Pakistan’s Punjab province is known for the most advanced infrastructural development. You’ll find here modern architectural marvels that are ensuring round-the-clock connectivity within and inter province. The M-2 Motorway is perhaps the largest and most-widely used highway that has significantly improved the socio-economic well being of the people. Along the way, you’ll come across numerous picnic spots, motels, rest areas, and local shops that employ thousands of people. A recent addition to the motorway network has been the inauguration of the Kharian-Sialkot Motorway. Let’s see the route this project covers and the economic benefits that can be expected from it.
Sialkot-Kharian Motorway
The Sialkot-Kharian Motorway is also known as Sambrial-Kharian Motorway and recently the development plan of this project was inaugurated in a ceremony. This is a 65-kilometer long motorway that is labelled as M-11 and has four lanes to avoid congestion of cars. This route of Sialkot-Kharian falls in the middle of Lahore-Islamabad Motorway and is expected to provide an alternative route between the two cities.
The route starts from Sambrial in Sialkot District and will end in Kharian. The route has five interchanges, which are:
- Kharian
- Galyana
- Daulat Nagar
- Piro Shah
- Jalalpur Jattan
This project is being built on a private-public partnership and will be delivered in the next two years. At the inauguration ceremony, Prime Minister Imran Khan highlighted that this PKR 32 billion will generate 43,000 jobs and see a flow of 23,000 cars, every day. The PM Is of the view that this will significantly improve the area’s local economy by providing jobs and also ensuring accessibility. Accessibility is the main prerequisite as these cities are primarily known for their industries, and with the construction of M-11, these industries will find it much easier to transfer their products. To larger markets.
Let’s see what each of these cities are famous for.
Sialkot & Its Sports Industry
The city of Sialkot is considered to be the manufacturing backbone of Pakistan, as it houses numerous industries which produce export items. The export items primarily include leather goods and surgical instruments. However, Sialkot has garnered international fame for its hand-stitched footballs that have been widely used in international football tournaments, FIFA. Sialkot’s production of footballs, as a percentage of the world, stands at 70% as the city produces 40 to 60 billion balls annually.
The entire city of Sialkot has numerous industries all of whom produce hand-stitched footballs and a variety of sports goods such as sports equipment and sports’ wear. Other industries here include textile and musical instruments. The city’s various industries alone have earned value foreign exchange as most of the products are directly exported from here.
Sialkot has a historical significance for Pakistan as one of the forefathers of the country and our national poet, Allama Muhammad Iqbal was born here. His place of birth is one of the national landmarks for the country and many people have attached great importance to it.
In addition to this, the Marala Headworks is also located here. This large hydro-engineering project, used for controlling water flow and for flood control in the River Chenab, is a picnic spot for many locals as well as tourists.
Now let’s see what’s in store for people at the other end of M-11.
All About Kharian
Kharian is a city that is known for its wide varieties of plants and greenery. This is a city that is known for its handcrafted Punjabi fans, cane furniture, and crockeries, especially knives. The city also has a strong agricultural base which makes it one of the major suppliers of rice, wheat, sugarcane, tobacco, and seasonal vegetables and fruits.
In addition to this, there are numerous bazaars, cottages, and small-scale industries that dot the lush-green landscape. This city has a lot of new real estate developments that give this city a modern flavor.
Apart from this, there is a Pabbi Forest which is a local tourist attraction and has a regular inflow of visitors.
So, as M-11 is constructed, we’ll see more products from these two cities entering the markets and adding to the variety. As this mega project nears completion, we will keep updating you.
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