News

Economic reforms: if not now, then when?

The incumbent government claims it saved Pakistan from imminent bankruptcy and successfully resumed the International Monetary Fund programme. However, Pakistan’s financial health worsened after the floods and now, the debt and capital markets are sending alarming signals that depict nervousness among investors and creditors. The stock market remains jittery and the continued weakness in the va

KCCI rejects SSGCL ‘zero gas plan’ for industries in winter

Trade and industry leaders of Pakistan’s economic nerve centre have warned that zero gas supplies for four months will lead to a sharp contraction in exports, cripple revenue collection, closure of units and render a large number of workers jobless. While rejecting Sui Southern Gas Company Ltd’s notice of supply suspension from Nov 15 to Feb 28, the committee of the Karachi Chamber of Commerce

Pleas against Sharia-compliant banking verdict formally withdrawn

The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) and other commercial banks on Saturday finally withdrew their appeals from the Supreme Court, challenging the Federal Shariat Court’s (FSC) directions to the government to make the country’s entire banking system completely Sharia-compliant by Dec 2027. The appeals were taken back in line with a Nov 9 announcement by Finance Minister Ishaq Dar that SBP and the N

Talks between IMF, Pakistan ‘rescheduled’

The schedule for talks between Pakistan and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has been readjusted but the negotiations are continuing, official sources in Washington say. Media reports, however, claim that the talks that were scheduled to begin last week have been postponed till the third week of November. According to these reports, the talks would resume after Pakistan fulfilled its pl

Quest for a stable currency

The central banks of Pakistan and China have renewed their commitment to expanding their bilateral trade and investment in the Chinese yuan. For that purpose, they signed a memorandum of understanding on establishing yuan clearing arrangements during a recent visit of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to China. According to a senior banker, Yuan clearance enables Pakistan to access Chinese banks an