ISLAMABAD – In a major development aimed at transparency and better revenue generation, the National Highway Authority (NHA) successfully auctioned 68 toll plazas across the country, including the important Karachi Northern Bypass.
The public auction took place at the Jinnah Convention Centre in Islamabad and kicked off at 10:30 a.m., drawing in a large crowd of investors, observers, and media personnel. The entire process was carried out openly, with clear instructions from Federal Minister for Communications Abdul Aleem Khan to ensure complete transparency. After the auction, he personally commended NHA officials for organizing the event in a fair and well-managed manner.
Ahead of the event, a widespread publicity campaign was run to encourage competitive bidding, while both print and electronic media were invited to oversee the process — another step to keep everything transparent.
Among the 68 toll plazas auctioned were sites in Karachi, Jamshoro, Saeedabad, Moro, Kandiaro, Ranipur, Sadiqabad, Bahawalpur, Khanewal, Kalashah Kaku, Gujranwala, Jhelum, Mandra, Nowshera, Mansehra, Hassanabdal, and various points along the Makran Coastal Highway.
One of the key highlights was the Karachi Northern Bypass toll plaza, which handles a large volume of industrial traffic heading to and from the city’s port areas — making it a valuable asset in terms of logistics and revenue.
Minister Abdul Aleem Khan stressed that holding open auctions like this one discourages corruption and prevents monopolies on public assets. According to the NHA, this revised leasing model will bring in more income, which will be directly reinvested into the maintenance and development of national highways.
All in all, this auction not only marked a win for fair competition but also for Pakistan’s road infrastructure in the long run.
