News

Minister promises public relief after military success

In the wake of the country’s recent military success against Indian aggression, the federal government has claimed to have turned its focus to economic recovery and public relief, with high-level consultations underway ahead of the national budget. On Sunday, key federal ministers met separately with the Sindh governor and chief minister in Karachi, aiming to build consensus among major coaliti

Bullish momentum at PSX as shares gain 1,400 points after SBP receives 2nd IMF tranche

Bulls took control of the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) on Thursday as shares gained over 1,400 points, bringing calm to yesterday’s heightened volatility. The positive momentum comes just a day after Pakistan received the second tranche from the International Monetary Fund (IMF), worth $1 billion, under its loan programme. The KSE-100 index opened with a gain of 858.23 points (0.73 per cent

Japan approves $3.5m grant for smart water meters

The Japanese government has approved a grant assistance of $3.50 million for Pakistan to provide smart water meters and related equipment to the Water and Sanitation Agency (Wasa) in Faisalabad. An agreement to this effect was signed in Islamabad on Wednesday between the embassy of Japan and the Economic Affairs Division under the Economic and Social Development Programme. Through technical

8m women come online in 2024 as digital gender divide narrows

The country recorded a significant rise in mobile internet usage among women in 2024, as the gender gap in mobile internet adoption narrowed from 38 per cent to 25pc, according to the GSMA Mobile Gender Gap Report 2025 released on Wednesday. This means that women in Pakistan are now 25pc less likely than men to use mobile internet — an improvement from previous years. In contrast, the gender

IMF expects Rs20tr revenue, stricter spending

As virtual technical-level discussions on the upcoming federal budget begin, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) expects Pakistan’s total revenue to grow to nearly Rs20 trillion in the next fiscal year, up from the current estimate of less than Rs17.8tr, with an emphasis on tight expenditure controls to ensure sustainable debt servicing. After three days of technical discussions through video