Privatisation Minister Fawad Hassan Fawad on Thursday reiterated the government’s firm resolve to divest major loss-making state-owned enterprises to avoid a substantial financial drain of resources and make them efficient. During a meeting with World Bank Resident Director Najy Benhassine, the minister also discussed the privatisation agenda with a specific focus on the divestment of PIA and o
The stock market soared on Monday in a session marked by an uptick in trade volumes. Topline Securities said the KSE-100 index commenced the week on a positive note and stayed in the green zone throughout the trading hours before settling on the higher side. The brokerage attributed the rally to the rejuvenated buying interest in the technology sector. Systems Ltd remained the “darling stock
As the global economy graduates towards digital payments and digital currency platforms, Pakistan is moving in the opposite direction with rising demand for cash. State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) data indicates that the Cash in Circulation (CinC) has increased to Rs9.2 trillion ($32 billion) at the end of June 2023, which is equivalent to 30 per cent of the total money supply (M2), or around 11pc o
IF you have ever had the pleasure to speak at length with members of Pakistan’s top elites, or one of those who volunteer to be mouthpieces for the interests of the elites, you will notice how they are always able to offer good reasons for why bad policies need to continue. There are good reasons for why exchange rate interventions need to take place to prevent a devaluation. There are also goo
IN June of this year, the Pakistani government had issued two tenders to buy LNG on the international market but didn’t receive any bids. Pakistan’s devaluing currency and lack of foreign exchange, coupled with the political turmoil plaguing the country, has apparently made it a bad risk. This means what it always means, which is that there is likely to be an even worse-than-usual shortage of g