Engineer-in-Chief Pakistan Army Lieutenant General Khalid Asghar has said that strategic partnership between NHA and FWO on Karachi-Hyderabad Motorway (M-9), after successful completion of Lahore-Islamabad Motorway (M-2), is yet another achievement. 

He said that participation of private sector and financial institutions in the highway sector is a fruitful endeavor for the country and BOT arrangements will further boost the socio-economic sector of the country, he added.  He expressed these views while addressing the signing ceremony of the memorandum of understanding on Karachi-Hyderabad Motorway (M-9), here at FWO Headquarter in Rawalpindi today, as the chief guest.  Chairman NHA Shahid Ashraf Tarar also addressed the ceremony, whereas Director General FWO Major General Muhammad Afzal and other officials were also present.

The Memorandum of understanding was signed by Shahid Ashraf Tarar Chairman NHA, Chief Executive SCORE Major General Muhammad Afzal and Mr. Wajahat Hussain President United Bank Ltd.

The ceremony was also attended by Member Engineering Arshad Mehmood Chaudhri, Member Finance Shoaib Ahmad Khan, GM PPP Muhammad Yousaf Barakzai, Director PP-I Azeem Tahir, Director PP-2 Dr. Iftikhar Mahboob, and from FWO Deputy DG Brig Rashid Ahmad, Director Logistics Brig. Anwar Sheikh, Director Operations Brig Waqar Hasnain, Director Planning Brig. Muhammad Sultan, Consultant Brig ® Dr. Nasrullah Abeer and other high officials participated in the ceremony. 

The Chief Guest Lieutenant General Khalid Asghar said that ensuring financial close of Karachi-Hyderabad Motorway (M-2) within 100 days is a remarkable achievement of the two organizations. The Chief Guest further said that Pakistan has a strategic location in the region that connects various countries together and its highways will further bring them closer together that will ultimately boost the economies of the whole region.

Earlier, DG FWO Major General Muhammad Afzal said that NHA and FWO are working to bring revolutionary changes in the communications sector and hence boost its trade, tourism, industry and agriculture so that the standard of life of its people can be improved.  He further said that NHA and FWO, for the first time in the country’s history, have devised a mechanism to involve the private sector and the leading banks of the country to participate in road infrastructure and networking projects.  The FWO, he said, has successfully completed the Lahore-Faisalabad Expressway, Lakpass Tunnel near Quetta and Habibabad Flyover on BOT basis before the stipulated time and now carpeting of Lahore-Islamabad Motorway (M-2), Karachi-Thatta Expressway are rapidly in progress. 

Chairman NHA Shahid Ashraf Tarar on this occasion said that NHA is making a big contribution in the development of the country by upgrading and expanding the country’s road network and these changes will strengthen our trade, tourism, industry and agriculture and ultimately our quality of life will improve.

The Chairman said that development of road infrastructure is an important element of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s development vision.  Under Prime Minister’s policy, up-gradation of the existing system and launching of new projects are the hallmarks of the present democratic government.  He said that Karachi-Hyderabad Motorway (M-9) is the largest BOT project in the country so far, and it will further augment our capacity in the communications sector.

Media Coverage of the Event