The federal government has directed the accelerated rollout of cashless electronic toll collection and Intelligent Transportation Systems across Pakistan’s major motorways and national highways, with Communications Minister Abdul Aleem Khan issuing the directive at a high-level review meeting held at the headquarters of the National Highways and Motorway Police.
The minister specifically directed authorities to immediately bring the M-2 Motorway into the Intelligent Transportation Systems programme and fast-track the deployment of modern traffic management technologies across the national road network. Under the plan, a free-flow electronic toll collection system will be introduced, eliminating the need for cash transactions at toll plazas and removing the vehicle queues that currently build up at manual payment points during peak travel hours. The shift to electronic tolling is expected to significantly improve travel efficiency and reduce the delays that motorists routinely experience at toll booths across the network, particularly on high-traffic corridors such as the Lahore to Islamabad route on the M-2.
Beyond toll collection, the minister directed that surveillance cameras, communication systems, and security infrastructure across motorways be brought together under a unified technological framework. The electronic tolling network will be linked directly with the Safe City Project, which will allow the combined system to support real-time traffic monitoring and enhance the ability of law enforcement agencies to identify violations, respond to incidents, and coordinate crime prevention efforts across motorway corridors. The integration of tolling infrastructure with an existing urban safety technology platform marks a step toward a more cohesive national transport security architecture that shares data and operational capacity across multiple government systems rather than maintaining separate siloed networks.
On the service and safety side, the minister also directed that Motorway Police personnel be present at all motorway service areas and that facilities available to travellers are standardised across the network. Emergency response arrangements are being upgraded alongside the technology rollout, with Rescue 1122 personnel, fire brigades, and fully equipped ambulances to be deployed at service areas along motorways and national highways, reducing response times for road accidents and medical emergencies that occur far from urban centres. The combination of cashless tolling, intelligent traffic management, integrated surveillance, and enhanced emergency services reflects a broad modernisation agenda for Pakistan’s motorway network that goes well beyond payment technology alone.
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