News

Riding out of shifting sands

With massive floods posing a serious threat to the economy, prompting forecasts of GDP growth falling during FY26 and amidst a debate on whether new provinces should be created or local bodies should be democratically empowered, Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif has stressed the need for a robust third tier of government. Addressing the Senate on Sept 1, he said, “A comprehensive and robus

Kazakh Deputy PM to arrive in Pakistan tomorrow on 2-day visit to further cement ties

Kazakhstan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Murat Nurtleu will arrive in Pakistan tomorrow on a two-day official visit to further cement bilateral ties, the Foreign Office said on Sunday. Pakistan and Kazakhstan maintain friendly diplomatic relations, with bilateral trade worth $239 million, according to its envoy Yerzhan Kistafin. Nurtleu will undertake an official visit to Paki

PSX hits new highs despite flood concerns

In a striking contrast to growing concerns over flood-related risks to economic growth, the Pakistan Stock Exch­a­nge (PSX) extended its reco­­­rd-setting rally on Thu­rsday, with the benchmark KSE-100 index closing at yet another all-time high with its fifth straight gain. Investors shrugged off loo­ming macroecon­o­mic cha­­l­l­enges, including the pot­e­ntial impact of wid­­­­­espread monsoon f

Extracting dollars

YOU have no doubt heard of ‘overheating’, the word used in economic language to describe an economy that is growing, but at the same time, seeing rising inflation. This combination of growth with inflation portends trouble because it is a sign that the economy is trying to serve levels of demand that its productive apparatus is not capable of meeting. Over-extraction is something similar, bu

Billions lost: Floods spark agri-emergency call

The Pakistan Business Forum (PBF) has called for the immediate declaration of an agricultural emergency as widespread flooding devastates large swathes of Punjab and threatens similar destruction in Sindh, jeopardising national food security and economic stability. In a letter addressed to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, the forum said preliminary assessments indicated the loss of approximately