In contrast to the government’s claims of improving fiscal conditions, Pakistan’s central government debt climbed to Rs78.5 trillion by the end of December 2025, marking a 9.6% year-on-year increase and a 1.3% rise on a monthly basis, driven primarily by the perpetual increase in domestic borrowing, according to the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP). Pakistan’s central government debt stood at Rs78,
Finance Minister Senator Muhammad Aurangzeb on Wednesday held a series of meetings with international investors, development partners and foreign officials, focusing on private sector-led growth, capital mobilisation and Pakistan’s ongoing economic reforms, according to statements issued by the Ministry of Finance. In a meeting at the Finance Division, the minister engaged a high-level internat
The government has finalised a panel for the appointment of Pakistan’s new executive director at the Asian Development Bank (ADB), including two women officers, after Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif decided not to allow the principal aspirants holding key domestic positions to take the lucrative foreign posting. Government sources said Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar has shortlisted the names of
Asian stocks rose to a record high on Thursday, while the dollar firmed a touch against most currencies except the yen after stronger-than-expected US jobs data dented near-term rate cut expectations, setting the stage for the inflation report on Friday. Stocks in South Korea and Japan, hit record highs in early trading, lifted by the technology sector. Japanese shares have been on a tear since
The committee observed that headline inflation of 5.6% y/y in December 2025 was in line with its expectation. However, core inflation has steadied around a relatively higher level of 7.4% in recent months. Meanwhile, as reflected by the recent high frequency indicators (HFIs), including large-scale manufacturing (LSM), economic activity continues to gain momentum faster than anticipated, mainly le