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Miftah regrets bringing up Dar’s relation to Sharifs in tirade on his ouster as finmin

PML-N leader Miftah Ismail on Thursday expressed regret over bringing up Ishaq Dar’s relation to the Sharifs during a tirade on his ouster as finance minister. In a podcast with internet personality Nadir Ali on Wednesday, Ismail said that he was removed as finance minister in September last year and did not want to resign. The PML-N leader also blamed Dar for orchestrating a campaign to und

PM Shehbaz, Li discuss CPEC, investor safety

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday assured his Chinese counterpart Li Keqiang of timely completion of China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project and safe environment for investors. “Pakistan would provide a completely secure and conducive business environment for Chinese investors,” Mr Shehbaz said during a long telephonic conversation with Mr Li. Separately, PM Shehbaz issued di

Gong ceremony marks largest acquisition in IT sector

Welcoming the people involved in the largest acquisition of a local software company by an American firm to the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX), PSX CEO Farrukh H. Khan said on Thursday the transaction bodes well for the burgeoning IT industry of Pakistan. Stock trading began with Lord Aamer Sarfraz of Kensington striking the gong to mark the acquisition of Cloudways — which provides small and me

IPPs bound to use Thar coal first

The National Electric Regulatory Authority (Nepra) has made it mandatory for all independent power producers (IPPs) to utilise local coal, particularly from Thar, before opting for imports that would also be contracted in Pakistani rupees. This has been done through notification of ‘Guidelines for Procurement of Coal on Spot Basis’ issued by the regulator to ensure that procurement of coal on a

Bank profits to fall

Earnings of commercial banks are expected to drop by 4-11 per cent for 2022 if the government imposes a new tax on their foreign exchange income. Finance Minister Ishaq Dar said in a recent press conference that the government was planning to ramp up its tax revenues by levying an additional tax on banks, which have made “excessive gains” on the back of a high volatility in the currency market.