News

PM orders speedy completion of energy projects

Prime Minis­ter Shehbaz Sharif on Sunday issued directives for speedy completion of solar and wind energy projects. While chairing a meeting on renewable energy, he said it was the government’s main priority to encourage the production of electricity through solar and wind energy sources. The renewable sources would produce low-cost and environment-friendly electricity, he added. PM Shari

SECP warns against using unlicensed lending apps

The Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP) has warned the public about falling prey to unauthorised lending apps — MoneyBox and MoneyClub. The SECP on Monday observed that these apps were using the names of licenced non-banking fin­ance companies (NBFCs) to gain public confidence in offering lending services without any regulatory approval. The regulator has not granted any pe

Big businesses make case for renegotiating NFC award

Big businesses have demanded that the National Finance Com­mission (NFC) award, which is the basis for resource distribution amo­ng federal and provincial governments, should be renegotiated to enable the federation to manage its fiscal account. The Pakistan Business Council (PBC), which is a policy advocacy platform backed by some of the biggest private-sector companies, said the provinces sho

January remittances fall to 31-month low

Remitta­nces sent by overseas Pakistani fell below $2 billion in January, showing a 31-month low and resulting in a loss of about $2bn during the first seven months of the current fiscal year (FY23). The State Bank reported on Monday that the remittances stood at $1.89bn in January, the lowest since May 2020, showing a decline of 13 per cent year-on-year and 10pc month-on-month. The country

Car sales plunge 43pc

The entire auto sector, barring the bus segment, turned in a depressed performance as the sales of cars plunged by 43 per cent followed by 42pc dip in trucks, 19pc in jeeps and pickups, 52.6pc in tractors and 32.5pc in two- and three-wheelers during the first seven months of the current fiscal year. Contrary to past years, car sales and production in January plunged to 5,723 and 6,021 units fro