The National Assembly Standing Committee on Commerce on Tuesday approved Trademarks (Amendment) Bill 2023 to facilitate local brands to protect their logos in more than 130 countries. The committee meeting, chaired by its chairman Khursheed Ahmed Junejo, after detailed deliberations approved minor amendments to the Trademarks Ordinance 2001 required under the Madrid Protocol, which Pakistan joi
The central government debt jumped by Rs4 trillion, or around 7.7 per cent, in January to reach close to Rs55tr, the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) data showed on Tuesday. The figure was Rs42.39tr in January 2022, which means it has increased by 30pc over the past year. Meanwhile, domestic debt rose to Rs34.3tr by end-January, 3.4pc higher than it was a month ago and around 25pc higher than th
The country’s oil industry is reportedly in serious trouble in arranging crude oil and petroleum products owing to foreign exchange constraints and prevailing product pricing, particularly following the recent currency depreciation and increase in the central bank’s policy rate. Reporting these challenges to the government, the Oil Companies Advisory Council (OCAC) – an association of more than
Shares at the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) rose on Monday, with analysts attributing it to expectations of a deal with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) this week as well as the rupee’s recovery. The benchmark KSE-100 index closed at 41,434.33 points, up 97.33 points or 0.24 per cent. It reached an intraday high of 460.71 points or 1.11 points around 1:15pm. Intermarket Securities’ Head
On the insistence of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the federal government and the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) did something last week that will deepen the ongoing political and administrative chaos, cripple the economy and multiply the miseries of 230 million Pakistanis. But they had to. Beggars cannot be choosers. The federal government slapped a permanent debt servicing surcharge on