China agreed on the revised cost of CPEC's costliest project, ML-1

The revised design plan of the project will be submitted to Pakistan by October 31. Karachi to Peshawar 1872 km long railway track will be constructed.

China agreed on the revised cost of CPEC's costliest project, ML-1. According to the details, China has agreed to a revised cost of $6.6 billion for Main Line One and the revised design plan of the project will be submitted to Pakistan by October 31, which is the Karachi to Peshawar 1872 km railway track project.

 According to media reports, informed sources said that Secretary Communications Khurram Agha is the head of CPEC Joint Working Groups for Aviation, Railways and Infrastructure on behalf of Pakistan, and Secretary Railways Mazhar Ali Shah to finalize the cost and related matters. He will go to Beijing later this week to attend the JWG meeting on Monday.

The formal announcement of the agreement is expected during the caretaker Prime Minister Anwarul Haq Kakar's visit to China on October 18 to participate in the annual events related to the One Belt and Road Initiative. However, China showed some flexibility and a few design changes helped reduce the cost, while some other parts of the project will be developed by Pakistan itself in due course.

In caretaker Prime Minister Anwarul Haq Kakar's visit to China, the two sides are also expected to raise the issue of implementation of the four proposed projects that have been delayed between 2018 and 2022, in the Mirpur-Muzaffarabad JWG meeting next week. - Formal negotiations will also be held on four projects including Mansehra Motorway, Doob-Dera Ismail Khan Motorway and Babusar Top.

Informed sources said that the then Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had persuaded the Chinese leadership to revive these projects last year. Without progress, these projects will now be implemented through the Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC), a civil-military forum for investment.