The Central Development Working Party (CDWP), in a meeting chaired by the Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal, approved 5 different development projects.
Out of these, two projects with substituted cost of Rs. 7.725 billion were approved at the CDWP level. And three projects, amounting to Rs. 47.439 billion, were recommended to the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) for approval.
The agenda focused on development projects across key sectors, including Environment, Food & Agriculture, Health and Physical Planning & Housing.
A project of physical planning & housing sector “Construction of New Balochistan Assembly at Quetta” worth Rs. 9.519 billion was approved in-principal and recommended to ECNEC for further considerations.
The main objective of the project is to construct a new Assembly Building being planned in Quetta to replace the existing structure, as the old building can no longer accommodate the full strength of assembly members.
The “Installation of Weather Surveillance Radar at Sukkur in the Islamic Republic of Pakistan – Revised” project worth Rs. 5.725 billion was approved by the forum. The chair noticed inordinate delay in implementation of the project with Japanese grant and directed for installation on priority basis.
The “Balochistan Livelihoods and Entrepreneurship” project was recommended to ECNEC at a revised cost of Rs. 12.461 billion. The main objective of the project is to promote employment opportunities for rural communities and ensure the sustainability of enterprises in eight districts of Balochistan including Chagai, Killa Abdullah, Killa Saifullah, Mastung, Nushki, Pishin, Sherani, and Zhob.
The “Expansion of Armed Forces Institute of Cardiology and National Institute of Heart Diseases (AFIC-NIHD), Rawalpindi” project at estimated cost of Rs. 25.458 billion was in-principal recommended to ECNEC with concerns and funding confirmation. The upgradation and expansion of the Armed Forces Institute of Cardiology and National Institute of Heart Diseases (AFIC-NIHD) aims to significantly enhance the hospital’s capacity and quality of care to meet growing cardiac healthcare demands over the next two decades.
Key objectives include increasing indoor bed capacity from 420 to 800, establishing 10 state-of-the-art modular operation theaters, enhancing diagnostic capabilities with advanced MRI and CT scanners, expanding outpatient services with 20 additional specialist clinics, and upgrading the angiography setup and compliance with international healthcare standards such as JCIA, FGI, and ASHRAE.
Another project “Special Development Initiatives for Backward / Poor District in Country (50:50)” worth Rs. 1.9 billion was approved by the forum for Kashmore district, Sindh.
The meeting was attended by Awais Manzur Sumra, Secretary Planning, along with Chief Economist, VC PIDE, other members of the Planning Commission, Federal Secretaries, heads of Provincial Planning & Development (P&D) boards/ departments, and senior representatives from relevant Federal Ministries and Provincial Governments.
Reference Link:- https://propakistani.pk/2025/06/20/new-balochistan-assembly-building-to-be-constructed-at-cost-of-rs-9-5-billion/