The Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) of the Cabinet on Wednesday approved the offloading of 800,000 tonnes of wheat amid concerns over mounting storage costs and alleged waste of public funds linked to imported stocks accumulated since 2021-22. Read More: ECC clears over Rs 15 billion for defence, IT, social and digital initiatives The Economic Coordination […]
Pakistan economy
India-EU FTA threatens Pakistan’s $9bn textile exports
Pakistan’s textile sector faces serious challenges after India signed a free trade agreement with the European Union. Experts warn the deal could hurt Pakistan’s $9 billion exports. The agreement eliminates EU tariffs on Indian textile products, narrowing Pakistan’s competitive advantage. The EU accounts for 24% of Pakistan’s textile exports, making it a key market for […]
FCC upholds super tax, overturns high court verdicts
The Federal Constitutional Court (FCC) on Tuesday declared the super tax constitutionally valid, setting aside earlier judgements of the high courts and affirming parliament’s exclusive authority to impose taxes under the Constitution. Read More: FCC adjourns hearing of super tax case until today In a landmark ruling, the FCC upheld Sections 4-B and 4-C of the Income […]
A practical path to ending Pakistan’s IMF dependence
Economists Nadeem ul Haque and Shahid Kardar argue that Pakistan’s repeated reliance on the International Monetary Fund (IMF) is not the result of a lack of ideas, but of deep-rooted structural flaws in the country’s economic system that continue to generate balance-of-payments crises. Read More: Why Pakistan cannot depend on IMF support indefinitely In an opinion piece, the authors […]
PM Shehbaz seeks maximum IMF relief to ease public, industry burden
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif has directed the government to prepare a comprehensive plan to secure maximum relief from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) under the ongoing loan programme, sources told media on Tuesday. Read More: Pakistan forms committees for IMF-free growth Ahead of upcoming discussions with the IMF, the premier stressed that additional burdens […]
KSE-100 dips to 188,001 amid policy rate surprise
Pakistan’s benchmark stock index, the KSE-100, faced pressure during intraday trading on Tuesday, closing at 188,001.04 points at 12:00pm PKT, down 586.62 points or 0.31 percent from Monday’s close of 188,587.66 points. Read More: Stocks fall 580 points ahead of SBP policy decision The index reached an intraday high of 189,521.32 points in early trading […]
Weekly inflation rises as flour and pulses become costlier
Weekly inflation in Pakistan rose on a year-on-year basis in the week ending January 22, driven mainly by higher retail prices of wheat flour and pulses, according to official data released on Friday. Short-term inflation, measured by the Sensitive Price Index (SPI), increased 4.18 per cent compared to the same week last year. The SPI […]
Gold prices hit fresh record amid global rally
Gold prices in the domestic market surged to new record highs on Friday, tracking a strong rally in international markets driven by heightened geopolitical tensions and expectations of further US interest rate cuts. Read More: Gold soars to record Rs506,362 per tola in Pakistan According to rates issued by the All Pakistan Sarafa Gems and Jewellers […]
Value addition key to unlocking Pakistan critical minerals exports
Pakistan must move beyond export raw critical minerals and focus on processing and value addition to boost foreign exchange earnings and achieve sustainable economic growth, according to a policy note issued by the Institute of Cost and Management Accountants of Pakistan (ICMA). Read More: The National Interest highlights reforms in Pakistan’s mineral sector The policy note followed […]
Minister stresses sustainable growth for economic transformation
Pakistan’s ambition to become a trillion-dollar economy depends on the alignment of policy, capital, industry and institutions, Federal Minister for Board of Investment Qaiser Ahmed Sheikh said on Thursday, warning that fragmented efforts cannot deliver sustainable growth. Read More: ‘Industrialization vital for sustainable growth‘ Speaking at the 8th Pakistan Leadership Conversation in Islamabad, the minister emphasised […]