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Why is the US/NATO not repairing Indus Highway damage?
Posted on November 21, 2009 by Moin Ansari
It took Pakistan a lot of blood sweat and tears to build the best highway system in South Asia. Pakistani motorways were built to European specifications and were meant for Pakistan and Pakistanis. The Indus Highway meanders on the West bank of the Indus. It was initiated by Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto, but canceled by the short-sighted Zia Ul Haq. The motorway was started by Mian Nawaz Sharif, and entire network of motorways from Karachi to Khyber was completed during the reign of Pervez Musharraf.
The system of Motorways in Pakistan is the best in South Asia--It is being destoryed by NATO and ISAF traffic.
Today armament laden, overweight, and wide NATO 16 wheelers rumble on the Indus Highway, which was built for civilian not military traffic. NATO transportation has cause damage to the freeway, and NATO and the US have done nothing to repair and build the highway for their use. They have been using the freeway for over a decade without any Octroi payment, usage fees, or maintenance fees.
The National Highway 55 or N55 is a highway located in Sindh, Punjab and the North-West Frontier provinces of Pakistan. It is often referred to as the Indus Highway. The highway is famous for it’s scenic views and the Kohat Tunnel, near Darra Adam Khel. The Kohat Tunnel is a 1.9 kilometres (1.2 mi) longest road tunnel in Pakistan. Construction on the tunnel began in 1999, and was opened to traffic in June 2003. As part of developing the Indus Highway, the tunnel serves as a shorter, alternate route to the Kohat Pass, situated between the cities of Peshawar and Kohat.
The N5 (N 55) is a national treasure of Pakistan built on the West bank of the Indus--it was not built for heavy military vehicular transportation and is beind destoryed by NATO trucks which weigh more than the designed capacity of the Indus Highway.
The new route decreases the time required to travel through the Kotal Pass by about 20 minutes. The main advantage of the tunnel is that long bodied vehicles can now use the Indus Highway whereas previously the hairpin bends on the Kotal Pass made it impossible for the long and heavy vehicles to travel. The tunnel was also built to decrease traffic congestion, improve traffic safety, and promote economic development in the Kohat region. Without the tunnel, the existing road around the Kotal Pass would take upwards to 40 mintues, whereas the tunnel allows you to pass in 10 minutes.
Pakistan
Over the past year the nine-year-long U.S. and NATO war in Afghanistan has been extended into Pakistan, the so-called AfPak theater of operations.
On November 4 the U.S. launched its latest drone missile attack into North Waziristan, killing two Pakistanis.
“According to independent reports, since August 2008 alone, around 70 cross-border predator strikes carried out by American drones have resulted in the death of 687 Pakistani civilians.”
The Nation, a Pakistani daily newspaper, reported on November 12 that the massive increase in NATO convoys crossing the country en route to Afghanistan are overwhelming the country’s highways and that “Pakistani authorities are simply helpless in checking truckloads of North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) forces badly damaging the Indus Highway, the repair of which would cost billions of rupees to the national exchequer….NATO trucks and trailers have not been [held accountable] even once for the repair and maintenance work, while cracks are developing on the Indus Highway after every three to four months due to overloading….”
The Pakistani government must send a repair bill toCENTCOM, and if they do not repair the roads, and pay for its maintenence, then they should be disallowed usage of the roads.
ISLAMABAD – Pakistani authorities are simply helpless in checking truckloads of North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) forces badly damaging the Indus Highway, the repair of which would cost billions of rupees to the national exchequer, TheNation has learnt reliably.
NATO trucks and trailers have not been claimed even for once for the repair and maintenance work, while the cracks are developed on Indus Highway after every three to four months due to overloading, informed well-placed sources. These truckloads with oil and other material pass the Indus Highway to enter Afghanistan. Normally, the criterion set for trucks or heavy vehicles is that those with extra load above the recommended standards are not allowed and violators are fined by the National Highway Authority (NHA) but in case of NATO these rules do not simply apply.
NHA has set its measuring standard 17.5 tons for 2Excel Bedford while 2Excel Single Hino can carry 17.5 tons. Overloading fines starts from Rs1,000 to Rs 5,000 in each case with one-month imprisonment.
It is pertinent to mention here that NATO trucks have been frequently using the Indus Highway mainly from Karachi to Peshawar for a long time.
These trucks pass through the roads of main cities of country Karachi, Haiderabad, Shikarpur, Kashmor, D.G Khan, D.I.Khan, Peshawar and then cross the border to reach Afghanistan.
Meanwhile, the sources said that most of the weighing stations on Indus Highway are not up to the mark. When contacted, Director Road and Transport Shoaib said that cracks are developed on the road due to overloading. “Due Overloading of trucks cracks are developed even after three to four months,” he said and admitted there was no proper mechanism for weighing station to check it.
When contacted, ISAF Joint Command Public Affairs Darin Russel said that they were only aware of contracted trucks not NATO-owned trucks. He also referred this scribe to contact trucking companies for information. After repeated tries the PRO of National Highway Authority (NHA) did not pick his cell phone as well as office number to give his comments. Nato trucks damaging Indus Highway
By: Javaid-ur-rahman | Published: November 12, 2009
Why is the US/NATO not repairing Indus Highway damage? RUPEE NEWS: Recording History, Narrating Archives, Strategic Intellibrief Analysis: Noticias de Rupia | Nouvelles de Roupie | Rupiennachrichten | ??????? ????? | ???? | Rupi
Posted on November 21, 2009 by Moin Ansari
It took Pakistan a lot of blood sweat and tears to build the best highway system in South Asia. Pakistani motorways were built to European specifications and were meant for Pakistan and Pakistanis. The Indus Highway meanders on the West bank of the Indus. It was initiated by Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto, but canceled by the short-sighted Zia Ul Haq. The motorway was started by Mian Nawaz Sharif, and entire network of motorways from Karachi to Khyber was completed during the reign of Pervez Musharraf.
