• Inaugurates Rs55bn Shahrah-i-Bhutto to connect DHA to M-9 motorway
• Performs groundbreaking of Rs65bn Qayyumabad-Karachi Port project
• Announces port at Keti Bandar, special defence production zone in Karachi
KARACHI: Pakistan Peoples Party chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari on Friday inaugurated the newly completed 39-kilometre Shahrah-i-Bhutto Expressway and simultaneously performed the groundbreaking of its strategic extension from Qayyumabad to Karachi Port, describing the project as a “historic milestone that will transform Karachi’s urban mobility, economic connectivity and transport infrastructure”.
The inauguration ceremony of the Sindh government’s flagship infrastructure project was held at Kathore Interchange near the M-9 Motorway, where the PPP chairman, accompanied by Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah, formally opened the high-speed corridor for traffic.
Before the ceremony, Mr Bhutto-Zardari, accompanied by CM Shah, arrived at Shahrah-i-Bhutto where the PPP chairman himself drove his vehicle on the expressway during its inaugural journey and also paid the toll tax.
Addressing the ceremony, Mr Bhutto-Zardari announced three additional game-changing mega initiatives aimed at ensuring the country’s sustainable economic development.
These include the construction of a seaport at Keti Bandar under a public-private partnership model, the establishment of the Sindh International Financial Center and the creation of a special defence production zone in Karachi to cater both to domestic needs and exports.
He also expressed hope and prayers for the success of the ongoing diplomatic efforts led by Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif aimed at ending the Iran war.
He said the completion of Shahrah-i-Bhutto reflected the PPP’s commitment to modern infrastructure, public welfare and long-term urban development.
“Karachi is the economic engine of Pakistan, and its future depends on modern connectivity, efficient transport systems and sustainable infrastructure,” he said. “The PPP does not believe in empty slogans. We believe in delivering projects that improve the lives of people. This expressway is not merely a road. It is a new economic corridor that will support trade, investment, industrial growth and employment generation.”
Shahrah-i-Bhutto, he said, would significantly reduce travel time between central Karachi and the M-9 Motorway while easing traffic congestion on existing roads.
The PPP chairman said the extension project from Qayyumabad to Karachi Port would further strengthen connectivity between the city’s industrial areas, port infrastructure and national highways.
“Karachi Port is the backbone of Pakistan’s trade an economy, and this extension will provide a direct, efficient and modern route for cargo movement and commuters alike,” he added.
The newly inaugurated Shahrah-i-Bhutto Expressway stretches approximately 39 kilometres from Jam Sadiq Bridge to Kathore Bridge and has been designed as a six-lane controlled-access corridor with a speed limit of 100 kilometres per hour.
The project includes six interchanges, two main toll plazas, five weigh stations and an underpass, and has been completed at a total cost of Rs54.814 billion.
Launched in May 2022, the project has an estimated benchmark traffic capacity of over 23,800 vehicles daily, while approximately 17,000 vehicles are already using the Qayyumabad-to-Quaidabad section on an average day.
The PPP chairman also performed the groundbreaking of a Rs65 billion project connecting Qayyumabad to Karachi Port under the public-private partnership (PPP) model.
Shahrah-i-Bhutto, featuring six interchanges and a 5.5km elevated section completed in a record 18 months, is expected to improve connectivity for commuters travelling towards Hyderabad, Sehwan, Dadu and Nawabshah as well as Punjab, Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Earlier in his address, Sindh CM Shah said that the expressway was part of more than Rs1.7 trillion worth of development schemes currently under way in Karachi.
He said that the newly launched Karachi Port to Qayyumabad Corridor would further integrate Karachi’s transport system and facilitate commercial activity linked to the port.
The extension project, spanning approximately 16.5 kilometres from Jam Sadiq Bridge to Karachi Port’s East Wharf and SAP Terminal, will include a four-lane corridor with additional spur links, interchanges and tolling infrastructure at an estimated cost of Rs64.20 billion.
Sindh Minister for Local Government Syed Nasir Hussain Shah in his address informed the ceremony that the extension corridor would provide direct connectivity for cargo and commercial traffic moving to and from Karachi Port, reducing congestion on existing city roads and improving logistics efficiency.
He said that the corridor is expected to reduce heavy-vehicle movement on residential and commercial arteries, improve road safety, and support smoother logistics operations for exporters and importers using Karachi Port.
Mayor Barrister Murtaza Wahab said that Shahrah-i-Bhutto is not merely a road but a manifestation of the PPP commitment to the people of the country, the province and Karachi.
The Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC), he said, has simultaneously launched a number of development projects aimed at easing traffic congestion, improving connectivity, and upgrading civic infrastructure across the metropolis.
Published in Dawn, May 23rd, 2026
