News

Let democracy work

The general elections are over. The process of forming an elected government is ongoing. Two important things to watch are how well the new government tackles back-breaking inflation and how judiciously it goes about collecting taxes from people and businesses. If the establishment desists from post-election intervention, there are chances for a relatively strong parliament and a relatively

President Alvi blocks move to neutralise Irsa’s powers

President Arif Alvi has blocked promulgation of an ordinance, moved by the caretaker government just before the end of its term that apparently sought to neutralise the powers of the Indus River System Authority (Irsa) bypassing the Council of Common Interests (CCI). Informed sources said the president rejected the proposed amendments to the 1991 Irsa Act on the grounds that such a critical mat

Bitcoin hits highest in more than two years

Bitcoin rose by 4% to $49,477.75 on Monday, its highest since December 2021. The cryptocurrency has risen some 15.7% so far this year, helped by regulators approving U.S. spot bitcoin ETFs and expectations for interest rate cuts. At 1535 GMT, bitcoin was up 3.9% on the day at $49,390.

Exports to Middle East jump 32pc in first half FY

Exports to the Middle East bounced back with a growth of 32.33 per cent to $1.506 billion in the first six months of the current fiscal year against $1.138bn from a year ago. A surge in demand for Pakistani products was observed from countries like the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, according to data compiled by the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP). However, the exports to Qatar

Body formed to assess state-owned enterprises’ impact on budget

The government has constituted a four-member committee to determine the legal status of those state-owned entities (SOEs) which are not covered under the existing SOEs Act of 2023 but remain a major fiscal risk to the federal government for being their large size and impact. According to a notification issued on Monday, the committee led by the Additional Secretary of Corporate Finance comprise