Not materialised under CPEC: Govt negotiates with ADB for ML-1 project financing

ISLAMABAD: Secretary of the Economic Affairs Division (EAD), Muhammad Humair Karim, has said that Mainline-1 railway track project known as ML-1 is no more part of the CPEC and now the government is negotiating with the Asian Development Bank (ADB) for the project’s financing.

He stated this during a meeting of the Senate Standing Committee on Economic Affairs held on Thursday under the chairmanship of Senator Saifullah Abro. He said that negotiations with Chinese authorities could not materialised.

He said that the ADB would be the lead financier of this project. He said that discussions with the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank and Islamic Development Bank are also continuing to finance this project.

While reviewing the progress of the Sindh Road Sector Projects, including the Emergency Flood Assistance Project (EFAP) financed by ADB, the Committee expressed displeasure over the submission of incomplete information by the Irrigation Department, Government of Sindh.

The Committee sought details regarding the 25 packages under Phase-II of the project; however, the representative of the Irrigation Department was unable to provide the requisite information. The Committee informed that advertisement for certain packages had been published on April 25, 2025, while the bid submission deadline was fixed for April 28, 2025.

The panel expressed serious concern over the limited time provided to prospective bidders, questioning how bidders could reasonably prepare and submit their proposals within a period of only three days including Saturday and Sunday.

The Committee recommended that the Irrigation Department, Government of Sindh, provide complete details of the 25 packages, including the tendering process, engineering estimates, bid costs and copies of the published advertisements, for the Committee’s consideration.

Regarding the progress of the ongoing Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) projects in Sindh, the Chairman Committee recommended that Government of Sindh provide comprehensive details to the Committee regarding procurement of busses regarding all BRT projects, including fare structure, and all tending process.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2026