From The Past Pages Of Dawn: 1973: Fifty Years Ago: Super Highway extension
There was no issue of the paper on Oct 27, 1973, on account of the Jummatul Wida holiday. The excerpt below is taken from the previous day’s edition.
RAWALPINDI: In view of the transport and other difficulties experienced during the recent floods the Government of Pakistan has decided to construct a new super highway along the right bank of the Indus — linking Karachi with Peshawar and passing through Sind, Punjab and NWFP. The project was discussed here today [Oct 25] at a meeting convened by the Finance Minister, Dr Mubashir Hasan. …
...Dr Mubashir told the participants that the Prime Minister has ordered that the project be undertaken immediately and completed as soon as possible. He said early completion … has been made necessary by the vulnerability of the country’s transport system which was demonstrated during the recent floods when the railway system broke down near Khanpur and Ahmedpur East — leaving no alternative means for transporting goods and passengers to the northern areas. The road between Jacobabad and Dera Ghazi Khan was very unsatisfactory and the railway line was even more difficult. As a result, now there was a backlog of 1,000 wagons.
Published in Dawn, October 27th, 2023