News

CDWP clears Rs900bn national development projects

The Central Development Working Party (CDWP) on Thursday cleared a total of 26 development projects worth Rs900 billion, most of them in the transport and communication sector. Presided over by Deputy Chairman Planning Commission Mohammad Jehanzeb Khan, the CDWP itself approved 17 projects worth Rs33bn and recommended nine others worth Rs867bn to the Executive Committee of the National Economic

Outflow of profits jumps by six times in July-May

The profits and dividends on foreign investment have increased by almost six times during the first 11 months of the current fiscal year over the same period of the last fiscal. The profits and dividends were deliberately restricted by the State Bank (SBP) in FY23 to save its reserves at a time when the country had reached close to sovereign default at the end of June last year. Data issued

Budget proposals will stifle IT sector: FPCCI

The budget proposals for FY25 will stifle growth and innovation in the informal technology sector and exacerbate brain drain through high taxation, the chief of the Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI) said on Thursday. Atif Ikram Sheikh, the FPCCI chief, said at a press conference that despite repeated assurances from the incumbent government, budgetary proposals su

Maritime ministry rejects proposal for two ports’ merger

The Ministry of Maritime Affairs has turned down a suggestion put forward by members of the Senate Standing Committee on Maritime Affairs for administrative merger of two key ports to reduce unnecessary administrative expenses and streamline their affairs. The committee meeting, held here on Thursday under the chairmanship of Senator Faisal Vawda, discussed development and expansion of the mari

Economic Coordination Committee green-lights major pension reforms

The Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) of the Cabinet on Thursday approved major changes to the federal government’s pension system, set to be notified on July 1 after formal endorsement of the federal cabinet. The ECC, presided over by Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb, also sanctioned nearly Rs500 billion in technical and supplementary grants just two days before the close of the fiscal