Federal Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Ahsan Iqbal chaired a high-level review meeting on major Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP) projects, directing ministries to ensure timely completion, strict quality standards and realistic financial planning.
The meeting reviewed priority projects in the railways, highways and water sectors under PSDP 2025–26. Senior officials from the Ministry of Railways, National Highway Authority (NHA) and Ministry of Water Resources attended the session.
During the review of railway projects, officials informed the minister that groundwork on the ML-1 Karachi–Rohri section is expected to begin in July 2026. Progress on the upgradation of 884 kilometres of ML-3 and the Thar Coal Railway Connectivity Project was also reviewed.
The Thar Coal Railway Connectivity Project, costing approximately Rs53.7 billion, includes construction of a 105-kilometre single-track railway line from Thar coal mines to Chorr, a nine-kilometre double-track line from Bin Qasim to Port Qasim, and coal unloading facilities at Port Qasim and Lakhra. The project is expected to be completed by June 2026.
Ahsan Iqbal directed the Ministry of Railways to submit a clear three-year funding plan, stressing that there should be no compromise on speed and quality in nationally important infrastructure projects.
Reviewing NHA projects, the minister noted that PSDP 2025–26 includes 71 highway schemes worth Rs3,407 billion. He ordered the Sukkur–Hyderabad Motorway to be completed within three years and instructed that Karakoram Highway Phase-II be completed by 2028 to avoid disruption caused by the Diamer-Bhasha Dam reservoir.
Under the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) framework, the minister emphasised accelerated work on the Sambrial–Kharian–Rawalpindi Motorway, M-8 in Balochistan, and Mashkel–Panjgur–Chadgi Road projects. He also directed NHA to submit fortnightly progress reports.
The meeting also reviewed 34 water-sector projects worth Rs1,848 billion, including Dasu Hydropower Project, Diamer-Bhasha Dam, Mohmand Dam, Chashma Right Bank Canal, Tarbela 5th Extension and Karachi’s K-IV water supply project.
Ahsan Iqbal declared the Mohmand Dam a priority project, highlighting its importance for water storage, flood control, irrigation and power generation. He reiterated that strong monitoring, realistic funding and institutional coordination were essential to ensure timely completion of critical infrastructure.
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