Premier set to inaugurate major road projects soon
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will inaugurate several major highway projects in the coming months, including the Lodhran–Multan Expressway, expansion of the Pindi Bhattian-Faisalabad Motorway and the Peshawar Northern Bypass, a federal minister said on Wednesday.
Federal Minister for Communications Aleem Khan made the remarks while presiding over a meeting of the National Highway Authority (NHA), where ongoing and proposed projects, revenue enhancement, road safety, development programmes and financial matters were reviewed.
He said work on the Sialkot-Kharian Motorway was also progressing rapidly, while construction had commenced on the Karachi-Quetta-Chaman Pakistan Expressway (N-25).
Expressing concern over the poor condition of the Lahore-Gujranwala GT Road, Mr Khan directed NHA authorities to take immediate measures to improve the road condition and provide relief to citizens travelling on the important route.
The NHA has successfully met its revenue enhancement targets set two years ago, Mr Khan noted.
Moving forward, the agency plans to finance the construction of new roads using existing revenue streams. However, officials during the meeting decided to ask the federal government for Rs108bn to fund separate NHA projects in Balochistan.
Highlighting road safety, the minister expressed reservations about the design of the M-4 and other existing highways. He directed the NHA to engage foreign experts to improve engineering and ensure Pakistan’s roads are green, safe and built to modern international standards.
“The complete protection of human lives must remain the top priority,” Mr Khan said, instructing NHA engineering staff to adopt international best practices for motorist comfort and safety.
During a briefing on the availability of funds for the M-6 Motorway and other ongoing public sector projects, officials highlighted the strain on the national infrastructure.
The meeting was informed that the NHA manages just around three per cent of the country’s road network, yet more than 80pc of the country’s traffic moves on this network.
The NHA will soon give PM Shehbaz a detailed presentation reviewing the authority’s performance over the past two and a half years.
Ties with China
Separately, PM Shehbaz reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to further strengthening its all-weather strategic cooperative partnership with China, describing the decades-old friendship as a bond built on mutual trust, unwavering support and deep affinity between the two peoples.
Addressing a reception marking the 77th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China, PM Shehbaz said Pakistan and China were also celebrating the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations this year.
He said China’s transformation and its contribution to global peace, stability and development continued to inspire countries around the world.
Chinese Ambassador to Pakistan Jiang Zaidong said both countries were all-weather strategic cooperative partners and highlighted growing economic ties, including bilateral trade reaching $16.44bn from January to July, up 13.4pc year-on-year.
The ambassador said China would continue cooperation with Pakistan in industry, agriculture, mining, health, education and climate change while advancing the high-quality development of CPEC 2.0.