News

Exports to Middle East fall with demand slowing in UAE

Pakistan’s exports to the Middle East dipped 5.57 per cent on a year-on-year basis to $951.78 million in the first five months of FY23 from $1.008bn mainly led by a substantial decline in exports to the United Arab Emirates. The exports to the region saw a mixed trend with an increase to Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Bahrain, while a decline to other countries of the region, according to data compile

Toll rates in Pakistan relatively low, claims ADB

ISLAMABAD: A new report of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) on road funds and user charges claims that toll rates in Pakistan are relatively low and increase in toll rates is not considered a viable option because toll roads have relatively low usage in the country, and it is expected that the users will opt to use non-tolled highways. The National Highway Authority (NHA) is now looking at incr

‘Fishing’ for exports

Pakistan’s fish and fish preparations exports have shown a growth of 26 per cent in quantity and 23pc in value during 5MFY23 as efforts by the exporters to find new markets with product diversification, rupee devaluation against the dollar and high value of some species are finally paying off. Industry sources say that exporters have made serious efforts to enhance exports without any support f

Short-sighted policies

Pakistan has not run out of gas overnight. At the turn of the 21st century, sufficient gas supplies and sources were available in Pakistan. As per a study by Hagler Bailey, there were limitations on the gas transmission system to lift gas from all the sources, but there was no gas shortage for any segment of the consumers. The said study, however, had a limited scope of finding a market for the

Why female financial inclusion matters

Pakistan’s financial inclusion numbers are the worst in the region for both males and females. According to the latest data, about 8 out of 10 women in Pakistan do not have access to a bank account. Given the relatively low rate of digital adoption, this means one of two things: women carry cards in the names of their male relatives, so all their expenses are open to scrutiny, or all their deal