ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Communications and Postal Services Mr. Murad Saeed said that work on Western route of China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) Project is progressing gradually.
Addressing the members of Senate, Murad Saeed said that 3800 kilometers of highways are being constructed in Balochistan and Sindh which is unprecedented.
he said that promises were made to the people of Balochistan during the last two to three decades, but they couldn’t be realized.
He said that the PTI government has planned to dualise Karachi-Quetta-Chaman National Highway. One section is in the feasibility stage while the other section is in the design stage, he added.
“The tender for the first section (330 km) of this highway has also been awarded and next month the Prime Minister of Pakistan Mr Imran Khan will visit Balochistan to perform groundbreaking of first section,” he added.
“If we compare this with the last 15 years, the construction of 1100 km of roads was promised and the plan was announced, but it was not implemented,” he asserted.
“As opposition, we used to raise our voice to the development of backward areas from Gilgit to Chitral, Chitral to Dir, Dir to Peshawar, Peshawar to DI Khan, DI Khan to Zhob, and Zhob to Kuchlak. But unfortunately they were not made part of the CPEC,” he said.
“When Imran Khan’s government came into power, development packages were given for deprived areas of South Punjab, South Balochistan and South Khyber Pakhtunkhwa,” he added.
“And moving ahead, work on Zhob-Kuchlak road has been started. Work on Khuzdar-Basima highway was being carried out and construction of this highway would be completed in next three months”.
He said whenever PTI government mentions Prime Minister Imran Khan’s plans, whether it is the Ehsas program, successful youth program or the Health Card program, we hear the same thing in reply that we have built roads.
“In the last five years, the previous government planned only 2000 km of roads in Pakistan while the present government is currently constructing 3800 KMs of roads in Sindh and Balochistan,” he added.
“At present, 7889 km of roads have been planned in all of Pakistan. And on completion of three years of the present government, we have completed 2032 kilometer roads. Whereas the previous government built only 716 KMs of roads in that period,” he added.
He said that PTI government is doing more than the last three governments.
“The Prime Minister of Pakistan has worked for the development of the deprived areas. He did not think of votes for formation of government but of building and developing the next generation,” he concluded.
