GRAND infrastructure projects in Pakistan often progress at the pace of a bullock cart rather than a bullet train. The Hyderabad-Sukkur Motorway (M6), a vital 306km artery meant to complete Pakistan’s north-south transport corridor, is one example. While Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif recently urged acceleration of its construction, the project remains mired in the quicksand of bureaucratic inertia and financial uncertainty. The M6’s significance extends beyond mere tarmac and concrete. It represents the final piece in an ambitious puzzle: the Peshawar-Karachi Motorway network. Once complete, this network would create Pakistan’s first uninterrupted high-speed corridor, stretching from the bustling port city of Karachi to the historic frontier town of Peshawar. For Sindh, historically the country’s economic powerhouse, the stakes are particularly high. The motorway promises to slash journey times and boost safety along one of Pakistan’s busiest freight routes, which currently sees thousands of heavy vehicles navigate congested national highways daily. Sindh’s agricultural heartland, currently operating like a landlocked island despite its proximity to Karachi’s port, would gain swift access to national and international markets. The improved connectivity would likely catalyse both local and foreign investment in industry and tourism. The project could transform the region’s economic geography, much as China’s highway expansion revolutionised its rural economy in the 1990s.

Yet the road to completion is proving bumpy. The project’s cost has swollen by 25pc in two years, now approaching Rs400bn. Last year’s tender cancellation sparked fresh delays, while funding remains uncertain. The government’s pivot to a public-private partnership model, while pragmatic, adds another layer of complexity. The World Bank’s involvement and the project’s inclusion in the CPEC discussions offer hope, but neither guarantees swift execution. For Sindh’s rural population, the M6 represents more than economic opportunity. It promises better access to healthcare, education and markets — basic services that much of Pakistan’s rural population still struggles to reach. But these benefits remain theoretical until construction begins in earnest. The project’s fate will test Pakistan’s ability to execute large-scale infrastructure projects efficiently. Previous motorway projects have shown that the country can deliver when political will aligns with administrative competence. The M6 needs similar alignment, and quickly. Pakistan’s history is littered with infrastructure projects that began with fanfare but ended in disappointment. The M6 must not join that list. Otherwise, Pakistan’s missing link risks becoming its missing opportunity.

Published in Dawn, January 22nd, 2025