After facing several delays, the Ministry for Planning is set to inaugurate the long-awaited ML-1 project in February of the upcoming year. A reliable source within the Planning Commission has confirmed that the caretaker Prime Minister, Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar, will officiate the project’s inauguration in February.
The revised project plan is anticipated to receive approval from both the Central Development Working Party (CDWP) and the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) in January. Sources suggest that the caretaker PM is keen on inaugurating the project before leaving office, especially with the upcoming general elections scheduled for February 8, as announced by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP).
If everything proceeds according to the plan, the project will be officially inaugurated before the election date. The Secretary Railway, Planning Commission, and officials from the National Highway Authority (NHA) have been instructed to finalize the necessary arrangements by January.
As per the revised plan, ML-1 is projected to cost $6.7 billion, with phase one accounting for $2.7 billion, phase two $2.6 billion, and phase three $1.4 billion, as disclosed by the Planning Commission.
The ML-1 initiative involves the construction of railway tracks connecting Kemari to Hyderabad, Hyderabad to Multan, Multan to Lahore, Lahore to Lalamusa, and Nawabshah to Rohri. Chinese authorities are expected to present the approved ML-1 plan to Pakistan within the next week, according to insider information.
