The federal government will begin construction of the first phase of the Main Line-1 (ML-1) railway project early next year, with financing from the Asian Development Bank (ADB), Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal announced on Tuesday.
Speaking at the launch of the government’s monthly development update for fiscal year 2026, the minister said work on the flagship China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) railway project will commence with the Rohri-Karachi section.
According to Iqbal, the ADB has committed approximately $2 billion to finance the initial phase of the project, while the complete 1,680-kilometre Peshawar-Karachi ML-1 railway upgrade is estimated to cost around $10 billion.
The minister also announced that work will begin during the new fiscal year on several major transport infrastructure projects, including the expansion of the Karachi-Hyderabad M-9 Motorway, the construction of the Sukkur-Hyderabad-Karachi M-6 Motorway, and the upgrade of the Chaman-Quetta-Karachi Highway.
Iqbal further said the government will launch the Karakoram Highway-II project to replace nearly 100 kilometres of the existing highway that will be submerged due to the construction of the Diamer-Bhasha Dam, ensuring uninterrupted trade connectivity between Pakistan and China.
Beyond infrastructure, the planning minister said the federal government will collaborate with provincial governments to declare the social sector a national development emergency. The initiative will prioritize child nutrition, healthcare, education, and the elimination of Hepatitis C over the next three to four years.
