THOUGH IMF Resident Representative for Pakistan Mahir Binici’s words of commendation for the country’s “strong performance so far” under the $7bn Extended Fund Facility (EFF) ‘vindicate’ the government’s economic and fiscal policies, his compliments should be taken with a pinch of salt. His praise for the government’s economic performance is primarily based on the relatively stronger implementa
The World Bank, in a new report, has designed strategies for five key industrial sectors in Pakistan, highlighting significant opportunities for energy efficiency and decarbonisation to help the country manage soaring energy costs and meet its climate goals. The report ‘Pakistan Energy Efficiency: Industrial Energy Efficiency and Decarbonisation (EE&D)’, outlines strategies, targeting the cemen
Karachi and Lahore — Pakistan’s two largest commercial cities — witnessed a near-complete shutdown on Saturday as traders observed a strike against what they described as harsh and anti-business taxation measures introduced through the Finance Act 2025-26. The strike, called by the Karachi and Lahore Chambers of Commerce and Industry, marked one of the most widespread protests by the business c
Pakistan’s raw food exports fell by nearly 4 per cent to $7.116 billion in FY25 from $7.369bn a year earlier, largely due to a sharp drop in rice exports. The decline in raw food exports marks the end of a 20-month streak of uninterrupted growth, despite persistently high food inflation. According to data compiled by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS), the export of traditional value-ad
Pakistan’s seafood exports rose to $465 million in FY25, reflecting a 13.4 per cent increase in value and an 8pc growth in quantity compared to the previous year, according to data released by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS). The country exported 216,350 tonnes of fishery products during FY25, up from 199,738 tonnes worth $410m in FY24. The Pakistan Fisheries Exporters Association (PFEA