ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Army Chief General Asim Munir vowed action against militants on Friday, following a week of deadly attacks in which dozens of civilians and security officials have been killed in the country’s northwest.
In the latest attack, gunmen opened fire on vehicles carrying members of the minority Shiite community in Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province on Thursday, killing at least 41 people in one of the region’s deadliest such attacks in recent years. The assault took place in Kurram, a district where sectarian clashes have killed dozens of people in recent months. No group has claimed responsibility.
On Tuesday, ten Pakistan army soldiers and two from the paramilitary Frontier Constabulary were killed on Tuesday as militants attacked a checkpost in the northwestern Bannu district.
Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province in the northwest and the remote southwestern province of Balochistan have both seen an increase in strikes by militants this year.
“He [Munir] reiterated the army’s firm resolve to dismantle hostile terrorist networks and eradicate the illegal spectrum undermining national security,” the army’s media wing said in a statement, quoting Munir as saying after he attended a security meeting in Peshawar, the provincial capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
“He assured that through synchronized and robust operations, Pakistan Army in collaboration with Law Enforcement Agencies will relentlessly hunt down the enemies of peace to ensure lasting stability and security.”
In a separate statement, the army said it had carried out three operations in Balochistan on Nov. 20-22, in which four militants had been killed.
On Tuesday, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif chaired a meeting of civil and military leaders who gave the go-ahead for a "comprehensive operation" against separatist insurgents in Balochistan.
Army chief vows action after deadly week of militant attacks in Pakistan
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Army chief vows action after deadly week of militant attacks in Pakistan
- Twelve soldiers were killed on Tuesday as militants attacked a checkpost in the northwestern Bannu district
- Gunmen opened fire on vehicles carrying minority Shiite community members in KP province on Thursday, killing 41
Pakistan, ADB reaffirm commitment to ML-1 rail project amid economic reforms
- Flagship railway upgrade tied to IMF-backed stabilization, multilateral financing
- ADB, World Bank working with Pakistan to address project delays, readiness gaps
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) have reaffirmed their commitment to advancing the long-delayed Main Line-1 (ML-1) railway modernization project, a flagship infrastructure upgrade central to the country’s economic reform and connectivity agenda, the information ministry said on Thursday.
The renewed focus on ML-1 follows meetings this week between senior Pakistani ministers and ADB officials in Islamabad, as the government seeks to revive large-scale infrastructure investment while maintaining fiscal discipline under an International Monetary Fund (IMF) program.
ML-1 is Pakistan Railways’ busiest north–south corridor, linking the southern port city of Karachi with major population and industrial centers in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The project aims to modernize tracks, signaling and rolling stock to improve safety, cut travel times and lower transport costs.
Originally envisioned as a flagship transport upgrade under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), ML-1 has struggled to reach financial close amid cost concerns, debt sustainability debates and implementation challenges. Pakistan has since sought broader multilateral engagement, with institutions including the Asian Development Bank now playing a central role in project structuring, financing discussions and efforts to address execution bottlenecks.
During a meeting with Leah Gutierrez, Director General for Central and West Asia at the ADB, Federal Minister for Economic Affairs Ahad Cheema underscored the government’s reform priorities and the importance of the project’s timely execution.
“The Minister underscored the Government’s strong commitment to the timely implementation of the Main Line–1 (ML-1) railways project and emphasized that ADB’s continued support would be critical to achieving this milestone,” the information ministry said in a statement.
The ministry said Cheema also highlighted coordination with provincial governments and welcomed joint efforts by the ADB and the World Bank to identify implementation bottlenecks and improve project readiness to ensure timely disbursements.
Gutierrez commended Pakistan’s reform agenda and acknowledged the government’s focus on macroeconomic recovery and fiscal consolidation, reaffirming that ADB teams were working closely with Pakistani authorities on ML-1, according to the statement.
Separately, Federal Minister for Railways Muhammad Hanif Abbasi told Defense Secretary Lt. Gen. Muhammad Ali in a meeting that an agreement for the ML-1 project had been finalized with the ADB and that steps were being taken to move the project forward.
“Concrete steps are being taken to complete the project at the earliest,” the statement quoted Abbasi as telling Ali. “The ML-1 project will serve as a milestone in modernizing Pakistan Railways.”
Abbasi also briefed participants on parallel reform measures at Pakistan Railways, including the launch of an artificial intelligence-based monitoring system at Rawalpindi Railway Station, real-time tracking of trains and rolling stock through digital tagging, and the installation of a weigh bridge in Karachi to address overloading and improve safety.
Pakistan Railways has long struggled with aging infrastructure, safety challenges and financial losses, even as rail transport remains vital for passenger movement and freight. Multilateral lenders have repeatedly stressed the need for stronger execution capacity and governance reforms to translate infrastructure commitments into economic gains.
