News

After ECP snub, caretakers leave FBR to elected govt

After the Elec­t­ion Commission of Pakistan (ECP) barred the caretaker government from moving ahead with its controversial plan to restructure the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR), caretaker Finance Minis­ter Shamshad Akhtar said the restructuring roadmap approved by all stakeholders will be ‘operationalised’ by the elected government. The caretaker minister revea­led this plan during a televised

PM Kakar wants concerted efforts to explore oil, gas reserves

Emphasising the need for concerted efforts to explore onshore and offshore oil and gas reserves, caretaker Prime Minister Anwaarul Haq Kakar said on Tuesday the country has an abundance of natural resources to cater for domestic and industrial needs. Speaking at the Petroleum Conference as the chief guest, the prime minister reaffirmed the government’s readiness to contribute to infrastructure

IMF lowers Pakistan’s growth forecast to 2pc

Des­pite an improved global outlook, the Interna­tional Monetary Fund (IMF) on Tuesday lowered Pakis­tan’s economic growth forecast to two per cent for the current fiscal year, down 0.5 percentage points from its October estimate of 2.5pc. In its latest World Eco­nomic Outlook (WEO) rep­ort released on Tue­sday, the Washington-based global lender also slightly revised downward (by 0.1pc) the ne

PSX extends slide ahead of policy rate announcement

The Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) opened the week with a decline of more than 1,000 points, the biggest single-day fall in over a month. According to the Karachi-based brokerage firm Topline Securities, it was the highest day-on-day decline since Dec 26. According to the stock exchange data, the benchmark KSE-100 index lost 1,039.34 points, or 1.63pc, to close at 62,773.72 on Monday. Monday’s n

Online gold trading firm being launched today

The first formal company for online and physical trading of gold will start operation in Pakistan on Tuesday, January 30, 2024, which is expected to eliminate speculation in gold trading and price manoeuvring in the market. Approved by the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan and the Pakistan Mercantile Exchange, Zakaria Gold Commodities (Pvt) Limited will be engaged in online and phy