Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf on Friday launched two landmark multi-million dollar strategic projects at the Karakorum Highway (KKH), aimed at restoring the historic road linkage with China that was severed due to the artificial Attabad lake created as a result of landslides.
The PM performed the ground breaking of re-alignment of a 17-km long section of the KKH. He also inaugurated the 510.42 million dollars up-gradation of a 335 km long section of the road from Raikot to Khunjerab that has now been widened and meets international standards of construction.
Prime Minister Ashraf, who earlier had an aerial view of the Attabad lake, the upgraded road and the proposed road alignment site, said that new roads were part of an effort of the government to provide the people of remote areas a fast and easy linkage with the rest of the country.
He said the road would not only ease travel, but also help provide all facilities of life. He said it would further deepen the strong ties between Pakistan and China. He said road links were known to bring progress and prosperity to the areas they touched, and hoped that a new era of development would usher in. He said road links were a priority of the government and recalled his meeting with Chinese leaders during his recent visit to China where the KKH's up-gradation and re-alignment were discussed.
He appreciated and thanked the Chinese government for keeping its promise of despatching the required heavy machinery for completion of the project. Adding a new terminology relating to Pak-China friendship, he said that apart from being taller the mountains and deeper the oceans, it was also sweeter than honey.
The PM said Pakistan ranked top for rendering innumerable sacrifices in the fight against terrorism as it had lost precious lives of civilians and law enforcement agencies personnel. He said the country also faced the challenges of global recession and economic issues, but expressed the resolve that it would rise above all such issues. The PM, who was here on his first visit to the scenic Gilgit-Baltistan, was briefed by the Chairman of National Highway (NHA) about the KKH project.
He said Pakistan's northern areas were a treasure trove for those, who yearned for natural beauty and a must-go for tourists from any part of the world. He said all measures would be taken to enhance facilities to the tourists from within the country and abroad. PM Ashraf said Pakistan Peoples' Party (PPP) and its allies were proud to have politically empowered the people of Gilgit Baltistan, as it was their due right.
The PM acknowledged that the government of Gilgit-Baltistan was striving hard to serve the masses, despite several challenges it was facing. He lauded the people and political and religious leaders of GB for standing up for their democratic rights and said it would go a long way in helping them achieve all their cherished goals and democratic ideals.
Minister for Information and Broadcasting Qamar Zaman Kaira, Minister for Communication Arbab Alamgir, Minister for Kashmir Affairs and GB Manzoor Ahmed Wattoo, Governor GB Pir Karam Ali Shah, Chief Minister Syed Mehdi Shah and Zhe Wang Le, Chinese Commercial Councillor were present during the event.
The new road, under the re-alignment project, would be completed in one year, and would be constructed in place of the 25 km long section of the existing one that was submerged in the Attabad artificial lake created by a massive landslide in the Hunza River in January 2010.
The Frontier Works Organisation (FWO), which has been tasked to decrease the water level of the Attabad Lake, has brought it down by 12 meters, but is still 18 meters short of the target. However, with the arrival of long-arm excavators and earth-moving equipment from China, rapid progress is expected.
The road, which will cost a total of 282 million dollars, will be constructed under a US 275 million dollars agreement between the China Road and Bridge Corporation (CRBC) and the National Highway Authority (NHA), and will include two 4.4 km and 1.2 km long tunnels, and seven large bridges. Of the 335 km long section of the Karakoram Highway, around 200 km has been upgraded. The project that began in August 2008 is expected to be completed by November 2013, under the revised schedule.
The project includes construction of two tunnels, around two km long open-cut tunnels to protect the sections of road, prone to excessive land-sliding and 34 new bridges. PM Ashraf launched the two projects, keeping in view the significance of the deep strategic ties between Pakistan and China and the importance of the road link that was a key trade linkage between the two countries. The Chinese government too has evinced keen interest in the project and pledged to provide all technical assistance.
PM Ashraf was also presented a traditional cap and gown, as a large number of workers of PPP raised party slogans. Minister for Communications Arbab Alamgir said the two projects were of very importance not only for the region but also for entire country. He said that trade through the KKH had plummeted to mere US one billion dollars from the US 50 billion dollars, after the severing of the road and hoped that once the road was reconstructed it would shoot up to US 150 billion dollars.
He said that 85 percent up-gradation of the road had been completed, while the rest would be completed in time. He said it was one of the best roads in the entire NHA network, adding that the pace of work on the Jaglot-Skardu Road would be speeded up in days ahead. He said Chinese government would provide assistance of 100 million dollars for the rehabilitation of Bisham-RaiKot Road.
GB Chief Minister Syed Mehdi Shah, in his brief remarks, recalled the great service rendered by Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto for strengthening Pakistan-China relations and for the KKH that linked the two countries. He said people of the area lacked many a facilities of health, education, water supply and infrastructure and hoped that the Federal Government would continue to help the area by launching more development schemes.
CRBC Vice President Leo Hon said he was pleased to work in a land, known as the motherland of mighty mountains. He said the two road projects were two milestones that would go a long way in strengthening of ties between the two countries. He said the two countries would work hard to mitigate the damages caused by the natural calamities and that the projects would be completed in time.
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