News

NA clears SOEs bill; PM says no wheat exports yet

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif assured the National Assembly on Wednesday that the government has not decided to export wheat from the country, even as the State-Owned Enterprises (Governance and Operations) Bill, 2024 was rushed through the legislature. This controversial ame­n­dment, which allows the government to remove board members of SOEs based on recommendat­ions from the board nomination

Stocks begin flirting with 81,000 level

The stock market continued its record-setting spree on Tuesday amid growing optimism about reaching a Staff-Level Agreement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) soon, propelling the index to a new peak above 81,000 intraday. Ahsan Mehanti of Arif Habib Corporation said stocks closed at an all-time high amid speculation in the earnings season at PSX. This was led by selected oil and bankin

Bearing the brunt of reforms

The price of 250ml packaged milk has gone up from Rs75 to Rs95 and that of a one litre from Rs295 to Rs360. Welcome to the new world of high inflation! The government has set an inflation target of 12 per cent for this fiscal year. But skyrocketing of prices from the beginning of the year from July 1 indicates that meeting this target would be difficult. In the last fiscal year, consumer inf

Part makers’ issues to be resolved: minister

Commerce Minister Jam Kamal said on Tuesday that the post-budget issues faced by local part manufacturers would be resolved to promote ‘Made-in-Pakistan’ products. The minister extended this assurance during a meeting with the Pakistan Association of Automotive Parts and Accessories Manufacturers (Paapam) and representatives of mobile phone manufacturers. An official announcement issued afte

Govt urged to let industry buy power from generators

The country’s leading industrial chambers and associations have called for the urgent implementation of the Competitive Trading Bilateral Contract Market (CTBCM) regime, which would enable bulk power consumers to purchase electricity directly from generators, bypassing the government. The demand arose during a conference jointly organised on Tuesday by Renewables First and Pakistan Environment