News

Gold extends winning streak, hits new peak

Gold prices in Pakistan continued their upward momentum, touching new highs on Thursday, while mirroring the rise in international markets. In the local market, the price of gold per tola rose Rs1,000 to an all-time high of Rs309,000, while 10-gram gold rose Rs857 to settle at Rs264,917, according to the All Pakistan Sarafa Gems and Jewellers Association (APSGJA). The increase follows a Rs3,800

Logistics sector sees $36b losses on offline trade

Fostering sea-borne trade through digitalisation, experts and professionals in ports, shipping, and logistics have raised concerns that Pakistan's logistics industry faces annual losses of approximately $36 billion due to offline trade, which is also contributing to the loss of two to three million jobs in the sector. They shared these views during the 'Pakistan Logistics & Shipping Summit 2025

Digital economy project gets ECC nod

The government plans to introduce the second package of regulatory reforms by March this year to ensure ease of doing business. While discussing a grant for the Digital Economy Enhancement Project (DEEP) component-II, the Economic Coordination Committee (ECC), in a recent meeting, inquired from the Board of Investment (BOI) about the measures taken to reform the regulatory regime from the persp

Big industries\' growth in the red

The growth in Pakistan's major industries – the largest contributors to taxes and employment – shrank nearly 2% during the first half of the current fiscal year, indicating the adverse impact of high cost of doing business and economic stabilisation. The large-scale manufacturing (LSM) sector registered a negative growth of 1.9% during the July-December period of fiscal year 2024-25 compared wi

18% sales tax threatens dairy sector

The government on Thursday assured a review of the imposition of an 18% sales tax on packaged milk, as it turned out that Pakistan has the highest tax on branded milk in the world and two-thirds of consumers earn less than Rs50,000 a month. The assurance to review the high tax rate was given by Minister for Finance Muhammad Aurangzeb during a meeting with the Pakistan Dairy Association—the repr