News

Dubai regulator upholds $135.6m fine on Abraaj founder

Dubai’s financial regulator said on Tuesday it upheld a $135.6 million fine on collapsed private equity firm Abraaj Group’s founder and former CEO Arif Naqvi “for his serious failings” in respect of the company. Dubai-based Abraaj was the largest buyout fund in the Middle East and North Africa until it collapsed in 2018 after investors raised concerns about the management of its $1 billion heal

Production cuts continue in industrial sector

Another textile maker joined on Tuesday the steadily growing list of industrial units that’ve either scaled back or suspended operations citing unfavourable economic conditions. Crescent Fibres Ltd is curtailing production by up to 50 per cent owing to “widespread demand destruction,” it told shareholders on Tuesday. Earlier, Suraj Textile Mills Ltd announced it was bringing down its product

ECC okays additional export of sugar

The Economic Coordination Com­mittee (ECC) of the cabinet has allowed additional sugar exports of 150,000 tonnes and approved immediate disbursement of Rs60 billion to the state-run Pakistan State Oil (PSO) to address its liquidity challenges and ensure a smooth supply chain. In a meeting presided over by Finance Minister Ishaq Dar on Tuesday, the committee also decided to discontinue the subsi

Cotton arrivals plunge to 4.6m bales

Pakistan records over 4.6 million bales of cotton production during the calendar year 2022 against more than 7.3m bales produced during the previous year, a massive shortfall of 37.23 per cent. Market observers put heavy monsoon rains and river floods, which washed away standing crops, particularly in the cotton belts of Sindh and Punjab, as the main reason behind the decline in cotton yield.

PTI’s white paper paints bleak picture of economy

A white paper issued by the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) comp­aring the economic performance of the Pakistan Demo­cratic Movement (PDM) and PTI governments painted a bleak picture of affairs and warned that hyperinflation, coupled with unemployment, could push the country towards “complete anarchy”. Speaking at a ceremony held at Chief Minister’s Secretariat at The Mall via video link, PTI Ch