News

Finance: It’s time for a reawakening

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) says Pakistan’s economy can grow 2.5per cent this fiscal year. This modest growth will be achieved on a low base of 0.3pc for the last fiscal year, which ended in June. This may pave the way for another two to three years of equal or slightly higher levels of growth if Pakistan is able to secure a large-sized ($8 billion-$9bn), three-year extended Fund Facilit

Non-disruptive development

Global travel began in the mid-19th century with transatlantic seafaring. The British industry leader, Cunard, carried immigrants from Europe to the US close to the 20th century. It emerged as the largest Atlantic passenger line, successfully capturing the flourishing North Atlantic travel market. The advent of commercial jets brought a tragic end to the golden era of ocean travel. While many o

Petroleum dealers to meet Musadik today

Petroleum dealers will meet Minister of State for Petroleum Musadik Malik on Monday (today) for an agreement on increasing their profit margin. The dealers are seeking a bigger share in the petroleum revenue and had threatened to shut petrol stations across the country if their demands are not met. On Friday, the strike was deferred for two days after a meeting between the Pakistan Petroleum

World Bank extends solar project’s closing date

The World Bank has ext­ended the closing date of the Sindh Solar Energy Project (SSEP) from September 2023 to July 2025 since the implementation of the project approved in 2022 remained unsatisfactory. The project has been significantly delayed for several reasons, including a two-year delay in appointing a full-time Project Mana­gement Unit (PMU), the impact of Covid-19, the 2022 floods and th

Dissecting the capital erosion

A business ecosystem facilitates the growth and prosperity of firms by providing access to finance and an efficient value chain. Its objective is to ensure fair benefits across sectors, preventing undue advantage for any one sector at the expense of others. However, the current business ecosystem in Pakistan primarily favours feudal, urban elites, and semi-government corporations. Pakistan’s ec