PM Imran Khan initiated the groundbreaking of the Sialkot-Kharian motorway today. He spoke at the ceremony, stating that the motorway was being built through a partnership between the public and private sector, further explaining that by saving part of the public sector’s developmental funds, they would be able to spend more on the health and education sectors. He further explained how through the strategic partnership and competitive bidding the government had been able to save 26% of its funds.
Discussing how, upon completion, the motorway would decrease the distance between the two cities by a 100 km, Imran Khan stated that this would save both the cost and time of travelling in the future, as compared to the extra expenses the travelers had to face in the past.
Furthermore, because these are some of those areas which can easily become industrialized, the motorway would act as a bridge to incentivize industrialists and businessmen to invest in such regions. The increase in business would eventually help the country in returning its loans and reducing the debt it has to pay.
Imran Khan also emphasized on the ease of doing business; he stated that he had realized how difficult it was for small and medium-sized businesses to grow and that his office would be personally looking into the obstacles and hurdles faced by them in order to reduce them.
He also stated that this motorway would not only upturn industrialization but also tourism, which would attract local tourists as well as international ones, and the influx of dollars and other foreign currencies in the country would increase.
Taunting the previous governments, Imran Khan also stated that during PTI’s regime, three times more roads had been built and the cost had remained less than the previous government ones because “commissions from these roads were not being used to buy flats in London.”
The future plan was to connect the Swat motorway till Dir, from Dir to Chitral and Gilgit and further; this linkage could add to travelling ease, attracting more international tourists and adding to the economy through this sector.
