Daily Times

Sir: It is being reported in the national media that NATO’s heavy trucks for its supply convoys to Afghanistan are causing serious damage to Pakistani roads, especially the Karachi-Peshawar highway. Now we are negotiating reopening the supply route. It is also reported that countries that are interested in reopening the routes are convincing Pakistan that they would help in rebuilding the roads. Here we have a golden chance. Since 1997, we are busy constructing motorways in Pakistan but in one and a half decades, we have covered only Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Our myopic bureaucracy could not see that there were two more provinces. Now would we have some concrete plans for road infrastructure or we would as usual receive money, hire some politically appointed contractors and waste all the money in two to three years?

Our eastern neighbour has received $ 1 trillion for its road infrastructure for five years. They have completed two gigantic corridors one east to west, which started from their Punjab to its westernmost state of Assam. The north-south corridor covers Ladakh to Kanya Kumari, the southern tip on the Indian Ocean. We must take a look at our faulty economic policies in the region. Our condition is like Rip Van Winkle who woke up from his two-decade slumber and found that everything was changed around him.

My wish is that the US Corps of Engineers should be asked to build the Karachi-Peshawar highway project. They built Kharian cantonment in 1954-58, the biggest garrison in Pakistan. A big and positive change in the US came after its highway infrastructure was built.

Our eastern neighbour is following suit. Our media is only highlighting its military spending but not its economic evolution. For a healthy competition and for our knowledge, our media should highlight what economic activities are taking place around us.

KUNWAR KHALID

Karachi