Pak, China to ink highway deals under CPEC

Islamabad: China and Pakistan will ink significant agreements regarding motorways and highways during the upcoming four-day visit of caretaker Pak Prime Minister Anwaarul Haq Kakar to Beijing, starting from October 16. The agreements will be signed under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), Dawn reported.

PM Kakar is visiting China to attend ‘Third Belt and Road Forum (BRF) for International Cooperation’, being held in Beijing from October 17 to 18.

“The prime minister will attend the opening ceremony of the BRF and address the high-level forum entitled ’Connectivity in an Open Global Economy,” the PM office said in a post on X on Saturday.

For Pakistan, one of the significant Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) to be signed is related to the establishment of a modern Highway Research & Training Centre (HRTC) with Chinese assistance. The project will prominently take centre stage during the PM’s discussion with Chinese authorities.

HRTC is a subsidiary of National Highway Authority (NHA) for carrying out indigenous research in various faculties of highway engineering not limited to pavements, bridges, tunneling environmental engineering, hydraulics and Geotech, but also covering technical training.

Prime Minister Kakar will also sign an MOU to upgrade Karakoram Highway (KKH) from Raikot to Thakot, Raikot to Khunjerab (335 km), KKH phase-2 on the E-35 section from Havelian to Thakot, covering 120km and introduction of a motorway section connecting Havelian to Mansehra, Dawn reported.

IANS