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Pakistan Railways transfers seven officers in Punjab

The Pakistan Railways (PR) administration on Monday transferred seven officers, including four grade-20 officers. According to notifications, Muhammad Hafeezullah (BS-20) was posted as director general (property & land) at the PR’s headquarters in Lahore after completing the 121st National Management Course. Mr Amjad Iqbal has been relieved of the look-after charge of this post. Rizwanul Haq

Big industry production shrinks in July-October

Despite a downward interest rate trajectory, the Large-Scale Manufacturing (LSM) sector contracted 0.64 per cent in the first four months of the current fiscal year, data released by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics showed on Monday. The LSM grew slightly at 0.02pc in October on a year-on-year basis. However, it dipped 2.24pc on a month-on-month basis. Since August, the LSM declined for thr

Aurangzeb praises formal sector

Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb has said the government is taking measures to ensure the current IMF prgoramme becomes the last bailout. During a wide-ranging discussion on the economy during a visit to the Pakistan Business Council (PBC) on Monday, the finance minister appreciated the sacrifices that the formal sector had to make in the front-loaded tax measures under the IMF programme and

Centre’s spending on development remains miniscule

The Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP) expenditure in the first five months of the current fiscal year is struggling at 10.4pc of its Rs1.1 trillion annual allocation as the government keeps a tight lid on disbursements to meet requirements of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) of meeting certain fiscal surplus. The latest data from the Ministry of Planning and Development showed the

Trade, industry insist on single-digit policy rate

Barring foreign investors and multinational companies (MNCs), the State Bank’s decision to cut the interest rate by 200bps to 13pc on Monday disappointed local businessmen expecting a 400-500bps cut in line with a sharp drop in inflation. While extending a cautious welcome to the policy rate decision, Federation of Pakistan Chamber of Commerce and Industry President (FPCCI) Atif Ikram Sheikh te