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Pakistan-Uzbekistan ties require paradigm shift

Following Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif's visit to Uzbekistan, economic strategists and regional experts stress that further enhancing and strengthening trade ties with Uzbekistan will open new avenues for business opportunities. They advocate for an innovative, integrated, and digitalised model of economic integration, industrial cooperation, investment, and joint ventures. They said there is

PM bars dual nationals from SBP

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has blocked a move to allow dual nationals to become governor, deputy governors, and members of the monetary policy committee of the central bank after a cabinet committee unanimously recommended making dual nationals eligible for these positions. The federal cabinet last week deferred the approval of the State Bank of Pakistan Amendment Bill 2024 for the second ti

Equities drift lower on lack of triggers

Trading on the Pakistan Stock Exch­ange (PSX) remained sluggish on Thursday, with share prices moving sideways. Low trading volumes and a lack of positive triggers contributed to the benchmark index’s continued losses. Ahsan Mehanti of Arif Habib Corporation said the market closed lower as investors eye corporate and provincial tax reforms ahead of IMF approvals for the budgetary proposals for

CPI inflation to maintain stable trajectory in Feb, says finance ministry

The finance ministry, in its monthly economic outlook report on Thursday, said that the consumer price index (CPI) inflation would maintain its stable trajectory in February. “Inflation is anticipated to remain within the range of 2.0-3.0 per cent for February 2025; however, there are prospects of a slight increase to 3.0-4.0pc by March 2025,” the report said. Analysts have noted that the cu

Private sector retires 48pc bank debt in a month

Banks have taken back about 48 per cent of the money they lent to the private sector within a month, indicating that the private sector has no plans to enter the market with new ideas or ventures. From July 1, 2024, to Jan 17, 2025, the private sector borrowed Rs1.398 trillion from banks, but most of the lending in the last two months of CY2024 (Nov and Dec 2024) was carried out by banks to avo