Pakistan’s economy is like a runner on a treadmill whose pace is controlled by the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) conditions. With each bailout, the treadmill speeds up, and our poor runner sweats blood in the form of reduced subsidies, indirect tax hikes, and tariff increases. The real question does not circle around the speed of the treadmill; it now focuses on how to get off. Unfortunat
During the last quarter of this fiscal year, beginning April 1, Pakistan’s industrial sector may see a stronger policy push for growth as the current regime is working on an industrial revival plan. Two things are to be considered: first, the potential revival plan’s implementation will remain subject to the continuation of the tenous political stability, the extent of success in the anti-terro
Gilgit-Baltistan is strategically located at the confluence of three of the world’s most formidable mountain ranges: the Himalayas, the Karakoram, and the Hindu Kush. This region is home to over 7,000 glaciers, earning it the title of the “Third Pole”. These glaciers, with almost 75 per cent of the total water supply in the country, serve as a vital hydrological resource for Pakistan. Beyond th
The National Highway Authority (NHA) on Sunday said its gross profit was declining continuously over the past three years as the pace of its expenditure growth was outpacing annual incomes. In a statement, the NHA said its gross profit in FY2022 amounted to Rs45.77bn but plunged by more than half (52pc) a year later in FY2023 to Rs21.84bn. The gross profit further went down by about 34pc to jus
A substantial reduction in electricity tariffs, promised by the government, could not get past the International Monetary Fund (IMF), which is currently holding back a staff-level agreement (SLA) on the first biannual review of the $7bn Extended Fund Facility (EFF). It was widely reported in the media through official leaks that the prime minister would announce a Rs8 per unit reduction in elec