THE success of general elections on Feb 8 hinges significantly on voter turnout, impacting both the democratic process and the public cost incurred. A robust participation rate, besides strengthening democracy, will validate the allocation of valuable resources, both human and material, invested in this extensive nationwide endeavour. A low voter turnout could escalate the cost per voter — a
After the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) barred the caretaker government from moving ahead with its controversial plan to restructure the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR), caretaker Finance Minister Shamshad Akhtar said the restructuring roadmap approved by all stakeholders will be ‘operationalised’ by the elected government. The caretaker minister revealed this plan during a televised
Emphasising the need for concerted efforts to explore onshore and offshore oil and gas reserves, caretaker Prime Minister Anwaarul Haq Kakar said on Tuesday the country has an abundance of natural resources to cater for domestic and industrial needs. Speaking at the Petroleum Conference as the chief guest, the prime minister reaffirmed the government’s readiness to contribute to infrastructure
Despite an improved global outlook, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) on Tuesday lowered Pakistan’s economic growth forecast to two per cent for the current fiscal year, down 0.5 percentage points from its October estimate of 2.5pc. In its latest World Economic Outlook (WEO) report released on Tuesday, the Washington-based global lender also slightly revised downward (by 0.1pc) the ne
The Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) opened the week with a decline of more than 1,000 points, the biggest single-day fall in over a month. According to the Karachi-based brokerage firm Topline Securities, it was the highest day-on-day decline since Dec 26. According to the stock exchange data, the benchmark KSE-100 index lost 1,039.34 points, or 1.63pc, to close at 62,773.72 on Monday. Monday’s n