Pakistan’s economic and business landscape presents formidable challenges. The manufacturing sector, including large-scale industries and small and medium enterprises (SMEs), is struggling under the burden of high energy costs and excessive taxation. Meanwhile, the service sector is constrained by low per capita income and inadequate household disposable income. Amid these challenges, agriculture
With economic stability taking hold despite its fragility, all eyes are now on the first biannual review of the current $7 billion International Monetary Fund (IMF) funding programme. An IMF mission is expected to arrive here towards the end of this month or early March, according to Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb; the lender is yet to confirm the dates. In response to a question at the
Globally, Pakistan is the 5th largest market in terms of absolute customer base, powered by a young demographic and a growing population. These numbers alone would outshine most developed countries, yet global brands and even local companies rarely choose Pakistan as their launchpad. The answer isn’t political, regional, or personal — it’s purely business. If the same amount of effort yields signi
Pakistan’s Foreign Office adjusted its position — within a week — on US President Donald Trump’s announcement about retrieving leftover American military equipment from Afghanistan. The Foreign Offices said: “These weapons have been used by terrorist organisations, including Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan, to carry out terrorist attacks in Pakistan.” The FO spokesman had previously said: “This is e
On one hand, Starlink and 5G float into the news. On the other hand, existing connectivity leaves a lot to be desired. For example, a two-year delay of the availability of new spectrum is projected to result in a loss of $1.8bn (Rs500bn) in GDP over the 2025-2030 period compared to a baseline scenario in which all bands are sold, according to the report “Building Digital Pakistan Through Effective