Minister of State for Planning, Development & Special Initiatives Chaudhry Armaghan Subhani on Tuesday rejected the claim that Rs 467 billion from the Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP) was being diverted to the Bahawalpur Motorway project, stating that “not a single penny” from ongoing PSDP-funded schemes had been allocated or shifted to it.
Responding to a calling attention notice in the National Assembly, Chaudhry Armaghan Subhani categorically rejected the claim raised by Naveed Qamar that Rs 467 billion from the PSDP was being diverted to the Bahawalpur Motorway project. He stressed that ongoing PSDP-funded schemes remained unaffected.
He reminded the House that he had already given a categorical reply regarding the Bahawalpur Motorway, adding that the second concern raised pertained to the Sukkur-Hyderabad Motorway. He said the project was among the government’s top priorities and comprised five packages – two being taken over by the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), one by the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB), while two others were being executed under the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) mode.
Chaudhry Armaghan said no part of the project was being ignored, and that developing a working relationship with international financing institutions typically required at least a year. He added that the working process with AIIB was “almost complete” and assured the House that the remaining components would also be fast-tracked. He said both he and the government fully supported the project, which he described as a “backbone” for Pakistan’s connectivity.
Responding to Sharmila Faruqui, he reiterated that the claim of diverting Rs 467 billion was incorrect. He added that the 18.5-kilometre section discussed in the CDWP meeting was part of the PSDP, and would proceed through the proper forum. The CDWP had recommended forwarding the case to ECNEC, while any remaining alignment or funding would either be managed by the province or placed under PPP mode, as the federal government was not committing any additional funding at this stage.
Replying to Syed Rafiullah, Chaudhry Armaghan acknowledged the member’s interest in the Sukkur-Hyderabad Motorway and said the progress made so far aligned with the Prime Minister’s vision. He noted that governments of all political parties had remained in power at different times, but the distinctive achievement of the current leadership was its active push to complete the motorway. He added that all five packages currently under work were advancing due to the Prime Minister’s special focus, expressing confidence that the Karachi-Hyderabad-Sukkur Motorway would move to completion.