THE call for a nationwide strike on July 19 by leading trade associations against tax enforcement and compliance measures introduced in the FY26 budget highlights strong resistance from the trading class to become part of the documented economy and pay their due. The call is backed by major chambers of commerce and industry, as well as other leading trade bodies. For what it’s worth, the Federa
Emboldened by a marked improvement in key economic indicators, apart from GDP growth, the country’s leadership now signals a shift from crisis management toward transformative growth. Both Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb and State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) Governor Jameel Ahmed have recently talked about the transformation of the Pakistani economy as their next goal. While macroeconomic indica
Pakistan is finalising its first-ever medium-term industrial policy through consultations with key ministries, regulatory bodies, local and international experts and private sector platforms. The policy aims to reverse the trend of deindustrialisation and raise the manufacturing sector’s share in the GDP from the current 18 per cent to 26pc by 2035. Notably, this target merely restores the leve
The import of pulses has reached an all-time high of 1.32 million tonnes ($918m) in just 10 months of FY25, breaking the record of 1.315m tonnes ($946m) achieved during the full fiscal year of 2022-2023. After breaking the record, the import of pulses is heading close to 1.5m tonnes in FY25 to become a new record for any fiscal year in the history of pulse imports, as July-May FY25 imports have
The government’s ambitious plan to auction old and defunct public sector generation plants under Genco Holding Company Limited (GHCL) — aimed at curtailing operation and maintenance (O&M) expenditure — is in serious trouble, compelling authorities to consider handing over the scrap to Wah Industries of the Ministry of Defence. Sources said the first round of auction, which appeared to be a succ