In what officials are calling a “historic development push,” the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) has approved 27 projects worth over Rs1.5 trillion in just one sitting. The meeting, chaired by Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar, gave the green light to schemes in roads, energy, education, health, environment, and tourism — with a heavy focus on Sindh and Balochistan.
The largest approval went to the Sukkur-Hyderabad Motorway (M-6), cleared at Rs363 billion after years of delays. Initially approved in 2020 at Rs165 billion, the project’s cost has ballooned by 121%. It is the final missing link in the north-south motorway network and a top priority for the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP). The Islamic Development Bank is financing two segments, but Chinese construction firms have offered to complete all five sections.
Significant regional projects include Rs415 billion to dualise the dangerous N-25 route from Karachi to Quetta and Chaman, Rs122.2 billion for the Green Pakistan Programme, and Rs17 billion for flood management in Balochistan’s Kachhi Plains.
Punjab will receive Rs27 billion for Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz’s laptop scheme, Rs12.2 billion for tourism development, and Rs49.3 billion for Lahore’s sewerage upgrade. The Higher Education Development programme will receive Rs21.2 billion, while the Prime Minister’s Pakistan Fund for Education will get Rs14 billion.
Other approved works include:
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Rs10.6 billion for the 16MW Naltar Hydropower Project
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Rs41 billion for dualisation of Mehran Highway
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Rs37.7 billion for Sindh Coastal Highway
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Rs165 billion for reconstruction of National Highway N-5 with AIIB funding
Some of the federal contributions to provincial projects — such as Lahore’s sewerage plan and Punjab’s road schemes — run counter to the National Fiscal Pact agreed under Pakistan’s IMF bailout.
While Dar hailed the approvals as a “milestone for inclusive growth and infrastructure expansion,” the lightning-fast two-hour clearance of Rs1.5 trillion in spending is expected to spark questions over oversight, prioritisation, and long-term fiscal sustainability.