News

Gohar Ejaz eyes $100bn exports with new zone

Caretaker Commerce Minister Gohar Ejaz has said that exports will cross $100 billion in the next five years if the 10,000-acre new industrial zone in Karachi is materialised, which will also create three million new jobs. Addressing the business community at the Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI) on Saturday, Mr Gohar said the new industrial zone would be aligned w

A long way to go

Pakistan’s yearly consumer inflation rate stood at 29.7 per cent in December 2023, which means that those who earned Rs100,000 per month needed Rs 129,700 to maintain their lifestyle at a year-ago level. Obviously, most individuals and households had no opportunity to make the additional Rs29,700. Inflation numbers don’t tell us about their sufferings, let alone the sufferings of the jobless. W

Price hike looms as provinces reject Rs32bn urea subsidy burden

Finance ministry also declines to share cost, citing IMF restrictions PM-led meeting decides to merge prices of imported and local urea, bill the extra cost to farmers ISLAMABAD: With the headline inflation already touching 30 per cent, the country braces for a fertiliser price hike of about 5pc as provinces refuse to share a Rs32 billion burden for imported urea. The Ministry of Finance

Emerging consensus

In a challenging, complex situation, one can see consensus-building surfacing on how to resolve major issues, both by design as well as by independent actions of various stakeholders/institutions that tend to work in harmony. A major issue on which near-consensus or consensus is so obvious is that elections should be held as scheduled on February 8. And that long-term policies can only be formu

Red Sea caution

The Houthi retaliation represents a danger to worldwide maritime transport. A resolute response is imperative for sustained global prosperity. To ensure the unimpeded passage of ships, particularly through vital chokepoints like the Strait of Malacca or the Panama Canal, addressing the recent surge of attacks in the Red Sea — crucial for access to the Suez Canal — stands as an urgent concern. T