N-25 Karachi-Quetta-Chaman Highway Guide

The N-25, known as the RCD Highway, is Pakistan's longest road in Balochistan: about 813 km from Karachi through Hub, Bela, Khuzdar, Kalat and Quetta to Chaman on the Afghan border. For decades it has been a single carriageway with traffic in both directions, and it has a grim reputation as a "killer highway". It is also on the UK government's list of places it advises against travelling to, because it lies in Balochistan, and in 2026 the security situation along it has worsened.

This guide explains how the road runs, what is being rebuilt, what the hazards are and what you should check before planning any trip on it. If you only want the Karachi to Quetta drive, our Karachi to Quetta by road guide covers that leg in more detail.

Where does the N-25 go?

The road starts at Shershah Colony in western Karachi and follows the Hub River out of the city. Beyond Hub Chowki it leaves Sindh and enters Lasbela district in Balochistan. In 2022 heavy monsoon rain collapsed the bridge at Hub Chowki, and its reconstruction was completed in February 2025.

From there the highway runs north in this order:

1. Hub and Bela. Flat, hot, dry country on the Lasbela plains. This is also where the N-10 Makran Coastal Highway branches off towards the coast. Our Makran Coastal Highway guide covers that road.
2. Wad and Khuzdar. The road climbs into hills. Khuzdar is the largest town between Karachi and Quetta and the usual overnight halt for people who split the journey.
3. Surab and Kalat. The country opens out onto high plateau. Kalat, once the seat of the Khans of Kalat, is described in our Kalat guide.
4. Mastung and Quetta. The last stretch brings you into the Quetta valley. Quetta sits at roughly 1,680 metres, so the air is noticeably cooler and thinner than on the Lasbela plains below.
5. Kuchlak, Pishin and Qila Abdullah. North-west of Quetta the road crosses farmland towards the Khojak range.
6. Khojak Pass and Chaman. The N-25 crosses the Khojak Pass at 2,290 m before dropping to Chaman at the Afghan border. The famous 3.9 km Khojak railway tunnel runs under the same range, but it carries the old Rohri-Chaman railway line, not the road.

Why is it called the "killer highway"?

The nickname comes from accidents. Most of the road is a narrow two-lane carriageway shared by long-haul trucks, oil tankers, buses and cars, with overtaking on blind bends and few barriers. According to figures from the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics quoted on Wikipedia, more than 4,000 people died in road accidents on this highway between 2012 and 2022. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif himself used the Urdu phrase "khooni road" when the reconstruction was announced.

The common causes are the ones you would expect: overloaded and slow trucks, drivers who are tired after long hauls, head-on collisions when overtaking, and poor road surface in places. Few sections have street lighting, and the road passes long stretches of open country with no services at all.

The dualisation project

The federal government has committed to turning the N-25 into a four-lane dual carriageway, sometimes described as an expressway. Reports at the time of the announcement said the work would cut the Karachi to Chaman journey from about 18 hours to about 6 hours once finished.

What the sources say, as of September 2026:

• The National Highway Authority began reconstruction work in December 2025.
• Contracts worth more than Rs 282 billion went to the Frontier Works Organisation (FWO) for the 278 km Karachi to Khuzdar section and the 187 km Kararo to Chaman section, with completion scheduled within two years.
• A further Khuzdar to Kuchlak section of about 332 km was reported separately at roughly Rs 99 billion.
• Federal ministers quoted the overall project at roughly Rs 415 billion in September 2026, up from earlier figures of Rs 300 to 350 billion.

For a traveller, the practical meaning is that long stretches are currently a construction zone. Expect diversions, uneven surfaces, dust and slow trucks, and don't rely on any journey time that assumes the new road. Completion dates on projects like this commonly slip, so treat "two years" as an intention.

Security and night travel

Please read this section before anything else if you are thinking of using the road.

The UK government's travel advice for Pakistan advises against all travel to Balochistan. The N-25 has been the target of attacks and road blockades for years, and 2026 has been a bad year in the province. The Balochistan Liberation Army claimed a suicide attack on a train at Chaman Phatak in Quetta on 24 May 2026 that killed at least 47 people. A wave of coordinated attacks from 4 to 8 July 2026 included an ambush on a military convoy in the Bela-Winder area of Lasbela, and local reporting in August 2026 described armed blockades of highways around Kalat and Mastung. In September 2026 one report called the N-25 effectively unusable for several months because drivers feared attacks on trucks.

Reports like these are hard to confirm from outside, and the situation changes week to week. Some of what is described may be short-lived, but it shows why you must check before travelling.

• Night travel is restricted. In March 2025 deputy commissioners in several districts banned public and private transport on major highways between 6 pm and 6 am. The N-25 and N-10 were among the roads named. See our guide to the Balochistan night travel ban for how it works. Check whether it is still enforced in the districts you will cross.
• Checkposts are frequent. Carry your original CNIC and expect to be stopped and asked where you are going. Our page on CNIC and Balochistan travel explains what to carry.
• Foreign passport holders should read their own government's advice. Travelling against it can void travel insurance. Non-Pakistanis also face extra permission requirements in much of Balochistan.
• Pakistani families do still use the road, mainly to move between Karachi and Quetta, but many now fly. Our Is Balochistan safe to travel page sets out the wider picture.

We would not plan a leisure trip on the N-25 right now. If your journey is essential, travel in daylight, tell someone your route, and check local news and the district administration on the morning you set out.

What the road is like for drivers

If you do drive it, these points apply whatever the security position:

• Fuel. Fill up in Karachi or Hub, then again in Khuzdar, Kalat or Mastung rather than waiting until the gauge is low. Stretches between towns are long and empty.
• Heat and cold. Lasbela and Khuzdar are very hot in summer, while Quetta and Kalat are freezing in winter. Snow and ice on the plateau and the Khojak range can slow traffic. See Quetta weather before choosing your month.
• Trucks. Expect long lines of slow goods vehicles. Overtake only with a clear view.
• Phone signal. Coverage can drop between towns, so download offline maps and keep a power bank.
• Breakdowns. Help can be far away. Keep water, a spare tyre and basic tools, and don't stop in isolated places after dark.

Who should use the N-25, and who should not

The N-25 is a working road for freight and for local travel, not a sightseeing route. If you are travelling to Quetta for a holiday, a flight is faster and avoids a long exposure to a road with accident and security risks. Our Karachi to Quetta flight guide lists the options.

It can make sense if you have family business in Khuzdar, Kalat or Quetta, if you know the road and travel in daylight, or if you wait until the new carriageway sections open. It is a poor choice for first-time visitors, anyone travelling with small children or elderly parents, and overseas visitors.

Frequently asked questions