Pakistan builds ‘South Asia’s longest’ 12.5KM river bridge in Sindh

Pakistan is constructing the longest river bridge in South Asia — the Ghotki-Kandhkot Bridge — in Sindh province. Spanning 12.5 kilometers, the bridge is expected to be completed by 2028 at a cost of Rs30.5 billion, a Sindh government official told Business Recorder.

“This is going to be the longest river bridge in the entire South Asian region,” said Syed Qasim Naveed Qamar, Special Assistant to the Chief Minister of Sindh on Investment and Public-Private Partnership, on the sidelines of his meeting with the business community on Thursday.

According to Qamar, work on the project has been progressing at full scale for the past two years. “We aim to complete the construction and inaugurate the bridge by 2028,” he said.

Situated at a strategic junction connecting the provinces of Balochistan, Punjab, and Sindh, the bridge is expected to significantly enhance regional connectivity. “This will not only bring prosperity to Pakistan but to the broader region as well,” Qamar added.

The bridge will drastically reduce travel time across the river — from the current 2.5 hours to just 15 minutes. “It will help address long standing issues such as law and order and incidents of kidnapping in katcha areas — the underdeveloped low-lying regions along the riverbanks,” he said.

Qamar noted that while Ghotki has seen some industrial growth and improved highway connectivity, similar development has been lacking in Kandhkot. “The bridge will open up job opportunities for people in Kandhkot and improve their livelihoods.”

During the meeting with the business community, Qamar and his team showcased around a dozen projects — including initiatives for special economic zones, roads and bridges, schools, and hospitals — with a combined estimated cost of over Rs 616 billion.

The objective of the meeting was to attract private sector participation in these initiatives through public-private partnerships.

Prominent businessmen who attended included Member of the National Assembly Mirza Ikhtiar Baig, Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry leader Zubair Motiwala, and renowned industrialist and stockbroker Arif Habib. Other notable attendees included Arif Elahi, Danish Khan, Junaid Naqi, Zahid Saeed, Sameer Chinoy, and Danish Elahi.