KARACHI: Traffic congestion in the city due to goods transport vehicles may be eased in the coming years as the 57-kilometre Karachi Northern Bypass is being extended with a new six-lane 134km M-10 Motorway to connect Karachi to M-6 Motorway at Jamshoro via the Kirthar Mountain Range.
Officials said the M-10 project is a mega initiative that has evolved from a simple bypass upgrade. It involves upgrading the Northern Bypass and constructing a new 134-kilometer six-lane motorway through the Kirthar Range.
Additionally, a 23-kilometer stretch will be upgraded to a six-lane road, transforming the entire route from Karachi Port to M-6 in Jamshoro into a high-capacity motorway.
The project was discussed on Wednesday at a meeting between Communication Minister Aleem Khan and Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah at CM House.
Nespak is conducting a feasibility study on the proposed 134km M-10 project, Communications Minister Aleem Khan tells CM Murad
The meeting was informed that the M-10 project was currently in the feasibility study stage, being conducted by National Engineering Services Pakistan (Nespak).
Federal Minister Aleem Khan stated that the project’s core objective was to decongest Karachi by creating a direct high-speed link between the port and the national motorway network. The chief minister welcomed the federal government’s support as the federal minister assured him that the communications ministry and the NHA were committed to completing both M-6 and M-10 projects in a timely and transparent manner.
Earlier in May, the federal communication minister had said that construction of both the M-6 and M-10 motorways would now begin simultaneously, with the aim of connecting them directly to Karachi Port.
It may be noted that the Senate Standing Committee on Planning, Development and Special Initiatives had expressed serious concerns over NHA’s performance on the M-6 project and urged them to commence work without further delay by October, warning that the matter would be referred to the Upper House for intervention.
Welcoming the federal government’s support, the chief minister said that both projects were “vital not only for Sindh but for the entire country’s economy”.
Rs363bn for M-6
The chief minister said that M-6 would unlock opportunities for the youth of interior of Sindh through enhanced connectivity, while M-10 would “resolve Karachi’s traffic bottlenecks once and for all”.
A statement issued from CM House said that Federal Communications Secretary Ali Sher informed the meeting that the M-6 project had received final approval under the Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP) with a budget of Rs363 billion.
He said that the project would be implemented in five phases by the National Highway Authority, with the Islamic Development Bank committing to fund two sections and a Chinese company expressing interest in undertaking all five sections.
The meeting was told that the M-6 project would complete Pakistan’s north-south motorway backbone, linking Peshawar to Karachi, and enhance trade, logistics, and regional development. The project is expected to reduce travel time, improve safety, and facilitate port-to-upcountry connectivity.
The meeting was attended among others by Provincial Ministers Sharjeel Inam Memon, Syed Nasir Hussain Shah and Ali Hassan Zardari, Chief Secretary Asif Hyder Shah, Planning and Development Chairman Najam Shah and Secretary to CM Raheem Shaikh.
Published in Dawn, September 4th, 2025
