Trade corridor: Road projects to change Pakistan’s landscape, says PM

ISLAMABAD:

The unprecedented road infrastructure construction under the National Highway Authority (NHA) will change the entire landscape of Pakistan from Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Jammu and Kashmir to Karachi and Gwadar, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said on Saturday.

Chairing a high-level meeting at the Prime Minister House, he said these development projects, including the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), ran through all the provinces. “The entire country will benefit from the fruits of this gigantic structural development activity under way across the length and breadth of Pakistan.”

Nawaz was given a detailed briefing on the NHA road portfolio projects during the meeting. He was informed that an investment of $1 billion from the private sector in the road infrastructure projects would be achieved by the end of September, and the overall communication network construction would contribute about 1% to 1.5% to the gross domestic product.

The premier was also informed that with the completion of under-construction and proposed projects, a total of 1,272 kilometres would be added to the existing motorways network.

Nawaz ordered that all projects be completed by December 2017, other than those scheduled for earlier completion.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 30^th, 2015.