Govt to extend road network to Afghanistan, Central Asia

[LahoreEstate]

Govt to extend road network to Afghanistan, Central Asia

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan is situated at a strategic location and the present government is committed to extend roads network up to Afghanistan and Central Asia to cash in on the benefits by getting access to landlocked countries.

Federal Minister for Communications Dr Arbab Alamgir Khan expressed these views while addressing the business community at Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ICCI). He said Central Asian countries offered tremendous trade and economic opportunities and Pakistan could become a gateway for them by connecting through road network. He said 20 percent of the development budget was spent on improving road infrastructure as no economy could grow without developing a well-developed communication infrastructure. He said Pakistan had 290,000 kilometers of metalled roads of which National Highway Authority (NHA) was managing 11,900 kilometers. He said 80 percent of commercial traffic was handled by roads network while Railways was handling only 3 percent of it.

Dr Arbab Alamgir Khan said Swat had suffered a loss of Rs 50 billion so far due to the activities of militancy and present government was the only one who owned the problem while the previous governments adopted ad hoc approach to deal with this serious issue. The minister lauded the role of business community and termed them as the biggest contributors for developing the national economy. The government would resolve their problems on priority as their betterment and development would bring prosperity to the country. Speaking on the occasion, Mian Shaukat Masud, President, Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry highlighted the problems being faced by the business community. He said law and order problems were discouraging investment in the country and government should bring improvement in business environment for promotion of business, investment and exports.

He said Pakistan’s economic and social development could not be achieved without having a modern and efficient road infrastructure. He said focus should be on upgrading the road network according to global standards. He said well-developed roads network was must for the development of agriculture and rural economy. The present condition of roads, particularly in rural areas was pathetic. This area should be given priority to unleash opportunities of business and economic activities in our rural economy. staff report

http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp...2009_pg5_9