KARACHI: The government would float tenders for the largest and costliest Main Line 1 (ML1) railway project under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) infrastructure development plan by the second week of the next month, Pakistan’s Railways Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmad told Arab News while trying to dispel the impression that the project had been delayed.
“There is no problem at all … and the tender will be floated by 12th or 15th November,” he said, adding that “the project will hopefully start by the end of December.”
ML-1 is likely to cost $6.8 billion, and 90 percent of the financing will come from China’s Government Concessional Loan scheme. The project will upgrade and dualize the existing railway tracks connecting the port city of Karachi in the southeast to Peshawar in the northwest.
The railways minister also denied reports in the international media that the project had been delayed due to the interest rate disagreement between the two countries.
“The interest rate has not been finalized yet,” Rashid said. “Talks with them [Chinese] are underway, and we will listen to them and accept what they offer us.”
According to independent experts, however, the situation may be more complex.
“This is a huge project — even larger than the size of the IMF program which Pakistan cannot afford — and the Chinese are insisting to extend the loan on commercial terms,” Khurram Hussain, business editor of Dawn newspaper, told Arab News. “The main thing is money. If you don’t have it, you can’t get it.”
However, Chairman of Pakistan-China Institute Mushahid Hussain Syed said that CPEC was perfectly “on track.”
“The ML-1 financing will be in RMB [renminbi, the official Chinese currency] and the project awaits a high-profile visit to move further,” he added. “The confusion was caused by the irresponsible statements from some ministers that were baseless and unwarranted.”
He confirmed that the country’s army chief had to play his role to ensure the smooth flow of CPEC projects.
“General Qamar Javed Bajwa had to intervene and now things are on track. CPEC is a national strategic project that is bigger than any party or province. So, all stakeholders — whether they are the armed forces, parliament, political parties or government — are on board,” he explained.
The railway minister told Arab News that the project would provide job opportunities to more than 150,000 people, adding that 90 percent of them would be Pakistanis while 10 percent would be Chinese nationals.
Pakistan to float tenders for $6.8 billion CPEC railway project in November
https://arab.news/vz2xq
Pakistan to float tenders for $6.8 billion CPEC railway project in November
- Interest rate for project financing is yet to be finalized with the Chinses government, says Sheikh Rashid Ahmad
- Independent experts say the Chinese want to extend the loan to Pakistan on commercial terms
Pakistan to launch last 2025 anti-polio nationwide drive targeting 45 million children next week
- Over 400,000 frontline health workers will participate in Dec. 15-21 nationwide polio vaccination campaign, say authorities
- Pakistan is one of only two countries in the world, the other being Afghanistan, where wild poliovirus remains endemic
KARACHI: Pakistan will kick off the last nationwide anti-polio vaccination campaign of 2025 targeting 45 million children next week, the National Emergencies Operation Center (NEOC) said on Monday, urging parents to coordinate with health workers during the drive.
The campaign takes place days after Pakistan launched a nationwide vaccination drive from Nov. 17-29 against measles, rubella and polio. Pakistan said it had targeted 22.9 million children across 89 high-risk districts in the country with oral polio vaccination drops during the drive.
Over 400,000 health workers will perform their duties during the upcoming Dec. 15-21 nationwide polio vaccination campaign, the NEOC said in a statement.
“Parents are urged to cooperate with polio workers and ensure their children are vaccinated,” the NEOC said. “Complete the routine immunization schedule for all children up to 15 months of age on time.”
Health authorities aim to vaccinate 23 million children in Punjab, 10.6 million in Sindh, over 7.2 million in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, over 2.6 million in Balochistan, more than 460,000 in Islamabad, over 228,000 in Gilgit-Baltistan and more than 760,000 children in Pakistan-administered Kashmir during the seven-day campaign, it added.
Pakistan is one of only two countries in the world where wild poliovirus remains endemic.
Polio is a highly infectious and incurable disease that can cause lifelong paralysis. The only effective protection is through repeated doses of the Oral Polio Vaccine for every child under five during each campaign, alongside timely completion of all routine immunizations.
Islamabad’s efforts to eliminate poliovirus have been hampered by parental refusals, widespread misinformation and repeated attacks on anti-polio workers by militant groups. In remote and volatile areas, vaccination teams often operate under police protection, though security personnel themselves have also been targeted and killed in attacks.
