Good things have started happening in Pakistan’s economy, but challenges remain and may even compound in the near future. The Pakistani economy contracted by 0.21 per cent in the last fiscal year. However, it began recovering in the first quarter of this year. The pace of recovery remained at 2.7pc in the first quarter, followed by 1.8pc and 2.1pc in the second and third quarters. The govern
Without developing local AI capabilities, Pakistan may become increasingly dependent on foreign AI solutions,” said ByeongJo Kong, Digital Technology Specialist (Data Analytics & Big Data) at the Asian Development Bank (ADB) in response to an emailed query. This dependency not only incurs higher costs but could also place critical infrastructure and systems under the control of foreign entities
Despite the availability of pre-activated Sims for Haj pilgrims, telecom firms have launched competitive one-month packages that would cost less than Saudi Arabian Sims. Under a new facility for pilgrims this year, every individual performing Haj under the government scheme will be provided with one Ufone Sim containing eight GB data and 200 calling minutes. While Ufone will provide Sims to
Mobile manufacturers have urged the government to adopt conducive policies to encourage large-scale assembly of smartphones, which will also boost exports. In a letter to the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR), which is currently finalising taxation proposals for the upcoming budget, the Pakistan Mobile Phone Manufacturers Association (PMPMA) highlighted that the existing tariff structure favoured
Imports in the second half of the outgoing fiscal year increased significantly, reflecting the easing of restrictions by the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) on the International Monetary Fund’s directions. The country’s import bill surged to $17.92bn in January-April compared to $25.462bn in July-December FY24. Currency experts said the interbank market was experiencing higher demand for dollar