PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Public-Private Partnership (PPP) Committee on Saturday approved the construction of the 29-kilometre Dir Motorway.

The motorway will extend from Chakdara Interchange to Baroon in Lower Dir district at an estimated cost of Rs69 billion.

The approval was accorded during a meeting of the committee chaired by Chief Minister Sohail Afridi, according to a statement issued from the chief minister’s secretariat.

The chief minister ordered relevant authorities to immediately initiate the process for acquiring the land required for the project.

He also ordered the departments concerned to establish clear implementation timelines to ensure the motorway was completed within the stipulated timeframe, enabling the public to benefit from this vital infrastructure project at the earliest.

Mr Afridi directed the relevant authorities to propose necessary amendments to the existing Public-Private Partnership framework to facilitate faster, more efficient execution of development projects and to reduce implementation timelines under the PPP model.

The chief minister said the motorway was a significant gift from the provincial government of PTI founding chairman Imran Khan to the people of Malakand division.

He said the project would substantially reduce travel time, lower fuel consumption and transportation costs, and generate direct economic benefits for the people.

He stated that the motorway would play a pivotal role in promoting tourism and strengthening the regional economy.

“Improved connectivity to remote tourist destinations across Malakand division will boost tourism, create new employment opportunities, and make a significant contribution to the region’s socioeconomic development,” the statement quoted the chief minister as saying.

The meeting also reviewed the progress on the Peshawar-Dera Ismail Khan Motorway and Swat Motorway Phase-II projects and discussed measures to ensure their timely implementation.

Cabinet members Aftab Alam Afridi, Shakeel Khan, Shafi Jan, and Muzammil Aslam; chief secretary Shahab Ali Shah, additional chief secretary, planning and development, Islam Zeb; principal secretary to the chief minister, Amir Sultan Tareen and administrative secretaries of the relevant departments attended the meeting.

Published in Dawn, July 19th, 2026