Islamabad High Court Sets Deadline to Fund Major Motorway Interchange Project

The Islamabad High Court has set a deadline for the Ministry of Planning and Finance to secure funds for the Bhong Interchange on the Multan-Sukkur Motorway, following a Supreme Court ruling. The case was brought forth by Rais Munir, with legal representation from Advocate Waqar Rana, and the federal government represented by Assistant Attorney General Shaista Tabassum.

During the proceeding, officials from the Ministry of Planning informed the court that a sum of Rs100 million had already been released under a prior order. They requested an extension to allocate the remaining funds, proposing that the release occur by the second quarter. The petitioner's legal team highlighted that the project still necessitates a total of Rs1.7 billion and urged authorities to at least reimburse the contractor, who had already financed Rs350 million of the work using his own resources.

The court emphasized that the contractor must receive payment; otherwise, progress on the project would be stymied. Waqar Rana argued that further postponement, potentially another three months, would occur if the authorities waited until the second quarter, noting that a year had already elapsed since the Supreme Court's directives.

He contended that the project should have been finalized in accordance with the Supreme Court's instructions, and authorities had consistently overlooked their obligations. The Additional Secretary for Planning assured the court that approval would be forthcoming within 15 days, and the court accepted the assistant attorney general's request for more time, mandating the relevant authorities to arrange the required funds within a month and adjourned the hearing until the following month.