Work on Mansehra-Chilas and AJK motorways to start soon

MANSEHRA: Federal Minister for Religious Affairs Sardar Mohammad Yousuf on Sunday said that the government had planned to launch two mega communication projects that would not only shrink the travel time from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Jammu and Kashmir but would also open new vistas of development.

“The federal government has approved the Mansehra-Chilas and Mansehra-Muzaffarabad motorways, and work on these projects is expected to commence soon,” the minister told reporters after a meeting held in Garhi Habibullah here.

Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PMLN) district president Junaid Qasim was also present on the occasion.Sardar Yousuf said that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia had agreed to fund the construction of the 26-kilometre Mansehra-Muzaffarabad Motorway. He added that the project had been included in the federal Annual Development Programme.

“Saudi Arabia will finance 76 percent of the total Rs56 billion cost, while the remaining amount will be borne by the federal government from its own resources,” he said, adding “This project will bring economic uplift to both Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Azad Jammu and Kashmir.”

The federal minister also revealed that the feasibility study for the Mansehra-Chilas Motorway via Kaghan valley had recently been completed.“This is a significant communication project that will cut the distance to Gilgit-Baltistan by half,” he said. The federal minister said that the government faced the challenge of making that route all-weather, but with the help of tunnels at glacier-prone locations, it will become feasible.

Sardar Yousuf said that multiple tunnels had been proposed to overcome environmental and seasonal barriers, adding that the project could be developed under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) initiative.“Once Kaghan valley and Babusar Top are connected via motorway, the region will witness unprecedented economic growth and connectivity with China,” he added.