Report by Engineering Post
The Transport and Communication Sectors are a vital component of a country’s infrastructure and economy, facilitating the movement of people and goods.
These sectors play a crucial role in economic growth, trade facilitation, job creation, social connectivity, access to education and healthcare, emergency services, environmental sustainability, and national security.
Modernizing infrastructure and enhancing regional connectivity have been the key priorities for the federal government , as outlined in Pakistan Vision 2025. Every year, significant investment was allocated annually in these sectors under the Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP) for achieving these objectives.
Pakistan’s exclusion from the World Bank’s Logistics Performance Index (LPI) in its latest edition in 2023 was attributed to inadequate assessments by the logistics providers. The LPI as such had ranked only 139 countries.
However, the World Bank’s LPI 2018 had ranked Pakistan 122nd out of 160 countries in terms of ease of moving goods with speed and reliability.
Quite obviously this had underscored the dire need for Pakistan to intensify its efforts for enhancing its logistics services, and trade-related infrastructure.
During FY 2024, the transport and communication sector had contributed 20.51 percent to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of the country, with a share of 23.0 percent in the services sector.
As stated above, the government has been investing in this important sector with the priority objective of developing a modern and well-integrated transport and communication system in the country. An allocation of Rs 264.8 billion was accordingly earmarked for this sector in the FY 2024.
The transport sector and road infrastructure have a lasting impact on the country’s economic prosperity. The National Highway Authority (NHA) was playing a leading role in the development of Pakistan’s road infrastructure, with a network comprising 48 National Highways and Motorways and Strategic Roads, totaling 14480 kilometers.
The NHA was executing 89 ongoing major and minor schemes across the country at a total estimated cost of Rs 2071807.172 million including foreign aid of Rs 294988.365 million and launching another 15 new schemes costing Rs 331437.643 million under the Public Sector Development Programme during the ongoing financial year 2024-25.
