Chinese input to Pakistan highway

Pakistan and China are poised to enhance the Karakoram Highway (KKH)

A delegation of financial and technical experts, led by the chairman of the National Highways Authority (NHA) from the Ministry of Communication, Government of Pakistan, will travel to China this month to finalise the implementation terms for the KKH project under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). Minister Ahsan Iqbal reaffirmed the government’s commitment to expediting the KKH project, describing it as a time-sensitive strategic initiative due to the construction of the Diamer Basha Dam, according to a government official note.

The highway connects the Pakistani provinces of Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and Gilgit-Baltistan with China’s Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region. One of the key projects under CPEC aims to upgrade the 887 km route into an all-weather highway.

In related news, Chinese Consul General Yang Yundong recently stated that China and Pakistan are focused on completing the Karakoram Highway (KKH). Last September, China agreed to assist Pakistan with four major projects in the transportation and communications sectors. The two countries plan to collaborate on the second phase of the KKH and the construction of roads connecting Kaghan- Naran, Jhal Khand, Babusar Top, and the Tunnel to KKH.

Pakistan’s Economic Coordination Committee approved a US$2 billion project under Chinese funding to reconstruct, upgrade, and improve the Karakoram Highway in northern Pakistan. This initiative is part of the $60 billion China—Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). Moreover, China will provide the contractors and construction machinery necessary for the work. The Chinese side will deliver the project under an engineering, design, procurement, and construction (EPC) package.

China Communications Construction Company Ltd completed KKH Phase II (Havelian – Thakot Section), a section of the upgrade program that began in September 2016. The Prime Minister inaugurated the Havelian-Mansehra Section on 18 November 2019, while the CM KPK inaugurated the Mansehra-Thakot Section on 28 July 2020. The current visits of NHA will determine the future upgradation program of KKH.