By Ijaz Kakakhel

Construction on the 146-kilometre Hoshab-Awaran section of the M-8 Motorway has achieved more than 60% physical progress. However, completing this strategically vital project in Balochistan by June 2027 requires an additional Rs16.4 billion, alongside timely funding availability and improved law-and-order situation.

According to official project details available with Wealth Pakistan, the Hoshab-Awaran section is being constructed in two packages. Since construction commenced in April 2021, physical progress on Package-IA has reached 62.17%, while Package-IB has advanced to 66.43%.

The project has an approved PC-I cost of Rs25.8 billion. Releases and expenditures up to June 2026 stood at Rs9.4 billion, while Rs3.5 billion has been allocated under the Public Sector Development Programme for the ongoing fiscal year 2026-27.

The project document shows that Rs16.4 billion is still required to complete the scheme. This makes timely funding crucial if the authorities are to meet the targeted completion deadline of June 2027.

The project involves the construction of a two-lane carriageway stretching 146 kilometres between Hoshab and Awaran. Once completed, the section will improve road connectivity across a relatively underdeveloped part of Balochistan and strengthen the wider M-8 corridor linking different parts of the province.

The project information lists the overall construction cost at Rs14.5 billion. It separately places the construction cost of Package-IA at Rs7.317 billion and Package-IB at Rs8.210 billion.

The Hoshab-Awaran road is significant because improved transport infrastructure can reduce the physical isolation of communities, facilitate the movement of people and goods and provide better access to markets and essential services. Improved road links can also encourage economic activity by making it easier to transport agricultural and other local products to larger commercial centres.

For Balochistan, where long distances and difficult terrain remain major barriers to economic integration, completion of important highway links is particularly important for improving mobility and connecting remote districts with the provincial and national road networks.

However, the official completion schedule comes with important conditions. The June 2027 target remains subject to the availability of funds as well as improvement in the law-and-order situation, suggesting that financing and security conditions will be key determinants of the pace of construction during the remaining period.

With both packages already beyond the 60%-mark, sustained releases under the PSDP and uninterrupted construction activity could now determine whether the remaining work on the 146-kilometre Hoshab-Awaran section can be completed within the planned timeframe.

Credit: INP-WealthPk