- Ahsan Iqbal orders Mohmand Dam to be handled as precedence mission.
- Directs completion of Sukkur-Hyderabad Motorway in three years.
- No compromise on velocity, high quality in strategic tasks, says minister.
ISLAMABAD: Minister for Planning, Improvement and Particular Initiatives Ahsan Iqbal chaired a overview assembly on key Public Sector Improvement Programme (PSDP) tasks within the railways, highways and water sectors, directing the related ministries to prioritise well timed execution, high quality assurance and real looking monetary planning for the following three years to make sure supply of nationally essential infrastructure, The Information reported on Sunday.
The assembly held right here reviewed main transport and water sector interventions underneath PSDP 2025-26, a information launch stated on Saturday.
Member Infrastructure Dr Waqas Anwer gave an in depth presentation on the progress, scope, and funding necessities of precedence tasks, whereas senior officers from the Ministry of Railways, Nationwide Freeway Authority (NHA) and Ministry of Water Assets had been current.
Whereas reviewing the railway sector initiatives, the planning minister was briefed on the standing of the Primary Line-1 (ML-1) mission, notably the Karachi-Rohri part, for which groundwork is predicted to be laid in July 2026. The assembly additionally reviewed the upgradation of 884 kilometres of Primary Line-3 (ML-3) and the Thar Coal Railway Connectivity Challenge, a strategic initiative aimed toward enhancing logistics for vitality provide and industrial improvement.
The Thar Coal Railway Connectivity Challenge, with an estimated price of Rs53.7 billion, consists of three packages, together with building of a brand new single-track railway line from the Thar coal mines to the brand new Chorr station over a distance of 105 kilometres, a brand new double-track line of roughly 9 kilometres from Bin Qasim to Port Qasim, whereas Package deal Three covers the event of a coal unloading pit at Port Qasim and Lakhra Energy Plant station. The mission is predicted to be accomplished by June 2026.
Iqbal directed the Ministry of Railways to submit a transparent evaluation of funding necessities for the following three years, stressing that “there ought to be no compromise on velocity and high quality in any of those strategic tasks, as they characterize long-term nationwide property and have to be constructed to the very best requirements”.
The assembly additionally reviewed the Nationwide Freeway Authority’s portfolio underneath PSDP 2025-26, which includes 71 tasks with a complete price of roughly Rs3,407 billion.
The minister directed that the Sukkur-Hyderabad Motorway be accomplished inside three years and be handled as a top-priority mission. He additional instructed that the work on the Karakoram Freeway (KKH) section 2 mission ought to be expedited and accomplished by 2028 to save lots of the KKH from being reduce off because of the Diamer Bhasha Dam lake.
Below the Public-Non-public Partnership (PPP) framework, the minister emphasised the Sambrial-Kharian-Rawalpindi motorway, M-8 in Balochistan and the Mashkel-Panjgur-Chahgi street tasks as high-priority initiatives requiring accelerated implementation.
He directed the NHA to arrange a complete portfolio of essential tasks and current its funding necessities for the following three years to make sure uninterrupted progress and well timed completion.
Emphasising governance and accountability, the planning minister instructed the NHA to ascertain a sturdy monitoring and reporting mechanism, directing that progress stories be submitted each fortnight for overview. “We should be certain that bottlenecks are recognized early and resolved promptly,” he stated.
The assembly additionally reviewed main water sector tasks underneath PSDP 2025-26, which comprise 34 tasks with a complete accredited price of Rs1,848 billion.
Key tasks mentioned included the Dasu Hydropower Challenge, Diamer-Bhasha Dam, Mohmand Dam Hydropower Challenge, Chashma Proper Financial institution Canal, Tarbela fifth Extension Hydropower Challenge, and the Okay-IV water provide mission for Karachi.
The planning minister directed the secretary of the Ministry of Water Assets to submit an in depth report outlining the minimal annual funding threshold required for every essential mission, together with projected monetary calls for for the following three years. He pressured that useful resource planning have to be real looking and aligned with execution capability to keep away from delays and value overruns.
Iqbal particularly instructed that the Mohmand Dam be handled as a precedence mission, given its significance for water storage, flood mitigation, irrigation and vitality era. “Water safety is central to Pakistan’s financial stability and local weather resilience, and these tasks have to be delivered on time to safe the nation’s future,” he stated.
The planning minister reiterated the federal government’s dedication to infrastructure-led improvement underneath the broader nationwide imaginative and prescient, stating that built-in planning, fiscal self-discipline and institutional coordination had been important to making sure that these investments translate into financial progress, regional connectivity and improved high quality of life for residents.
