The Central Development Working Party (CDWP), chaired by Federal Minister for Planning Ahsan Iqbal, has given the green light to ten significant development projects, marking a major step forward in Pakistan’s infrastructure and technology landscape.
Of the ten projects, four—collectively valued at Rs. 21.83 billion—received direct approval from the CDWP. The remaining six, with a combined estimated cost of Rs. 227.34 billion, have been recommended to the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) for final approval.
The high-level meeting was attended by Secretary Planning Awais Manzur Sumra, the Chief Economist, Vice Chancellor of PIDE, members of the Planning Commission, federal secretaries, heads of provincial Planning & Development departments, and senior representatives from relevant ministries and provincial governments.
The approved and recommended projects span key sectors such as Transport & Communications, Environment, Higher Education, and Information Technology.
Among the notable approvals, the CDWP sanctioned the “Expansion of Safe City, Islamabad (New)” project, with a budget of Rs. 7.5 billion, aimed at enhancing security infrastructure in the capital. In the higher education sector, the “Establishment of National Center for Quantum Computing (NCQC) – (New)” was approved at a cost of Rs. 3.3 billion, positioning Pakistan at the forefront of quantum research in the region. The forum also approved the “IPF Component for Punjab Clean Air Program (PCAP) (New)” worth Rs. 5.7 billion, targeting environmental improvements in Punjab.
Additionally, the “Rehabilitation of Track Maintenance Machines (Revised)” project for Pakistan Railways, valued at Rs. 5.3 billion, was approved to modernize and maintain critical railway infrastructure.
Several large-scale projects were referred to ECNEC for further consideration. These include the “Higher Education Development in Pakistan (HEDP) (Revised)” project with a revised cost of Rs. 21.2 billion, and a series of major transport and communication initiatives. Among them are the “Dualization of Sargodha–Khushab–Mianwali Road (60.43 km) in District Khushab (Revised)” at Rs. 11.8 billion, the “Development of a Controlled Access Corridor Facility from Niazi Interchange to Babu Sabu Interchange, Lahore (New)” at Rs. 10.8 billion, and the “Dualization of Road from Gujranwala to M-2 Interchange at Kot Sarwar via Hafizabad (70.5 km) (Revised)” at Rs. 13.2 billion.
The largest project referred to ECNEC is the “Reconstruction of National Highway N-5 under Pakistan’s Resilient Recovery and Reconstruction Framework Project, Phase-I (210 km) (New),” with a staggering cost of Rs. 155.4 billion. Another significant road project, the “Dualization of Road from Chishtian to Chak No 46/3R via Dahrnawala (41.154 km) including Two Lane Link Road from Dahrnawala to Chak 175M (4.859 km) (Revised),” was also referred to ECNEC at a cost of Rs. 14.9 billion.
