ISLAMABAD – Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Tuesday the development of road infrastructure connecting all provinces of the country, particularly the disadvantaged areas, was crucial for strengthening the national economy.
The prime minister, who laid the foundation stone of the Sukkur-Hyderabad Motorway (M-6), said connecting the deprived areas including Balochistan and Sindh would pave the way for economic and social development besides creating new business opportunities. The 306-km-long M-6 will be completed with Rs307 billion within 30 months in line with international standards. The M-6 portion will complete the North-South Motorway Corridor, also known as the Karachi-Peshawar motorway, and will interconnect major cities of the country.
The premier in his address at the event said it was a matter of satisfaction for the coalition government to restore construction work of the M-6 motorway that faced a prolonged delay due to the inefficiency of the previous government. He emphasised the need to ensure the quality and standard of the M-6 motorway no less than rest of the motorway network in the country. He directed the relevant authorities to complete the public-private project within the stipulated period of time.
The prime minister encouraged Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal to promote further projects on public-private projects so as to achieve the goals of development and prosperity. He also called for improving road connectivity from Balochistan to the up country in order to connect the significant Gwadar port and mainstream the province in the national economy. He said “cartels” opposed the development of Gwadar but its development is crucial for the Pakistan’s prosperity.
He announced the completion of the Sukkur Rohri bridge, which was earlier announced by former prime minister Nawaz Sharif.
