In late March 2025, the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics released the country’s economic growth figures for the second quarter (October-December) of FY25. The data painted a worrying picture: the agriculture sector grew by just 1.1 per cent. The first quarter was even worse, barely registering a growth rate of 0.74pc (revised figure). That is a massive fall from FY24, when agriculture posted a robust
Once a rising economic power in South Asia, Pakistan now finds itself at the bottom of the regional ladder. Fifty years ago, the average Pakistani had a higher income than his South Asian peers. Today, he earns about half as much. What went wrong, and what must be done to turn things around? The roots of Pakistan’s economic troubles go back decades. A booming population and poor economic manage
Textile exporters have expressed grave concern over the ongoing transportation disruptions that have severely hindered the movement of nearly 30,000 containers, causing significant delays in shipments to international markets. The blockade of the National Highway at the Sindh-Punjab border for the past 10 days due to protests over the canals issue has suspended all vehicular movement between th
Despite regional tensions following the Pahalgam attack, delegates from around 45 countries have arrived in Islamabad to participate in the Digital Foreign Direct Investment (DFDI) conference, which is set to begin on Tuesday (today). Minister for Information Technology Shaza Fatima Khawaja expressed confidence that despite threats from India, the event would be a success. “The participants
The power sector’s circular debt touched Rs2.396 trillion at the end of the first three quarters (July-March) of the current fiscal year, showing a modest Rs2 billion increase since July 1, but almost Rs398bn lower compared to March 2024. A Power Division report on circular debt for the period ending March 2025 showed that payables to power producers increased by around Rs33bn to Rs1.633tr, up