Federal Minister for Economic Affairs Senator Ahad Cheema has directed the National Highway Authority (NHA), the federal agency that builds and maintains national highways, to give priority to projects that can stand on firm financial footing. The instruction was given at a meeting on Saturday, October 24, in Islamabad. The minister asked the authority to prepare a practical business plan that avoids excessive debt-servicing obligations, meaning the repayments it must make on loans and the interest on them.
The meeting reviewed the NHA's financial position and its business plan, along with an ongoing assessment by the Asian Development Bank (ADB), a regional lender. Officials briefed the meeting on early findings from the study with the ADB consultant, and several models for improving the agency's performance were presented, according to a press release issued by the Ministry of Economic Affairs. Finance Secretary Imdadullah Bosal, Communications Secretary Ali Sher Mehsud and the NHA's chief executive were among those present.
How projects will be chosen
Cheema asked the NHA to include realistic commercial indicators in its PC-I documents, the planning papers that the Central Development Working Party (CDWP) reviews before a project is approved. He also asked the authority to sort projects by financial viability and by whether they need government or foreign funding, so that investment decisions follow that sorting. Initial feasibility studies should be shared early with the Central Monitoring Unit (CMU) of the Finance Division for comments. Projects that are not commercially viable should be studied thoroughly and reviewed before any decision is taken.
Protecting federal development funding
The minister stressed that outside or commercial financing must not lead to a cut in the NHA's share of the Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP), the federal programme that funds public development work. He said the government is not in favour of reducing that allocation, because federal development money remains essential to the authority. The stated aim is to prioritise projects that are commercially, economically and socially viable, and to avoid an unsustainable debt burden. The minister's message was that NHA financial viability should be built alongside, not in place of, public funding.
What comes next
Cheema urged the NHA to speed up coordination with the ADB consultant on project mapping, feasibility studies and financial modelling. That work is expected to help identify economically viable investments and reduce the risk of heavy debt payments later. No completion date for the revised business plan has been announced. Further steps will depend on the outcome of the consultant's study and the reviews that follow.
Aasan alfaaz mein
Federal minister Ahad Cheema ne NHA ko hukam diya hai ke woh maali lehaz se mazboot projects ko tarjeeh de aur ek amli business plan banaye. Yeh bhi kaha gaya hai ke bahar ya commercial qarz ki wajah se federal tarqiyati fund mein kami nahi honi chahiye. Is faisle se fori tor par qeemat ya toll mein tabdeeli ka zikr nahi hai. Aam log ke liye iska asar sadkon ki tameer aur un ki adaigi ke tareeqay mein dikhay ga.
