Shares rose slightly on Thursday as investors expected a breakthrough on the circular debt issue. Topline Securities said the confirmation of the foreign exchange inflows from friendly countries and the announcement of a donor conference scheduled for Jan 9 also helped improve sentiments. Finance Minister Ishaq Dar said a day ago the country would soon receive financial help of $3 billion fr
PAKISTAN’S economic situation is unquestionably dire. The yawning trade and current account deficits, galloping inflation and default prospects have generated significant comment. It is noteworthy, though, that the working masses, who bear the biggest brunt of the downward economic spiral, barely feature in most analyses. Most commentary has focused on the efficacy of short-term fixes like the
SELDOM before in the past few decades have I heard Pakistanis — friends, students, colleagues, acquaintances and even strangers — sound so despondent and negative about the future of the country as I have over the last few months. The economic situation has been tough for a few years now. But the mood over the last year or so has really turned sour. And continues to be so. The economic situatio
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
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