ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Communications Abdul Aleem Khan chaired a high level meeting of the National Highway Authority where serious concerns over escalating maintenance costs and public complaints regarding motorways were brought under sharp focus.
The meeting reviewed the overall performance of the authority with particular attention to road maintenance expenditures. The minister took strong notice of what he termed excessive spending under the guise of maintenance, directing officials to ensure strict financial discipline and full accountability in the use of public funds.
Senior officials including the federal secretary for communications and the NHA chairman briefed the minister on ongoing and upcoming infrastructure projects. They also highlighted operational challenges, complaints related to motorway conditions, and steps being taken to improve service delivery across the national highway network.
Expressing dissatisfaction over inefficiencies, Abdul Aleem Khan ordered the implementation of a robust monitoring mechanism to oversee maintenance activities. He stressed that transparency must be ensured at every level and warned that negligence or misuse of funds would not be tolerated under any circumstances.
In a significant move, the meeting approved new policies aimed at large scale institutional reform within the National Highway Authority. These measures are designed to initiate a comprehensive cleanup drive, improve governance standards, and restore public confidence in the authority’s operations.
The minister underscored that Pakistan’s road infrastructure is a critical economic asset and must be managed with integrity and efficiency. He directed officials to prioritise quality over routine spending, signalling a shift towards performance driven management as the government pushes for accountability and reform in key public sector institutions.
