News

Startup dreams drowned by economic woes?

As a country, Pakistan is all about momentary triumphs followed by prolonged periods of adversity. This permeates all spheres of our lives, be it moments of brilliance on the cricket field or symbolic wins for democracy. Even the startup ecosystem is beholden to the same patterns where any good news is sandwiched between long bouts of gloom. Not so long ago, the ecosystem did get that solitary

The future of digital transformation

Pakistan, the fifth-most populous country in the world, has undergone significant digital transformation over the last decade since the introduction of 3G/4G services. Mobile broadband access has provided most Pakistanis with endless opportunities to acquire knowledge, conduct online business, and engage in entertainment. This connectivity and high-speed internet have supported the growth of ne

FIA told to redress injustice to lifeline power users

LAHORE / RAWAL­PINDI: Taking notice of growing complaints of overbilling being made by protected consumers, Minister for Interior and Narcotics Control Mohsin Naqvi on Sunday ordered legal action against the officers and staff involved in the practice. The minister directed all FIA directors to immediately redress the injustice being done to the electricity consumers using up to 200 units, says

Circuit breakers worth millions bought from blacklisted firms

Expressing dismay over purchase of 132kV circuit breakers worth millions of rupees by the distribution companies from blacklisted firms through local suppliers, the Ministry of Energy has asked all the Discos to submit a report on the issue. The report has been sought after the engineering associations of Gujra­nwala Electric Power Company (Gepco) and Multan Electric Power Company (Mepco) filed

Supplementary grants hit record amid ‘austerity’

As parliament authorised the federal government on June 28 to impose over Rs1.7 trillion in additional taxes for the current fiscal year, it was also compelled to retrospectively approve a record Rs9.4tr for expenditure overruns and re-appropriations, nearly five times more than the previous year’s amount. This massive overspending occurred despite claims of austerity and tight fiscal control b