NHA told to classify projects by viability

Economic Affairs Minister Senator Ahad Cheema has asked the National Highway Authority (NHA) to prepare a business plan with clear deadlines and an assessment of its capacity. The Express Tribune reported that the instruction came during a meeting reviewing the authority’s financial viability work and an ongoing study by an Asian Development Bank consultant.

Officials shared preliminary study findings and options for improving NHA’s operations. Cheema called for projects to be assessed using realistic commercial indicators in planning documents, sorted by viability and funding needs, and reviewed early by the Finance Ministry’s Central Monitoring Unit. He also said government or foreign financing should not reduce the authority’s Public Sector Development Programme allocation, and that projects lacking commercial viability need further review before decisions are taken.