The Hyderabad-Sukkur Motorway project has become a point of contention between the Sindh and the federal governments, with Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah raising objections over ‘perceived injustice.’
On December 13, 2022, Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif laid the foundation stone of the Sukkur-Hyderabad motorway M-6 at Sukkur. 306 kms Sukkur-Hyderabad Motorway (M-6) is the last part of the Peshawar Karachi Motorway.
In a letter of protest to the federal government, Murad Ali Shah highlighted the disparity in project allocations under the National Highway Authority (NHA) plan.
The letter stated that out of 105 projects approved by the NHA, Sindh has only been allocated 6 projects.
In contrast, Punjab has been given 33 projects, securing 38% of the total NHA budget, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan have been allocated 17% and 23% of the budget, respectively. For Sindh, merely 4 per cent of the NHA budget has been reserved for development projects, Murad Ali Shah claimed. The Sindh CM further stated in his letter that Rs708 billion worth of projects were proposed for Punjab, with Rs62 billion allocated in the budget, Sindh’s projects amounted to Rs78 billion, with only Rs7 billion set aside for their completion. Murad Ali Shah expressed deep dissatisfaction, calling for a fair distribution of resources and accusing the federal government of neglecting Sindh’s development needs, the letter read.
