ISLAMABAD, May 12 (Daily Paklish): The meeting of the Senate Standing Committee on Planning, Development and Special Initiatives was held under the Chairpersonship of Senator Quratulain Marri to review the funding position of development projects, including the M-6 Motorway project and other PSDP priorities.
The meeting was attended by Senators Shahadat Awan, Jam Saifullah Khan and Saadia Abbasi. The Ministry of Planning, Development and Special Initiatives briefed the Committee that development demands amounting to 4,097,131 million had been received from various Ministries for next year’s PSDP 2026-27. The Ministry further informed that nearly the entire allocated amount had been authorized to Ministries in line with their respective portfolios, while approximately 61 percent of the authorized funds under PSDP 2025-26 had been utilized till yesterday. The Committee was informed that the National Highway Authority had sought approximately Rs. 1.4 trillion under next year’s PSDP 2026-27, representing the highest funding demand among all sectors, followed by the Ministry of Water Resources. The Committee recommended that projects lying dormant or lacking progress would face budgetary cuts.
The Ministry further informed the Committee that all Ministries had been instructed to submit projects according to priority so that the Planning Division could properly assess whether sufficient allocations had been made for high-priority initiatives.
During the briefing on the M-6 Motorway project, the NHA presented the overall project map, comprising five sections. The Committee was informed that NHA had achieved major milestones, including approval of the PC-I in August last year. It was further briefed that Islamic Development Bank has approved financing of USD 475 million for Sections IV & V, whereas OPEC Board has also approved financing of Section II with a loan of USD 230 million. NHA representatives informed the Committee that for section I & II an agreement had been signed in April, 2026 with the Asian Development Bank (ADB) for Transaction Advisory Services as these sections will be executed under the PPP model.
Expressing dissatisfaction over delays in the planning and execution of Sections I and II, the Chairperson observed that assurances had been made since last year; however, no tangible progress is visible. The Committee also discussed concerns regarding execution of the project under the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) mode as commencement under the existing framework may take at least another year.
The Chairperson observed that these two sections of the motorway were facing heavy traffic burden and emphasized the need for immediate intervention by all stakeholders to ensure timely execution of the project. The Committee recommended that the project be initiated through funding under the National Highway Authority’s own Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP), while directing the Ministry of Planning, Development and Special Initiatives to ensure adequate allocation of funds for the purpose.
The Committee also particularly discussed the Lahore-Sahiwal-Bahawalnagar section and reiterated that the M-6 Motorway project carries utmost national priority, emphasizing that no other projects should be funded before commencement of the M-6 project.
National Highway Authority informed the Committee that the M-6 Motorway project remained its top priority and that the Minister had expressed keen interest in its early commencement. To avoid further delays in execution, the Chairperson announced that a joint meeting of the Senate Standing Committee on Planning, Development and Special Initiatives and the Senate Standing Committee on Communications would soon be convened to finalize outstanding matters relating to the project.