Govt, AIIB discuss key motorway projects in Pakistan
Pakistan's Communications Minister met with AIIB officials to discuss accelerating key infrastructure projects, including major motorways and new services, aiming for completion within two years.
- Pakistan's critical motorway projects, including Karachi-Hyderabad-Sukkur.
- New Air Ambulance and trauma centers on motorways.
- AIIB's strong interest in Pakistan's infrastructure collaboration.
The Vice President of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), Konstantin Limitovskiy, along with Director General Xiaohong Wang, discussed on Wednesday ongoing and proposed communication and infrastructure projects across Pakistan with Federal Minister for Communications, Abdul Aleem Khan.
During the meeting, the minister emphasized that partnership and investment with the AIIB are of paramount importance to Pakistan, as per a statement.
He stated that the government aims to complete many vital transportation and infrastructure projects within the next two years.
“The most critical project for Pakistan right now is the Karachi-Hyderabad and Hyderabad-Sukkur Motorway, which will play a pivotal role in the country’s economic development,“ he said.
He assured the delegation that the government will utilize all available resources to ensure its timely completion and aimed to complete the project within 2 years.
He also shared that the section of the motorway connecting to the Karachi Port will consist of 8 lanes, while the Hyderabad-Sukkur section will feature 6 lanes.
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During the meeting, Khan announced that the Lahore-Sialkot and Kharian-Rawalpindi motorway projects were also slated for completion within the next two years.
This project will reduce the travel distance between Lahore and Islamabad by 100 kilometers, saving an hour of travel time and resulting in billions of rupees in annual fuel savings, he said.
The communication minister also revealed that an Air Ambulance Service and modern trauma centres will be established on the motorways in collaboration with the Pakistan Air Force (PAF). Expressing gratitude to the Air Chief Marshal, the Minister noted that the Air Chief’s personal interest will ensure the swift launch of the Air Ambulance (helicopter) Service.
The Federal Minister extended an invitation to the AIIB delegation to visit completed National Highway Authority (NHA) projects.
“The AIIB delegation expressed strong interest in collaborating with the NHA, describing their visit as pleasant and confirming that they would also be visiting Lahore,” as per the statement.