Number of Motor Vehicle Registered 4,442,319 (1999-2000)

The total length of roads in Pakistan is approximately 188,000 kilometres. This includes 7,112 kilometres of federalised roads, including nine National Highways and one Motorway (M-2). An investment of about Rs.100 billion is earmarked for improvement of existing roads and construction of new highways and motorways during the 9th five year plan.

The work on the 1,265 km. Indus Highway Project is in progress with OECF assistance. Works were taken in hand over staggered reaches of total 757 km. of length out of which 707 km. road length is complete and balance length of 50 km. is near completion under phase-I and II of the project. Remaining length of 428 km. will be taken up under phase-III. It is expected to be completed by the year 2001. The Indus Highway, an alternate North-South route on the west bank of river Indus, links Karachi and Peshawar through some less developed areas of the country and reduces the distance between Karachi and Peshawar by 300 km.

The work on the dualisation of 1,762 km. National Highway (N.5) – an historical highway from Karachi to the Torkham border through Lahore - is in progress. A section of around 600 km. has already been dualised and work is in progress on another 900 km. The contracts for the remaining sections of the road are being processed to enable the complete dualisation of N-5 by the year 2001.

The construction of the Pakistan Motorway connecting the northern and southern parts of the country with a link at Gawadar has been initiated. The first 333 km. phase of the project, the Lahore, Islamabad Motorway - M-2, has been constructed with the assistance of a South Korean firm at a cost of US $ one billion. Along this motorway, industrial estates of 800 to 1,000 hectares at or near the interchanges are planned. The work the on Islamabad–Peshawar Motorway (M-1) has been initiated. The work has been awarded to a Turkish firm, Bayindir, which is providing 50% of the loan in the form of a supplier’s credit. Two additional motorway projects, Pindi Bhattian–Faisalabad (M-3) and Karachi–Hyderabad (M-9), have been awarded on a Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) basis.

The main Karakaram-Highway (N-35), which is the historic silk route, is being improved, with 713 km. of the road being rehabilitated under Phase-I by the Frontier Works Organisation (FWO) to enhance road safety. Under Phase-II, the road will be upgraded to International Standards to eventually allow faster flows of traffic from the sea ports of Karachi and Gawadar to the Central Asian States when the motorway network linking these areas is completed.