Hazara Motorway projects will usher in a new era: PM Nawaz

[Salman]

CHICHIAN: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Thursday said that the ongoing construction of motorways, expressways and road networks in the country will change the destiny of the masses and usher in a new era of progress and prosperity.

The prime minister was speaking at a briefing given to him on the progress of work on the 60-kilometre six-lane dual carriage Hazara Motorway being constructed from Burhan to Havelian at a cost of Rs 22.34 billion.

The premier was accompanied by Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) Governor Sardar Mehtab Ahmad Khan Abbasi, Information Minister Pervaiz Rashid, Special Assistant to the PM Dr Asif Kirmani and MNA Capt (retd) Muhammad Safdar.

The prime minister recalled that he had performed the ground-breaking of the Hazara Motorway project last year and he was visiting the area now to review the progress on the project which is to be completed by the end of 2016.

“This is a huge project, which is part of the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), and will bring about progress and prosperity in the area through enhanced development activities, opening of schools, colleges, hospitals and help create job opportunities,” he said.

The prime minister said the ground-breaking of Lahore-Karachi would also be performed very soon while the work on Karachi-Hyderabad section of the motorway has already been started.

“I have directed the National Highway Authority (NHA) chairman to complete the construction of Lahore-Karachi Motorway within the next three years,” he said.

The prime minister said the construction work on road networks in Balochistan was also going on at fast pace, under which a corridor from Gawadar to Mianwali via Quetta, Zhob and DI Khan was being constructed, and would later be connected with Hasanabdal.

“This road network would be connected with the Central Asia through Afghanistan,” he added.