April 06, 2022: Deputy Chairman Planning Commission, Dr. Speaking virtually at the Asia & Pacific Transport Forum 2022 hosted by Asian Development Bank (ADB), Jehanzeb Khan stated that Pakistan has taken several transport initiatives over the past decade including Lahore Orange Line, Karachi Green Line, Peshawar BRT while Karachi Circular Railways has recently been approved.
The forum was organized by ADB to explore solutions for creating a more sustainable and low-carbon transportation future for the region.
Director General, ADB Woochong Um, Ricardo Menendez March, Member Green Party New Zealand, Young Tae Kim, Secretary General, International Transport Forum (ITA), Oh Jaehak, President Korean Transport Institute KOTI also participated in the forum.
This year’s theme was ‘Accelerating Transformative & Decarbonized Transport’. The participants discussed the ways and means to accelerate the necessary changes in transport and mobility.
During the opening session, Vice-Chairman Planning Committee Dr. Jehanzeb Khan that a high-performing transportation and communication structure is vital to a country’s development.
Investments in a country’s infrastructure have a direct impact on economic growth as producers find the best markets for their goods, reduce transportation time and costs, and create jobs, he added.
He said Pakistan has taken several transport initiatives over the past decade, especially in major cities like Karachi, Lahore and Peshawar. GreenLine in Karachi, Orange Line in Lahore and BRT in Peshawar were key projects helping the millions of commuters in the country, he added.
According to him, after the launch of BRT in Peshawar, female commuters feel safer when traveling by public transport compared to the past, which is a positive sign. He informed the forum that by 2030, 30% of all new vehicles sold in various categories in Pakistan will be electric vehicles (EVs). Likewise, by 2030, 60% of all energy produced in the country will be generated from renewable energy sources, including hydropower.
dr. Khan stressed that in order to make the transport system affordable for people in general, Pakistan needs more such modern transport systems, both in urban areas and between intercity transport.
While highlighting the key issues and challenges, he informed the forum that air pollution, especially in Lahore, causes smog problems during winter and congestion in major cities like Lahore, Karachi and Islamabad is also a major challenge that needs to be addressed.
dr. Khan further informed the forum that NDC, Pakistan’s Nationally Determined Contribution, had forecast GHG emissions growth of 300% for the period (2015-2030) based on a projected GDP growth of 9% of GDP. gross domestic product and greater dependence on fossil fuels.
According to him, estimates have been revised downwards, largely due to TBTTP (2016-2021) sequestration of 8.4 MtCO2e.
In addition to the NDC target, the government has approved the EV policy with the goal of shifting 30% of all vehicles to electric passenger cars and 50% to electric two/tricycles and buses by 2030.
Likewise, he informed the forum that Pakistan Railways has two flagship projects, Karachi Circular Railway KCR and Karachi-Pipri Freight Corridor, which will transform the entire public and freight transport landscape of the Karachi metropolitan area while reducing congestion in the city.
The other participants from Korea, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, France and ADB also shared their views on the key transport challenges and opportunities in developing countries in Asia, especially the impact of the pandemic and international development agreements – the SDGs and the Paris Agreement on the transport sector.
Press release
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