Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif hosted a breakfast meeting in honour of Asian Development Bank (ADB) Vice President for South, Central, and West Asia, Mr. Yingming Yang.
The meeting reviewed the multi-decade development partnership and chart out priority interventions under the new Country Partnership Strategy (CPS) 2026–2030.
Welcoming Mr. Yang on his first official visit to Pakistan in this capacity, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif lauded ADB’s consistent professionalism and responsiveness in delivering transformative urban infrastructure, transport, and public service projects in Pakistan.
The Prime Minister emphasized that Pakistan has successfully navigated a difficult economic turnaround through rigorous fiscal, structural, and governance reforms. These corrective actions have restored macroeconomic stability, reinforced investor confidence, and earned stable outlook upgrades from major international credit rating agencies including Fitch, Moody’s, and S&P.
Reaffirming the government's steadfast commitment to long-term economic transformation, the Prime Minister stressed that the administrative bottlenecks are being actively dismantled through dedicated execution task forces.
A central focus of the discussions was the modernization of the Main Line-1 (ML-1) railway corridor from Karachi to Peshawar—a vital national infrastructure priority. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif underscored that upgrading ML-1 is essential for modernizing freight logistics, strengthening regional trade connectivity, and supporting major industrial initiatives. The meeting discussed the need for early ground breaking of ML1, being vital for infrastructure development and modernizing the connectivity.
Expanding cooperation in various sectors, the meeting explored collaborative avenues in support for private sector, energy security, food security, enhancing support in export competitiveness, Artificial Intelligence and Information Technology.
The meeting concluded with a mutual pledge to translate the strategic priorities of the CPS 2026–2030 into concrete, high-impact results that drive sustainable growth and visibly enhance the standard of living for the people of Pakistan.
