The Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) has approved a financing package worth $475 million for the long-delayed M-6 Sukkur-Hyderabad motorway project, a major step towards improving Pakistan’s north-south connectivity. The approval was given by IsDB’s Board of Executive Directors on Tuesday.
The 306-kilometre M-6 motorway is part of the eastern alignment of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and will fill the missing link in the route connecting Karachi with Peshawar. Once completed, the six-lane motorway will support speeds of up to 120 km/h and include 89 bridges, 15 interchanges, and 243 underpasses.
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The total cost of the project is estimated at $1.7 billion, with construction scheduled to start in April 2026 and conclude by December 2028. The Sindh government has already begun land acquisition, with Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah instructing officials to speed up the transfer of state and private land. Previous delays had been attributed to litigation and funding shortfalls.
In parallel, the M-10 motorway, also known as Karachi Northern Bypass, is being upgraded and extended to connect directly with the M-6 at Jamshoro. This will create a high-capacity corridor for both freight and passenger traffic from Karachi Port to the rest of the country.
The M-6 has faced repeated delays, with costs rising from $617 million in 2018 to $1.1 billion in 2022 and now $1.7 billion. The government has made it a fiscal priority for 2025-26 and is also in talks with the Saudi Fund for Development and the Asian Development Bank for further financing.
