Development Update: Substantial Advancement Recorded on Rs. 205 Billion Mega Motorway Project

ISLAMABAD: The administration has determined in principle to proceed with assigning the Rs. 205 billion Kharian-Rawalpindi Motorway (M-13) venture to the Frontier Works Organisation (FWO) via a negotiated bidding mechanism to expedite the initiation and execution of this strategically vital transport infrastructure.

According to a media report, the resolution was reached during a session of the Public Private Partnership Authority (P3A) Board of Directors, conducted virtually under the chairmanship of Adviser to the Prime Minister on Privatization Muhammad Ali.

The 117-kilometer expressway is projected to enhance domestic connectivity by trimming the route between Lahore and Rawalpindi by approximately 100 kilometers and saving over an hour of driving time relative to the functional M-2 Motorway route.

The National Highway Authority (NHA) briefed the assembly that FWO is currently managing the connecting Lahore-Sialkot and Sialkot-Kharian highway portions, enabling it to commence engineering operations on this contract without any lag.

According to executives, Section 20 of the P3A Act, 2017, permits direct negotiated acquisition under precise conditions. The administrative draft will subsequently be forwarded to the federal cabinet for definitive authorization.

The Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) endorsed the development plan in April this year at a projected valuation of Rs. 203.32 billion.

The infrastructure asset will be constructed using the Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) blueprint. Managers confirmed that commercial parameters, involving capital funding, franchise duration, tolling schemes, and risk distribution, will be concluded according to the sanctioned transaction matrix and applicable statutory rules.