The Grand Trunk Road or GT Road has shaped the economic and cultural landscape of South Asia for over two millennia. Today, roads like it continue to be the backbone of Pakistan’s economic growth. With the road network expanding from 50,367 km in 1947 to over 500,700 km by 2025, Pakistan’s development story is closely tied to the expansion of its infrastructure.

The Grand Trunk Road, stretching from Kabul in Afghanistan through Pakistan, India, and Bangladesh, is one of the oldest highways in the world. It has served as a vital trade route for over 2,500 years. It is said that the road was first constructed during the Mauryan Empire around the 3rd century BCE, although portions of it were likely used even earlier. The modern form of the Grand Trunk Road, however, took shape in the 16th century under Sher Shah Suri, who expanded it to a much larger scale. Later, under the Mughal and British empires, the road was continuously improved, making it the strategically significant route we recognize today.

Although the claim that the road was built 300 years before Christ is widely circulated, historical evidence suggests that its full modernization occurred during Sher Shah Suri’s reign. His efforts focused on enhancing the road’s infrastructure to support trade and military mobility across the region.

This historic road was more than just a route for goods. It played a key role in the development of cities. Rest-houses, or Sarai, were built along the way to cater to traders and travelers, later evolving into bustling urban........

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