SHORKOT, Pakistan: Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif on Saturday performed the groundbreaking of Shorkot-Khanewal Section of M-4 in Shorkot.
The federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Pervaiz Rasheed, Punjab Governor Rafique Rajwana and Chinese Ambassador Sun Weidong to Pakistan were also present on the occasion.
In his address at the groundbreaking ceremony, the prime minister said that reduced distances will boost economy which is already growing.
“Entire world is recognizing the revival of our economy,” he said adding that today country’s forex reserves have reached record level.
Lauding the cooperation of China extended to Pakistan, the prime minster said that China is our time tested and reliable friend.
Nawaz Sharif reiterated that end load-shedding will be ended from the country before 2018.
The prime minister said that people have rejected politics of hatred.
The Motorway M-4 Faisalabad – Multan 240 KMs is planned to provide a shorter and direct connection between Southern port cities of Karachi and Gwadar with North of the Country.
It will upgrade and decongest the country’s overburdened transport infrastructure.
The Motorway will boost trade and travel while reducing transportation cost and time from the textile producing hub Faisalabad in Central Punjab to Multan which is a major trade centre in Southern Punjab.
The Motorway M-4 Faisalabad – Multan is divided into following four sections:
Faisalabad – Gojra (58 km) —- Already completed.
Gojra – Shorkot (62 km) — Under construction
Shorkot – Khanewal (65 km) — Ground-breaking tomorrow.
Khanewal – Multan (55.6 km) ———- Completed
Shorkot- Khanewal is divided into following two packages in order to ensure its in time completion;
Shorkot -Dinpur (31 km)
Dinpur – Khanewal (34 km)
The project will cost around Rs 22 billion and take two years for completion.
After completion, the project will improve the country’s vital north-south road network for promotion of economic growth, job creation and regional connectivity.
It will extend the already completed M-1, M-2 and M-3 motorways southwards and shorten the distance between Multan and twin cities of Islamabad-Rawalpindi in the north.
Besides, it will improve road safety and enhance local and regional trade, and promote efficiency in traffic operations.
The M-4 is also a step towards positioning Pakistan to act as a transit artery for goods moving between the port city of Karachi/Gwadar in the south to Torkham on the northern border with Afghanistan via the country’s major business and population centers.
It will eventually link ports with the land-locked regions of Central Asia.
