Section
Economy · Page 4
The rupee, the IMF, the budget, prices, power tariffs, trade and the businesses that employ the country.
Energy minister says power sector support cut to Rs750 billion
Awais Leghari's claim, reported without a detailed statement, puts government financial support to the power sector down from Rs1,180 billion; no breakdown was given.
Tax exemptions topped Rs11,000bn over five years, National Assembly told
Ministry of Finance figures show concessions climbing from Rs1,482bn in 2020-21 to Rs2,540bn in 2022-23, as a JUI lawmaker asked what ordinary taxpayers gained.
Karachi smartphone prices jump by up to Rs 30,000
Dealers blame rising memory-chip costs driven by artificial intelligence demand rather than taxes, as basic handsets double in price for low-income buyers.
Commerce minister invites Qatari investors to Karachi economic zone
Jam Kamal Khan's two days of Doha meetings also covered the D-8 trade agreement and farm cooperation, with Retaj Group weighing hospitality joint ventures.
Rawalpindi lithium-ion battery plant awaits federal policy approval
The $2.25 billion facility at Heavy Industries Taxila, run by Margalla Heavy Industries, can start production six to eight months after the sector policy is cleared, the EDB chief says.
K-Electric eases load-shedding in Korangi, SITE and other Karachi areas
The utility's quarterly review moves several neighbourhoods from the medium-loss to the low-loss category and others out of the high-loss bracket.
Maryam Nawaz ties industrial growth to job creation at investment review
Meeting with PM's adviser Haroon Akhtar reviewed ease-of-doing-business reforms, with a briefing citing Rs70 billion in interest-free loans under the Asaan Karobar scheme.
Government drafting policy to shield poor households from LPG price rise
Petroleum Minister Ali Pervaiz Malik told the National Assembly that OGRA's notified Rs280 rate applies only to locally produced LPG, with no policy yet for imports.
SBP raises policy rate to 12% and projects $25bn reserves
Governor Jameel Ahmed says the $3.5 billion build-up to June 2027 will come mainly from dollar purchases in the market rather than fresh borrowing.
Government fixes wheat price at Rs4,500 after IMF consultation
Food security minister Rana Tanveer Hussain says provinces agreed to the support price and 1.3 million tonnes of PASSCO stocks have already gone to them.
Cotton output down 60 percent in a decade, ginners' chief says
Dunya News and the Daily Times both carried the figure, but neither report gave the current crop size or the year the comparison starts from.
Petrol up Rs1.54, diesel Rs2.16 in one-day price notice
The Petroleum Division set petrol at Rs379.25 and high-speed diesel at Rs395.82 a litre for 27 October under the daily pricing mechanism.
SBP chief says Pakistan paid $16bn loan interest in four years
Jameel Ahmed told a post-monetary policy briefing that external debt now stands near $107 billion and reserves have risen to about $21.5 billion.
Diesel up Rs1.91 a litre, petrol held for October 24-26
Profit by Pakistan Today reports the increase while petrol stays unchanged, but neither outlet's published material gives the new retail price per litre.
Cabinet committee approves four directors for digital wallet company
The CCoSOEs also cleared two independent members for Pakistan State Oil's board and deferred a proposal to set up a pharma export promotion council.
Government moves to merge Privatisation Commission with P3A
Profit reported the merger as a proposal, while a Dawn headline said a bill to combine the two institutions had been introduced; neither carried the bill's text.
Stock market investor accounts climb 48% to 583,052 in a year
SECP figures cited by Independent Urdu show 190,277 new accounts in FY2025-26, with 45 per cent opened by people aged 18 to 30 between January and June.
Energas quits Port Qasim LNG terminal, seeks $2m fee refund
Port Qasim Authority says the concession fee is non-refundable and has given the consortium until November 30, 2026 to unconditionally accept its final letter of intent.
PIA clears Boeing 787 for operations, first flight on October 31
A CAA team led by Director General Nader Shafi Dar inspected the first of three 787s at Oslo Airport; PK-786 will fly from London to Islamabad, ARY News reports.
Customs suspends auction of stranded Afghan containers at Karachi port
Director General Transit Trade Irfan Javed says the sale was halted at the Pak-Afghan chamber's request, days after goods from hundreds of containers were shown to buyers.
Pesco and Lesco announce planned outages across two provinces
Peshawar's utility will cut supply from 9am to 2:30pm on Tuesday, while Lahore's company has begun five-to-eight-hour daily shutdowns for winter upgrades.
LPG sells at up to Rs650 a kg, far above OGRA's notified rate
Consumers in Peshawar, Lahore, Quetta and the twin cities are paying 550 to 650 rupees a kilogram against an October reference price of 280, with cylinders above Rs6,000.
Gul Ahmed approves 43.75-acre Nooriabad land purchase and 13.5MW energy projects
The listed textile maker told the Pakistan Stock Exchange its board cleared five plots in Jamshoro district on October 24, along with wind, solar and battery storage.
Auto parts makers seek review of five-year auto policy
The demand centres on whether duty and tax treatment can be forecast for the life of an investment, not on the size of concessions, according to two reports.
MQM-P warns of street protests as power cuts drag on
The Express Tribune reports the party's threat without a date or venue, while a separate agency report says an explosion in Nushki cut power to parts of Sindh and Punjab.
Pakistan's first-quarter remittances reported at $10.9 billion
A second report puts one period's inflow at $2.85 billion, up 38 per cent, and the two published figures cannot both describe the same three months.
Pakistan Railways bars officials from air travel in austerity drive
A notification also stops air travel allowance payments and government vehicle use, while a safety emergency keeps field officers on duty until December 31, 2026.
State Bank raises policy rate to 12pc on Middle East oil shock
Governor Jameel Ahmed says crude above $100 a barrel pushed the Monetary Policy Committee to lift the rate by 50 basis points, with nine of ten members in favour.
Taftan crossing reopens as partial Iran trade resumes
The Star reports thousands of trucks waiting on the Pakistani side while Balochistan Pulse says LPG tankers are still awaiting clearance.
K-Electric extends Karachi loadshedding as power crisis deepens
The three outlets reporting the extension carried no schedule, no duration and no statement from the utility, leaving the scope of the new outages unconfirmed.