ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi said on Saturday that development projects should be completed on time without compromising on their quality and transparency. He was addressing a meeting held to review ongoing road construction projects in the country. The PM was informed that construction of the Western Route of China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) was a priority project due to the enormous economic benefits attached to it. The meeting was informed that work on DI Khan Expressway was in full swing and it would be completed by next year at a cost of around Rs 122 billion. The National Highways Authority (NHA) chairman said that timely construction of the Peshawar-Karachi Motorway was another priority project. “The motorway is expected to be completed by the end of this year at a cost of Rs 34 billion, whereas the Havelian-Thakot and Sukkur-Multan Motorway will be completed by 2019,” the meeting was told. The PM was informed that the Karachi-Hyderabad Motorway would be completed this year. “Whereas the Multan-Lahore Motorway is being completed at a cost of Rs 149 billion,” he was informed. Earlier, newly-appointed Pakistan prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi has vowed to implement the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and personally supervise the speedy completion of its projects. “Beyond CPEC, our economic cooperation will further enhance,” Abbasi had said during a meeting with Chinese Ambassador Sun Weidong on Thursday. PM urges media: Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi on Saturday said that media had to play a responsible role in informing the general public in an unbiased manner. He expressed these views while talking to Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Maryum Aurangzeb and Spokesperson of the Prime Minister Dr Musadiq Malik at the PM Office. “Media is an important stakeholder in the democratic system,” he said. He was also briefed about the working of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting during the meeting. Published in Daily Times, August 6th 2017.