News

Eight MoUs signed with Belarus to boost trade

Pakistan and Belarus on Monday signed eight memorandums of understanding (MoUs) and agreements in various sectors to realise the true potential of bilateral trade. The MoUs and agreements were signed during the Pakistan-Belarus Business Forum, co-chaired by Commerce Minister Jam Kamal and Belarus’ Minister of Energy Aleksei Kushnarenko. The MoUs were signed before Belarus’s president’s arrival

PSX shrugs off security, political concerns as week ends at record high

The Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) continued its bullish momentum from the preceding week, disregarding the worsening security situation and escalating political tensions, and posted impressive gains to close the week at a new all-time high. The equity investors also ignored the concerns raised by the International Monetary Fund on external financing gaps and revenue shortfalls. However, the mar

Efficient irrigation — Pakistan’s missed opportunity

Water has undeniably emerged as the primary limiting factor for both intensification (increasing cropping intensity) and extensification (expanding cultivated land) of Pakistan’s agriculture. This pressing reality has been highlighted yet again by the recent controversy between the federal government and Sindh over the proposed Cholistan Canal project aimed at reclaiming the barren land of the Cho

Lower energy imports in the new year?

Despite some strengthening of crude prices over the last few days on account of the heating up of the Russia-Ukraine war, pressure has been building up on the oil markets from all directions. A guessing game is thus on. How would the crude markets behave in the New Year? It may be too early to pass a judgment. Investors are fretting over weaker Chinese demand and a potential slowing in the pace

A pattern of flawed energy choices

Pakistan’s power generation capacity expansion process continues to face credibility challenges despite being regularly conducted with an established regulatory framework. Consequently, the government has built power plants to cater to a demand that is simply not there, leaving Pakistan with more electricity than it can consume and more capacity payments than it can afford. There is a consisten