Sukkur-Hyderabad-Karachi Motorway top priority: Finance Minister

ISLAMABAD, May 15 (APP):Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb on Thursday assured the National Assembly that the Sukkur-Hyderabad-Karachi Motorway is essential for Pakistan’s economic connectivity and will be completed at all costs.

Responding to concerns raised by lawmakers, the minister said the project has been prioritized and will move forward with funding either through foreign sources or the Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP).

He said the federal budget is currently being finalized, and the Minister for Planning will be informed about the importance of the project so that appropriate allocations can be made.

Minister of State for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives, Chaudhry Armaghan Subhani while responding to calling attention notice over the project’s exclusion from the PSDP 2024–25, he clarified that although the motorway did not make it to this year’s development portfolio, he assured members that the Sukkur-Hyderabad Motorway (M-6) would be included in the PSDP 2025–26 and treated as a priority initiative under multiple funding mechanisms.

He added that the Ministry of Communications has already proposed Rs 10 billion for the M-6 in the next PSDP, with the figure subject to revision.

“This project will be reflected not only in the PSDP but also supported through foreign funding and Public-Private Partnership (PPP) models,” he said adding that groundwork is underway to begin the project in the next fiscal year.

He informed the House that global financial institutions, including the Asian Development Bank (ADB), are interested in co-financing the motorway and that negotiations are in progress.

Dismissing allegations of regional favoritism, he said the M-6 is not a Punjab-centric project, pointing out that only an 18-kilometer stretch falls in Punjab, while the rest covers Sindh and Balochistan, including key routes like Karachi to Quetta.

He confirmed that the motorway project is in an advanced planning phase, with land acquisition and preliminary work already started.

“This project is part of our government’s broader motorway network vision initiated by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. We are fully committed to completing the Sukkur-Hyderabad Motorway,” he said.

The minister said that the motorway will not only bridge a crucial infrastructure gap but also promote economic growth and strengthen regional connectivity.

1 women killed, 2 injured  in Islamabad cylinder blast

ISLAMABAD, May 15 (APP):Atleast one women was killed on the spot while other two family members were critically injured after a powerful cylinder blast in Islamabad’s Shahzad Town on Thursday

afternoon.

According to police sources, a gas leakage is believed to be the cause of the cylinder blast that claimed one life on the spot and injured two people in Islamabad’s Shahzad Town, private news channel reported.

Investigations are likely underway to determine the exact cause of the leak.