News

Delayed bailout

IS Pakistan’s new bailout deal with the IMF in trouble? Is the Fund’s Executive Board deliberately stalling the approval of the $7bn Extended Fund Facility agreed between Islamabad and the IMF mission on July 15? Are there any geopolitical factors at play? These are the thoughts that come to mind after Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar’s fresh critique of the IMF amid delays in disbursement of th

The stealth cost of legislature

Lawmaking must be at the core of governance — defining powers, keeping checks in check, and ensuring public trust. Nonetheless, in Pakistan, lawmakers often swap their legislative hats for power-broker crowns. Instead of crafting laws, they’re busy chasing development funds and jockeying for influence. Elected to legislate and uphold the law, many Pakistani lawmakers seem more interested in the

Towards green energy via CPEC

Pakistan’s investment requirements for addressing its climate challenges are enormous, and then some. In its Country Climate and Development Report, the World Bank estimated that Pakistan — one of the world’s top 10 countries most affected by climate change — needs $348 billion to adequately address its climate challenges till 2030. This consists of $152bn (44 per cent) to support adaptation an

Millat profit surges

Millat Tractors Ltd (MTL) reported on Monday that its profit after tax surged almost three times to Rs10.63 billion in FY24 compared to Rs3.55bn in FY23. Revenue from contracts with customers rose to Rs95bn in FY24 from Rs47bn in the preceding year. According to Topline Securities, MTL did not announce a final cash dividend, falling short of industry expectations. This is due to the pending

LDI firms cannot be shut down, Senate committee told

The Senate Standing Committee on Information Technology and Telecommunications was informed on Monday that the operations of Long Distance and International (LDI) companies cannot be shut down because of their strategic importance. Briefing the committee, Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) Chairman retired Maj Gen Hafeezur Rehman said former IT secretary retired Captain Muhammad Mehmood