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SCO — big power, limited progress

The world economic order is fast changing, with industrial policymaking a rapid comeback in the United States and Europe at the cost of multilateralism and the Global South facing serious headwinds due to the dominance of the US dollar in the international financial system that gives Washington and other western capitals enormous leverage to impose economic blockade on any country. Against this

A potential catalyst for cooperation

The Shanghai Coopera­tion Organization (SCO) established in 2001, a regional grouping of eight countries comprised of Belarus, China, India, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan, has emerged as a significant player in the world map. With a vast geographical area spanning Eurasia and a diverse range of economies, the SCO offers immense potential for expanding t

Aurangzeb leaves for US after Senate vote

Finance Minister Muha­mmad Aurangzeb depar­ted from Islamabad for Washington on Sunday to attend the annual meetings of IMF and the World Bank Group, the Pakistan Embassy announced. Mr Aurangzeb was initially expected to arrive in the US capital on Sunday, but he delayed his trip by a day to attend a session of Senate. The house proceeding included a vote on a constitutional amendment bill, whi

After defaults, liquidity shortages emerge as key challenge

The punishing post-Covid wave of sovereign defaults has finally crested, with the likes of Ghana, Sri Lanka and Zambia concluding years of painful debt reworks. But the International Monetary Fund and others worry that a dangerous liquidity shortfall could take its place in many emerging economies — setting back development, stunting climate change mitigation and fuelling distrust in government

FDI jumps 48pc with lion’s share from China

Foreign direct investment (FDI) surged by over 48 per cent in the first quarter of FY25, reflecting improvement in investor confidence However, the inflows were dominated by China as it accounted for 52pc of the total FDI the country received in the July-September quarter. The State Bank of Pakistan’s (SBP) data issued on Monday showed the country received $771 million in FDI during July-Sep