleading.
He further stated that Rs. 600 million had already been released for the project, while the cost of acquiring 119 kanals of land was initially estimated at Rs. 115 million. However, according to him, the District Administration later revised the land acquisition cost to Rs. 810 million, an increase of nearly 800 percent.
Due to the escalation, the project was referred to the Central Development Working Party (CDWP) for review, after which it has now received fresh approval following consideration by the National Highway Authority’s Departmental Development Committee.
Abbasi said construction work on the long-pending scheme is expected to begin soon, terming it a “gift” from the Prime Minister and the Pakistan Muslim League for the people of Abbottabad, Lower Tanawal, and parts of Mansehra and Haripur. He also credited his own sustained efforts for advancing the project and thanked the Prime Minister for its approval.
Meanwhile, political activity around the project has intensified at the district level, as both the Pakistan Muslim League and the Pakistan Peoples Party are claiming credit for securing and releasing funds for the interchange.
Leaders from both parties argue that their continuous efforts and political advocacy at the federal level played a key role in moving the project forward. They maintain that earlier groundwork, including efforts dating back to the motorway inauguration period, contributed to the current approval, and that the “fruit of those efforts” is now visible in the form of the revived project.
The development has sparked a renewed debate in the district over political ownership of development schemes, even as residents await the commencement of long-delayed construction work.