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
Quantifying the benefits of participating in a global economic event is challenging, as the outcomes often involve a time lag. The government has described Pakistan’s engagements at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, last month as fruitful, citing a range of economic, diplomatic and reputational gains aligned with the country’s strategic priorities. Without details on the governmen