ISLAMABAD: Maritime Affairs Minister Mohammad Junaid Anwar has directed the Port Qasim Authority (PQA) to expedite work on a delayed cricket stadium and academy project in Karachi and begin the process for construction of a hockey stadium at the authority’s housing complex.

According to PQA officials, the minister recently chaired a meeting during which he sought an update on the cricket stadium project. He was informed that bids for the project had been opened in May but the work order had yet to be issued because of procedural delays.

The minister directed the relevant PQA wing to issue the work order and start construction.

“Since the tendering process has already been completed, the work order will soon be issued to the lowest bidder to start work. I hope this project will be started within two weeks,” a PQA official told Dawn on Friday.

The cricket stadium and academy are to be constructed at the PQA Housing Complex in Karachi.

The authority had floated tenders for the project in January. Following evaluation of the technical bids, financial bids from three construction firms were opened in May. M/s Glamour Construction emerged as the lowest bidder with a bid of Rs52 million against the estimated project cost of Rs60m.

The PQA was expected to issue the work order after the financial bids were opened, but the process remained pending.

The project will be executed in two phases, with work on the first phase expected to begin shortly. The second phase will be taken up at a later stage, officials said.

During the meeting, the minister also directed the PQA to initiate work on a hockey stadium at the same housing complex. He asked the authority to float the tender for the hockey facility within two months.

Published in Dawn, August 15th, 2026