National Highways of Pakistan

National Highways of Pakistan (Urdu: پاکستان کی قومی شاہراہ‎) are a network of toll highways in Pakistan, which are owned, maintained and operated by the National Highways Authority under the Ministry of Communications. It maintains 12,131 kilometres (7,538 mi) of roadways organized into various classifications which crisscross the country and provide access to major population centers. National Highways are not to be confused with provincial highways, which are roads maintained by the respective provinces. Pakistan's national highways include the famous Grand Trunk Road, Indus Highway, Karakoram Highway and Makran Coastal Highway. All national highways in Pakistan are pre-fixed with the letter 'N' (for "national") followed by the unique numerical designation of the specific highway (with a hyphen in the middle), e.g. "N-5". Each numerical designation is separated by five numerals, i.e. N-5, N-10, N-15, etc. National Highways are distinct from Strategic Highways, which begin with the prefix 'S' and are controlled and operated by the Ministry of Defence.