Daily Times

Sindh has raised concerns about the federal government’s decision to fund a Rs436 billion motorway focused on Punjab, bypassing the Sukkur-Hyderabad motorway. The new project is part of the Lahore-Sahiwal-Bahawalnagar motorway and has been approved by the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (Ecnec). However, Sindh Minister Saeed Ghani argued that this move ignores the previously declared priority of the Sukkur-Hyderabad motorway.

Ghani highlighted that the Sukkur-Hyderabad motorway, which is 306 km long, has not yet started due to a lack of funding. This project is seen as crucial for connecting the South-North road network in Pakistan. Ghani pointed out that the Rs436 billion allocated for the Lahore motorway could have been used to kickstart the Sukkur-Hyderabad project, which is also estimated to cost nearly Rs400 billion.

The decision to prioritize the Lahore motorway has raised questions about the fairness of the federal allocation. Ghani also noted that the federal government’s actions violate the National Fiscal Pact, signed as part of the $7 billion IMF programme. This pact emphasizes the devolution of expenditures for regional infrastructure projects to the provinces.

The National Highway Authority (NHA) has been in talks with creditors for the Sukkur-Hyderabad motorway, also known as M-6. However, the federal government’s decision to fund the Punjab-centric motorway remains a point of contention. With Pakistan facing a resource crunch and IMF restrictions, the decision is adding to the debate on equitable development across provinces.