M-6 Hyderabad Sukkur Motorway Still at Procurement Stage on 30 October 2026: Progress of 9 NHA Road Projects

The 306 km Hyderabad to Sukkur Motorway (M-6) is still "at the procurement stage", the Planning Ministry said after a review of National Highway Authority (NHA) projects on 30 October 2026. Its approved cost (PC-I) is Rs 363.7 billion. Six days earlier, the Communications Minister had said construction would begin in November 2026.

The same review gave the progress of eight other roads. The Shandur to Gilgit road is 67.33 per cent built, the Shikarpur to Rajanpur carriageway on the Indus Highway 62 per cent, and the Karachi to Quetta to Chaman road (N-25) only 19.25 per cent. Below is every project with its length, cost and stage, and what the minister ordered.

We read the Press Information Department's PR No. 483 of 30 October 2026 on 31 October.

M-6 and the Lowari Tunnel works are both still in procurement

Procurement means the contracts have not been fully awarded, so main construction cannot start at full pace. The release puts the M-6 and the electrical and mechanical works of the Lowari Tunnel, costing Rs 33.25 billion, in that stage. Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal told officials to remove procedural bottlenecks.

The M-6 is meant to fill the motorway gap between Hyderabad and Sukkur. Until it is built, traffic on that stretch uses the existing national highways. The release does not give a date for the contracts or for construction.

The minister said November, the review says procurement

On 24 October 2026, Communications Minister Abdul Aleem Khan said construction of the M-6 would begin in November 2026. The Planning Ministry's review on 30 October says the project is at the procurement stage. Both can be true if contracts are signed in November, but neither release confirms that.

We are not choosing between them. The two statements come from two federal ministries six days apart. The minister's remarks are in our report that M-6 work was to start in November 2026. Treat any start date as a target until NHA announces an award or a groundbreaking.

For drivers, nothing changes yet. The Hyderabad to Sukkur stretch stays on the national highway, and the existing tolls apply. Current rates are in the national highway toll rates.

Shandur to Gilgit is two thirds done, N-25 under a fifth

Of the roads already under construction, the Shandur to Gilgit road leads at 67.33 per cent, followed by the Shikarpur to Rajanpur carriageway at 62 per cent. The Chitral to Booni to Mastuj to Shandur road is at 40 per cent, N-25 at 19.25 per cent and the Zhob road at 10 per cent.

The N-25 work includes the Karachi to Kararo and Wadh to Khuzdar sections, which the minister asked to speed up. N-25 is the costliest road on the list after the M-6, at Rs 183.4 billion.

Two Indus Highway sections are waiting or just starting

The 121.5 km Rajanpur to Dera Ghazi Khan section of N-55, costing Rs 63.15 billion, is waiting for letters of award because of land acquisition and resettlement issues. The 208.19 km Dera Ghazi Khan to Dera Ismail Khan section, costing Rs 111.94 billion, has been awarded and its contractors are mobilising.

Mobilising means the contractor is moving staff and machines to the site. So the Indus Highway is now at three different stages along its length: 62 per cent built from Shikarpur to Rajanpur, stuck on land from Rajanpur to Dera Ghazi Khan, and just starting from there to Dera Ismail Khan.

Ahsan Iqbal ordered checks on cost increases and a report for the PM

The minister said unjustified cost escalation, non-transparent claims and weak oversight would not be tolerated. He ordered technical, contractual and financial scrutiny of every contractor claim, independent third-party checks on costs and quality, and a full status report for the Prime Minister.

1. Prepare a report on the status, money needs and bottlenecks of key projects for the Prime Minister.
2. Scrutinise cost escalations, changes in quantities and rates, and extra contractor claims.
3. Use independent third-party validation of costs, quality and claims.
4. Identify projects that can be finished with limited extra money.
5. Send actionable proposals within 15 days on outstanding issues and claims for "the bypass project".

The release does not name which bypass the 15 day order refers to. For motorway trips this winter, the motorway police give road status on 130, set out in how to check motorway status.

Common questions

When will work on the M-6 motorway start?

No confirmed date. The Communications Minister said November 2026 on 24 October. The Planning Ministry said on 30 October that the M-6 is still at the procurement stage.

What is the cost of the M-6 Hyderabad Sukkur Motorway?

The approved PC-I cost is Rs 363,700 million, or Rs 363.7 billion, for 306 km, according to the 30 October 2026 release.

How much of the N-25 Karachi Quetta Chaman road is complete?

19.25 per cent physical progress on the 273 km dualisation, costing Rs 183.4 billion, as of 30 October 2026.

When will the Shandur to Gilgit road be finished?

The release gives no completion date. It puts physical progress at 67.33 per cent on the 216 km road.

Why is the Rajanpur to Dera Ghazi Khan road delayed?

Land acquisition and resettlement issues. Letters of award for the 121.5 km section have not been issued.

How we verified this

What we checked, where we read it, and what we could not confirm.

Last checked 31 October 2026. Every length, cost, progress figure and instruction comes from PID PR No. 483, "No Compromise on Delays, Unjustified Cost Escalations in Development Projects: Ahsan Iqbal", dated 30 October 2026, read in full on pid.gov.pk. Billion figures are our conversion of the release's million figures. The 24 October November start comes from our earlier report on the Communications Minister's remarks. We could not find completion dates, the name of the bypass in the 15 day order, or an NHA notice of an M-6 contract award.