ISLAMABAD, Apr 16 (Alliance News): Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday announced that the federal government will not pass on the recent relief in international oil prices to the public. Instead, the savings will be used to reconstruct the deadly N-25 Highway and complete Phase-II of the Kachhi Canal project in Balochistan.
Chairing a federal cabinet meeting, the prime minister declared that the N-25—which connects Karachi to Chaman via Quetta, Kalat, and Khuzdar—would be transformed into a motorway-standard highway.
The decision, he said, reflects a firm national resolve to end Balochistan’s long-standing neglect and bridge infrastructure disparities across provinces.
“This highway has claimed more than 2,000 lives due to its narrow, dangerous structure. We are determined to change its fate—from a road of tragedy to one of prosperity,” said PM Shehbaz.
He announced that the Rs300 billion reconstruction project would be monitored by the federal government with strict third-party validation to ensure quality standards.
The prime minister, alongside Balochistan Chief Minister Mir Sarfaraz Bugti, will personally supervise the progress of the highway project, which had stalled since its initial approval in FY2022-23 due to funding gaps.
He also announced that Rs70 billion from the same savings will be used to complete Phase-II of the Kachhi Canal project, which will irrigate large tracts of arid land in Balochistan—boosting agriculture, improving food security, and supporting livelihoods.
Shehbaz Sharif further emphasized that the government was committed to equitable development across all federating units. He cited the Rs70 billion solarization of tube wells in Balochistan—where the federal government bears 70% of the cost—as a successful example of federal-provincial cooperation.
He added that the Hyderabad-Sukkur M-6 and the M-9 Motorway from Sukkur to Karachi would also be developed under a transparent federal implementation model to extend infrastructure benefits to underserved regions.
The prime minister also condemned the tragic killing of eight Pakistanis in Iran’s Sistan province and urged Iranian authorities to ensure the perpetrators are swiftly brought to justice. He also prayed for the speedy recovery of President Asif Ali Zardari, currently undergoing treatment for COVID-19.
During the meeting, the cabinet approved several key decisions, including amendments to the Petroleum Levy Ordinance (1961) to increase national revenue, endorsement of the Sustainable Investment Sukuk Framework to support green energy projects, and approval of a bill to establish the National Agri-Trade and Food Safety Authority.
Chief Minister Sarfaraz Bugti, present as a special guest, thanked the prime minister for prioritizing Balochistan. “The N-25 was a bloody road, but today you have turned national attention to the pain of Balochistan. This is a historic shift,” he said.
