Islamabad (Latest, July 30, 2023): The federal government has also issued a notification for a public holiday on Monday and Tuesday. According to media reports, due to the visit of China's Vice Premier to Pakistan, the federal capital Islamabad will observe a general holiday on July 31st and August 1st. The district administration, following approval from the Ministry of Interior, has issued a notification for the closure of all private institutions, banks, and educational establishments in Islamabad during this period.
Moreover, financial matters related to the ML-1 project between Pakistan and China have been finalized. The signing of the ML-1 project is expected to take place in the first week of August. The total cost of the ML-1 project has been reduced from $8.2 billion to $6.5 billion under the contract. Pakistan will contribute 15% of the total project cost. It was emphasized by Pakistan to reduce the project's cost, and the framework for ML-1 was signed by Pakistan and China in May 2017, with approval given to the PC-1 of the project in August 2020.
Under the project, a 1733-kilometer railway track from Karachi to Peshawar will be upgraded to a double-line electrified track. The latest signaling and telecommunication systems will also be installed along the railway track. Trains on the Karachi to Peshawar track will run at a speed of 140 kilometers per hour. To reduce the project's cost, the program to build fences around the entire track has been postponed. Fences will only be constructed in densely populated areas, and in the first phase, overhead bridges will be built where there is a population.
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