27 April 2005	Wednesday	17 Rabi-ul-Awwal 1426

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ISLAMABAD, April 26: Pakistan and Malaysia on Tuesday signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for construction of 184 km Faisalabad-Khanewal Motorway (M-4). Chairman National Highway Authority Maj Gen Furrukh Javed and Chairman Construction Industry Development Board (CIDB) of Malaysia Datuk Hj. Abdul Rahman Abdullah signed the MoU.

The signing ceremony was held at the NHA head office. The 184 km Faisalabad-Khanewal Motorway (up to Khanewal Interchange) will be four-lane with provision to be upgraded to six-lane.

The project will be completed within four years at a cost of about Rs17 billion. Designed speed on the motorway will be 120 km per hour. There will be 25 bridges, two major bridges, 42 flyovers, five service areas and seven interchanges on M-4.

Federal Minister for Communications Muhammad Shamim Siddiqui and Minister of Works of Malaysia Dato Seri S Samy Vellu were also present on the occasion.

Mr Siddiqui stressed the need for promoting cooperation between Pakistan and Malaysia in highway building sector. He said the signing of the MoU will open new avenues of cooperation between the two countries.

He said Pakistan will extend maximum cooperation for construction of Faisalabad-Khanewal Motorway (M-4) and hoped that the Malaysian contractors will also examine the other highway projects in Pakistan.

Malaysian Minister for Works Dato Seri S Samy Vellu said the inking of the MoU will open new avenues of relationship in highway building sphere between Malaysia and Pakistan. “The MoU will enhance our relationship that will pave the way for development of infrastructure in Pakistan,” he said.

Earlier, Chairman National Highway Authority Furrukh Javed apprised the visiting delegates of construction and development of highways network in Pakistan. He said the 1,819 km Karachi- Lahore-Peshawar National Highway (N-5) was the economic lifeline of the country and that this artery was being dualised and its dualisation work was in the final stage.

He said the under-construction Indus Highway was another significant project and that 11 sections of Indus highway had been completed.

He said its completion will provide an alternate and shorter route between Karachi and Peshawar.

After completion of Lahore-Islamabad Motorway (M-2) and Pindi Bhattian-Faisalabad Motorway (M-3), he said, balance works on Islamabad-Peshawar Motorway (M-1), were in progress and Islamabad-Burhan and Rashakai-Charsadda sections had also been completed.