ADB keeps Pakistan growth forecast at 3.7 percent
The Manila-based lender also sees inflation at 8.3 percent, above the government's 7 percent estimate, for this fiscal year.
The Asian Development Bank has kept its forecast for Pakistan’s gross domestic product growth at 3.7 per cent for fiscal year 2026-27, below the government’s 4 per cent budget target, Dawn reported from Islamabad.
In its Asian Development Outlook September update, released on Wednesday, the Manila-based lender also projected inflation at 8.3 per cent for the current fiscal year, above the official estimate of 7 per cent. The bank cited downside risks from the conflict in the Middle East as a factor weighing on the outlook.
The growth forecast remains unchanged from the bank’s July projection, according to Dawn. The report noted that the latest outlook keeps the figure at 3.7 per cent.
The government’s annual budget for the current fiscal year assumed GDP growth of 4 per cent and inflation of 7 per cent. The ADB’s numbers suggest the economy will expand more slowly and prices will rise faster than those assumptions.
Profit by Pakistan Today separately reported that inflation was expected to ease to 10 per cent in September, although that report did not identify the source of the estimate.
ECP sets ward delimitation for Quetta and Kharian cantonment boards
Quetta moves from Class-II to Class-I and Kharian from Class-III to Class-II, with 10 wards fixed in Quetta and five in Kharian under notifications issued on 29 October.
Information ministry blames Kabul inaction for strained Pakistan-Afghanistan ties
The ministry rejected a Taliban spokesperson's account of the dispute, saying cross-border militancy remains the biggest obstacle to normal relations between the neighbours.
Tarar proposes national council on cyber security and digital literacy
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Health minister says barcode scan will flag fake medicines from November
Mustafa Kamal told the National Assembly that hospitals will also have to buy all vaccines from Pakistan's own funds by 2030, at a cost of about $1.2 billion.