PM Shehbaz discusses need for ML-1 railway project's early groundbreaking in meeting with ADB official

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif met with Asian Development Bank (ADB) South, Central, and West Asia Vice President Yingming Yang in Islamabad to discuss the early groundbreaking for the Karachi-Peshawar Main Railway Line (ML-1) project. The premier emphasized that upgrading ML-1 is vital for modernizing freight logistics, enhancing regional trade connectivity, and supporting industrial initiatives.

The ADB official affirmed that ML-1 is a "vital national infrastructure priority". The $10 billion railway project is one of Pakistan's public-private partnership initiatives for which the country is seeking ADB's scaled-up financing. Pakistan has already secured $2 billion in financing for the Karachi-Rohri section of ML-1, part of the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).

Although China declined to finance the project due to its preferred status under CPEC, all three modes, including local, Chinese, and multilateral financing, were agreed upon as part of the CPEC framework agreement. ADB country partnership strategy country representative Yang praised ADB's consistent professionalism and responsiveness in delivering transformative infrastructure projects in Pakistan.

He and Shehbaz reviewed the multi-decade development partnership and outlined priority interventions under the new Country Partnership Strategy (CPS) 2026-2030.