Are Motorway and Road Projects Important?

It has become a norm in the political culture of Pakistan to criticize the projects of opponents. Motorways & Road Network initiatives of PMLN often top the list of the projects subject to constant criticism by their opponents, particularly the PPP and Imran Khan's PTI.

Construction of roads not only services as a means of transportation between farm/industry & market, health, education, but it also serves more than 100 industries . Even the most developed countries in the world - example, the USA - used, availed and utilized this "road construction" industry as a major instrument on their path to development.

Coming to Pakistan, it is probably the only third world country that has motorways with a proper planned network of 8 motorways M1-M8 & an additional M9 (upgradation of Hyderabad - Karachi super highway).

This project was and is still frequently criticized as an unnecessary waste of money and resources. Let me tell my friends, that if we hadn't built this motorway network our main N-5 would have choked by now between Lahore & Islamabad; similarly Indus Highway is relief for N-5 in Sindh & South Punjab.

Furthermore, the main idea behind this motorway network was the concept of a "trade corridor". Simplest example can be trade between India & Central Asia through Iran. This trade through Iranian port consumes a lot of time & Iran charges a certain amount of money/ton of goods transported through Iran. The route is Central asia > Iran > Iranian port > sea > Indian Port > India & vice versa.  You can yourself imagine the time & fuel consumed by this route. Let us now consider the other route, India > Pakistan > Motorway > Afghanistan (Wakhan Belt just 24 km wide) > Central Asia.

Time & fuel consumed in this route is approximately a quarter of the same on the other route.
Once this network is completed, this possesses potential to become one of the busiest trade routes of the world especially when Gwadar & Karachi ports are also connected to it.