Pakistan considers four road projects under PPP model — Dawn

In Pakistan, the National Highway Authority (NHA), the Privatization Commission and the Public-Private Partnership Authority discussed the possibility of implementing four major road projects under a public-private partnership model. The meeting was held in Islamabad and co-chaired by Federal Minister for Communications Abdul Aleem Khan and Prime Minister’s Adviser on Privatization Muhammad Ali, Dawn reports.

Projects for private investors

The participants in the consultations assessed the financial feasibility and commercial prospects of road networks for possible private-sector participation. In particular, they considered implementing a 169-kilometre section of the M-10 motorway under a public-private partnership model.

They also discussed the construction of the Mansehra–Naran–Jalkhad–Chilas motorway, which is intended to connect the route with the Chinese border. The minister also described the Guru Nanak Expressway project as promising for this model, saying it could promote religious tourism among the Sikh community.

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NHA plans

Another project considered at the meeting was the extension of the Murree Expressway to Azad Jammu and Kashmir. Abdul Aleem Khan said this could strengthen tourism and trade ties in the region and instructed NHA officials to prepare a formal business plan and propose projects ready to enter the market.

As an example of an existing public-private partnership model, the minister cited the construction of the Sialkot–Kharian M-12 motorway. He also noted that growing NHA revenues indicate progress toward the agency’s financial self-sufficiency. Khan expressed the intention to turn the NHA into a financially autonomous entity worth between 500 billion and 1 trillion Pakistani rupees, reducing its dependence on federal development financing.