AIIB eyes financing for Pakistan’s priority Motorway projects

The Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank has expressed interest in supporting Pakistan’s major road infrastructure programme, with discussions on Wednesday focusing on the Karachi-Hyderabad and Hyderabad-Sukkur motorway project, which the government has identified as its top transport priority.

The interest was conveyed during a meeting between AIIB Vice President Konstantin Limitovskiy, Director General Xiaohong Wang and Federal Minister for Communications Abdul Aleem Khan, according to an official statement.

Abdul Aleem Khan said the government planned to complete several key transport and communications projects within the next two years and described AIIB investment as critically important for Pakistan’s infrastructure development.

He said the Karachi-Hyderabad and Hyderabad-Sukkur motorway was the country’s most important ongoing project and would play a major role in strengthening economic growth and trade connectivity.

The minister said the link connecting the motorway to Karachi Port would be constructed as an eight-lane road, while the Hyderabad-Sukkur section would be developed with six lanes.

He said the Lahore-Sialkot and Kharian-Rawalpindi motorway projects were also scheduled to be completed within two years.

According to the minister, the expanded motorway network will reduce the distance between Lahore and Islamabad by around 100 kilometres, cutting travel time by approximately one hour and saving billions of rupees annually in fuel costs.

Abdul Aleem Khan also announced plans to launch an air ambulance service and establish trauma centres along motorways in collaboration with the Pakistan Air Force to improve emergency response on the national highway network.

The minister invited the delegation to visit completed projects of the National Highway Authority.

The AIIB delegation described the visit as productive and expressed strong interest in working with the NHA. The delegation is also scheduled to visit Lahore, the statement said.