Malaysia has agreed to undertake three highway projects in Pakistan, which will surely make a valuable addition to Pakistan's existing communication infrastructure. To be executed on BOT basis, these projects include Karachi Northern Bypass, Rawalpindi-Tarnol Interchange and Shahdara Interchange. Malaysia has also signalled its readiness to start work on M-4 (Faisalabad-Khanewal) highway in which Pakistan will share construction work.
A Recorder Reportsays that the MoUs for the new projects will be signed shortly. The MoU for M-4 has already been signed, though work on the project had got delayed because of Malaysia's unwillingness to execute it on BOT basis. However, the snag has now been removed as a result of talks visiting Malaysian Works Minister Vellu recently held in Islamabad.
Vellu has also conceded Pakistan's request for transfer of technology and the training of Pakistani technical staff, which, if realised, will be a highly propitious development. With an annual growth rate of about 10 percent, and its GDP standing at $290 billion (in 2005), Malaysia has achieved remarkable progress in venturing overseas in a wide range of projects involving construction of roads, highways, bridges, water supply systems, power generation projects, ports, airports, etc.
In the process it has gained a high level of expertise that has given it a substantial edge among the Asian Tigers. It is has been rightly said that "transport is civilisation," as an efficient transport and communication network is of as crucial an importance as industrial infrastructure is for economic development of a country.
Although substantial progress has been achieved in extending and improving the existing road infrastructure in Pakistan, much remains to be done. The fact that Pakistan's logistic base has remained essentially underdeveloped since Independence has played a major role in circumscribing our economic growth, and hence prosperity.
Secondly, despite the complementary nature of road and rail networks, the overall transit infrastructure in the country has suffered from the lack of a coherent, long-term strategy, which has prevented realisation of our full economic potential. This is a result of adhocism that has generally characterised the policymaking process in Pakistan.
The completion of the three new highway projects, to be executed by Malaysia, will certainly make a difference. According to the plan, the Karachi-Northern Bypass will be constructed as a two-lane facility in the first phase, but will later be converted into a dual carriageway facility to help in its integration with the RCD Highway and the Makran Coastal Highway.
The Rawalpindi Bypass and Turnol Interchange Project (M-5) is meant to bypass Rawalpindi's congested business areas. In order to facilitate free flow of vehicular traffic, the highway is proposed to be constructed on the southern side of Rawalpindi, while Faisalabad-Multan Motorway (M-4) will connect Faisalabad with Khanewal and Pindi Bhattian.
Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz has often declared that the overhauling of logistic system is one of his government's foremost priorities. However, the mismatch between what is promised and what is done on the ground has more or less remained as glaring as ever.
A cynical view holds that rhetoric has supplanted solid action on the ground, thanks largely to the government's tendency to resort to "zubani jama khurch" most of the time to create an illusion of forward movement. The government has now done well to seek technology transfer from Malaysia as well as technical training of Pakistani personnel.
However, technology transfer cannot take place in an infrastructural vacuum or inadequacy. There is thus an urgent need for making massive investment in industrial infrastructure as also in manpower training if Pakistan is to gain a competitive edge in the globalized world of today.
Now that Malaysia has agreed in principle to undertake the three highway projects, the government should pursue the case in earnest to ensure that the MoUs are also signed at the earliest.