The system of Motorways in Pakistan is the best in South Asia--It is being destoryed by NATO and ISAF traffic.
Today armament laden, overweight, and wide NATO 16 wheelers rumble on the Indus Highway, which was built for civilian not military traffic. NATO transportation has cause damage to the freeway, and NATO and the US have done nothing to repair and build the highway for their use. They have been using the freeway for over a decade without any Octroi payment, usage fees, or maintenance fees.
The National Highway 55 or N55 is a highway located in Sindh, Punjab and the North-West Frontier provinces of Pakistan. It is often referred to as the Indus Highway. The highway is famous for it’s scenic views and the Kohat Tunnel, near Darra Adam Khel. The Kohat Tunnel is a 1.9 kilometres (1.2 mi) longest road tunnel in Pakistan. Construction on the tunnel began in 1999, and was opened to traffic in June 2003. As part of developing the Indus Highway, the tunnel serves as a shorter, alternate route to the Kohat Pass, situated between the cities of Peshawar and Kohat.
The N5 (N 55) is a national treasure of Pakistan built on the West bank of the Indus--it was not built for heavy military vehicular transportation and is beind destoryed by NATO trucks which weigh more than the designed capacity of the Indus Highway.
The new route decreases the time required to travel through the Kotal Pass by about 20 minutes. The main advantage of the tunnel is that long bodied vehicles can now use the Indus Highway whereas previously the hairpin bends on the Kotal Pass made it impossible for the long and heavy vehicles to travel. The tunnel was also built to decrease traffic congestion, improve traffic safety, and promote economic development in the Kohat region. Without the tunnel, the existing road around the Kotal Pass would take upwards to 40 mintues, whereas the tunnel allows you to pass in 10 minutes.
Pakistan
Over the past year the nine-year-long U.S. and NATO war in Afghanistan has been extended into Pakistan, the so-called AfPak theater of operations.
On November 4 the U.S. launched its latest drone missile attack into North Waziristan, killing two Pakistanis.
“According to independent reports, since August 2008 alone, around 70 cross-border predator strikes carried out by American drones have resulted in the death of 687 Pakistani civilians.”
The Nation, a Pakistani daily newspaper, reported on November 12 that the massive increase in NATO convoys crossing the country en route to Afghanistan are overwhelming the country’s highways and that “Pakistani authorities are simply helpless in checking truckloads of North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) forces badly damaging the Indus Highway, the repair of which would cost billions of rupees to the national exchequer….NATO trucks and trailers have not been [held accountable] even once for the repair and maintenance work, while cracks are developing on the Indus Highway after every three to four months due to overloading….”
The Pakistani government must send a repair bill toCENTCOM, and if they do not repair the roads, and pay for its maintenence, then they should be disallowed usage of the roads.
ISLAMABAD – Pakistani authorities are simply helpless in checking truckloads of North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) forces badly damaging the Indus Highway, the repair of which would cost billions of rupees to the national exchequer, TheNation has learnt reliably.
NATO trucks and trailers have not been claimed even for once for the repair and maintenance work, while the cracks are developed on Indus Highway after every three to four months due to overloading, informed well-placed sources. These truckloads with oil and other material pass the Indus Highway to enter Afghanistan. Normally, the criterion set for trucks or heavy vehicles is that those with extra load above the recommended standards are not allowed and violators are fined by the National Highway Authority (NHA) but in case of NATO these rules do not simply apply.
NHA has set its measuring standard 17.5 tons for 2Excel Bedford while 2Excel Single Hino can carry 17.5 tons. Overloading fines starts from Rs1,000 to Rs 5,000 in each case with one-month imprisonment.
It is pertinent to mention here that NATO trucks have been frequently using the Indus Highway mainly from Karachi to Peshawar for a long time.
These trucks pass through the roads of main cities of country Karachi, Haiderabad, Shikarpur, Kashmor, D.G Khan, D.I.Khan, Peshawar and then cross the border to reach Afghanistan.
Meanwhile, the sources said that most of the weighing stations on Indus Highway are not up to the mark. When contacted, Director Road and Transport Shoaib said that cracks are developed on the road due to overloading. “Due Overloading of trucks cracks are developed even after three to four months,” he said and admitted there was no proper mechanism for weighing station to check it.
When contacted, ISAF Joint Command Public Affairs Darin Russel said that they were only aware of contracted trucks not NATO-owned trucks. He also referred this scribe to contact trucking companies for information. After repeated tries the PRO of National Highway Authority (NHA) did not pick his cell phone as well as office number to give his comments. Nato trucks damaging Indus Highway
By: Javaid-ur-rahman | Published: November 12, 2009
Why is the US/NATO not repairing Indus Highway damage? RUPEE NEWS: Recording History, Narrating Archives, Strategic Intellibrief Analysis: Noticias de Rupia | Nouvelles de Roupie | Rupiennachrichten | ??????? ????? | ???? | Rupi
