ISLAMABAD: The National Highway Authority (NHA) and Asian Development Bank (ADB) on Tuesday inked a landmark agreement for the construction of two sections of the M6 Motorway.

In February, Commu­nica­tions Minister Abdul Aleem Khan had announced that the construction of the M-6 Motorway project would officially begin in May this year and would be executed under a Public-Pri­vate Partnership model

In a social media post on X, Aleem said that the agreement between the ADB and the NHA for the construction of the motorway was a “promising” development, felicitating the whole nation.

“A project that could not be initiated in 30 years is, by the grace of Allah, now set to begin within just two years,” Aleem said.

He further said that the road was a “missing link” in the Karachi-Sukkur corridor and was “essential for Pakistan’s economic development”.

“Its construction will enable traffic from Karachi Port to travel seamlessly via the motorway all the way to Peshawar and Gilgit,” the minister said.

The M-6 motorway is the only missing segment in the north-south route linking Karachi to Peshawar. He said that the 306-kilometre-long, six-lane motorway would also include 15 interchanges and 10 service areas.

Meanwhile, a separate press release said the project structure included two key sections from Hyderabad to Nawabshah, which will be developed under a public-private partnership (PPP) model to ensure transparency and attract private sector investment.

“While the Islamic Development Bank and the OPEC Fund have already approved financing for three other sections, the Minister reaffirmed that the entire M6 project is slated for completion within the next two years,” the statement said.