Islamabad, September 4, 2026: Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif on Friday hosted a breakfast meeting for Asian Development Bank (ADB) Vice President for South, Central and West Asia Yingming Yang, with discussions focusing on Pakistan’s development priorities and implementation of the new Country Partnership Strategy (CPS) 2026–2030.
The meeting reviewed Pakistan’s decades-long development partnership with the ADB and identified priority areas for cooperation under the new five-year strategy.
Welcoming Yang on his first official visit to Pakistan in his current capacity, Prime Minister Shehbaz appreciated the ADB’s professionalism and responsiveness in supporting major urban infrastructure, transport and public service projects in the country.
The prime minister said Pakistan had successfully navigated a difficult economic turnaround through fiscal, structural and governance reforms, which he said had helped restore macroeconomic stability, strengthen investor confidence and improve the country’s outlook with major international credit rating agencies, including Fitch, Moody’s and S&P.
Reaffirming the government’s commitment to long-term economic transformation, Shehbaz said administrative bottlenecks were being addressed through dedicated execution task forces aimed at accelerating the implementation of key reforms and development projects.
A major focus of the meeting was the modernization of the Main Line-1 (ML-1) railway corridor linking Karachi with Peshawar.
The prime minister described the ML-1 upgrade as a vital national infrastructure priority, stressing that its modernization would improve freight logistics, strengthen regional trade connectivity and support major industrial initiatives.
The meeting also emphasized the importance of an early groundbreaking of the ML-1 project to accelerate infrastructure development and modernize Pakistan’s national connectivity network.
The two sides also explored expanding cooperation in support of the private sector, energy and food security, export competitiveness, artificial intelligence and information technology.
The meeting concluded with a shared commitment to translating the strategic priorities outlined in the CPS 2026–2030 into concrete, high-impact projects aimed at promoting sustainable economic growth and improving living standards for the people of Pakistan.
