Pakistan, Asian Development Bank discuss early groundbreaking of ML-1 railway

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has pressed for work on the ML-1 railway upgrade to begin sooner, according to Business Recorder. He made the case in a Friday meeting with Yingming Yang, Vice President of the Asian Development Bank for South, Central and West Asia. The talks also covered infrastructure and other priorities under a 2026-30 partnership strategy between Islamabad and the lender.

The ML-1 corridor runs 1,733 km from Karachi to Peshawar, passing Kotri, Hyderabad, Rohri, Multan, Lahore and Rawalpindi, and forms part of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor. According to the Prime Minister's Office statement, the premier argued that the upgrade is needed to modernise freight logistics, improve regional trade links and support major industrial projects. Discussions also looked at the long-running development relationship and the new Country Partnership Strategy covering 2026-2030.

The prime minister said reforms had brought back macroeconomic stability and bolstered investor confidence, citing outlook upgrades from Fitch, Moody's and S&P. He also said administrative hurdles were being cleared through dedicated task forces. Other topics included support for the private sector, energy and food security, export competitiveness, and AI and IT.