Lahore-to-Karachi Travel Could Take Just 6 Hours With New Motorway

Islamabad: Pakistan’s planned Sukkur–Hyderabad M-6 Motorway could make travel between Lahore and Karachi faster by completing a major missing section of the country’s north-south motorway network.The 306-kilometre, six-lane motorway is planned to connect Sukkur with Hyderabad, allowing motorists to travel between Punjab and Karachi with less dependence on the existing National Highway N-5.According to the National Highway Authority’s briefings to parliamentary committees, the M-6 project has been divided into five sections. Its revised approved cost is approximately Rs 363.7 billion.The motorway is intended to improve long-distance travel, strengthen trade connections and make the movement of commercial goods more efficient.However, the project has experienced repeated delays involving financing, procurement and approval procedures. In late October 2026, the government reported that M-6 was still at the procurement stage, while construction was being targeted to begin in November.A social media claim suggests that the new motorway could reduce the Lahore-to-Karachi journey to just six hours. However, no official authority has confirmed this travel-time estimate.The road distance between Lahore and Karachi is approximately 1,200 kilometres. Completing M-6 could reduce delays, particularly between Sukkur and Hyderabad, but it would not establish a six-hour journey between the two cities.The project therefore represents an important planned improvement to Pakistan’s transport network, although its construction progress, completion date and eventual journey-time savings must be assessed through official updates.