Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif unveils the plaque of M9 Motorway. PHOTO: APP
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has said that by building a state-of-the-art roads network his government wants to bring closer the hearts of people living across the country.
“We want to bring hearts of people living across the country closer, and linking of the provinces through motorways will develop such a close bond between them,” the premier said on Wednesday while performing the ground-breaking of M-9 Karachi-Hyderabad Motorway, which is the first phase of Lahore-Karachi Motorway. He said the modern road network would not only boost national economy but also help generate employment opportunities and alleviate poverty.
Highlighting the advantages of the project, he said it would eventually benefit billions of people across the region and help create a positive image of Pakistan. The Karachi-Hyderabad section would be completed in two-and-a-half years at a cost of Rs36 billion. The Frontier Works Organisation (FWO) and National Highway Authority will jointly carry out the project.
Premier Nawaz said materialisation of the Lahore-Karachi Motorway project was one of his biggest dreams. “I had a dream to develop such roads which I’m going to fulfill,” he said. The motorway will be constructed in sections, including Hyderabad-Sukkur, Sukkur-Multan and Multan-Lahore, that will link the country from Peshawar to Karachi through a road network.
“This is very unfortunate that we have weak communication network in Pakistan due to which we have failed to be part of the developed world,” the premier regretted. “We should learn from our past and initiate such projects on a war footing.”
Pakistan has talented youth that can play an important role in national development, he said, adding that the government had initiated a number of mega projects in around 20 months and M-9 was part of his vision. The 42-kilometre-long Malir Expressway that would link the Karachi port to M-9 so that commuters do not experience any delays, he added.
While talking about the multibillion-dollar Pakistan-China Economic Corridor project, Premier Nawaz said, “The Sukkur-Multan road will be part of this corridor. After completion of this project, which is being built on modern lines, people will prefer travelling by roads, rather than by air.”
The road network, he further said, would be extended to Kabul. “Among other issues I have also talked to Afghan President Ashraf Ghani on road sector,” the premier said, adding that soon Pakistan’s road network would be connecting Karachi and Gwadar ports to Khunjerab and Central Asian Republics.
He lauded the efforts of FWO in rendering their services while developing the road networks. “The FWO jawans have laid down their lives for linking together strategic areas of the country.”
Published in The Express Tribune, March 12th, 2015.
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