GHOTKI/KANDHKOT – Pakistan is building what is set to become South Asia’s longest river bridge — the 12.5-kilometer Ghotki-Kandhkot Bridge in Sindh — with completion targeted by 2028 at a cost of Rs30.5 billion.
“This will be the longest river bridge in the entire South Asian region,” stated Syed Qasim Naveed Qamar, Special Assistant to the Chief Minister of Sindh on Investment and Public-Private Partnership, during a meeting with the business community on Thursday.
Construction on the project has been progressing steadily for the past two years. Once completed, the bridge will connect the provinces of Sindh, Punjab, and Balochistan, slashing river-crossing travel time from 2.5 hours to just 15 minutes.
Qamar emphasized the bridge’s strategic importance: “It will enhance regional connectivity, curb crime in underdeveloped katcha areas, and usher in new economic opportunities, especially for the underserved communities of Kandhkot.”
While Ghotki has benefited from highway development and some industrial activity, Kandhkot remains underdeveloped. The bridge is expected to spur local job creation and socio-economic uplift in the region.
At the meeting, Qamar’s team presented a portfolio of around a dozen infrastructure projects — including special economic zones, healthcare facilities, roads, and schools — valued at over Rs616 billion, aiming to attract private investment through public-private partnerships.
The session was attended by prominent business leaders including MNA Mirza Ikhtiar Baig, KCCI’s Zubair Motiwala, and industrialist Arif Habib, alongside Arif Elahi, Danish Khan, Junaid Naqi, Zahid Saeed, Sameer Chinoy, and Danish Elahi.
