KARACHI: The Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) staged a robust recovery on Friday, buoyed by strong year-on-year growth in large-scale manufacturing and easing geopolitical concerns, as investors indulged in aggressive value-hunting after days of caution. Market sentiment improved after US President Donald Trump signalled that the crackdown on protesters in Iran was easing, reducing fears of a broader regional…
ISLAMABAD: Short-term inflation, measured by the Sensitive Price Index (SPI), increased 3.87 per cent year-on-year in the week ending Jan 15 due to an increase in the retail price of tomatoes and LPG cylinders. The SPI-based inflation recorded an upward trend over the past 24 consecutive weeks, mainly driven by surges in the prices of perishable products,…
ISLAMABAD: The Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (Ogra) on Friday notified up to five per cent reduction in the price of regasified liquefied natural gas (RLNG) at the distribution stage for the current month, mainly due to lower international oil prices. This is the second consecutive monthly reduction, following around a 6pc decline in December,…
KARACHI: The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) on Friday began implementing the Women Entrepreneurship Finance (WE-FI) Code, adopted on July 7, 2025, to dismantle the financial barriers faced by women-led businesses. To kick off the implementation of the code, the central bank held a two-day workshop in collaboration with the Asian Development Bank (ADB) in…
ISLAMABAD: The number of approved special economic zones has surged dramatically from seven to 44 in the second phase of China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), including notification of 37 new SEZs through coordinated efforts led by the Board of Investment (BoI). The increase in approval rate was revealed on Friday during a briefing on Pakistan’s engagement with China…
ISLAMABAD: Despite over 35 years of ‘reforms’ and policy interventions, Pakistan’s power sector remains incapable of instilling confidence in the country’s economic growth and in consumers’ trust, leading to gains secured from power producers through renegotiations evaporating amid unending inefficiencies. This charge sheet has been framed by the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (Nepra) against…
ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court on Friday reaffirmed that pension is a vested constitutional right, not a bounty or a privilege granted at the discretion of the employer. Justice Muhammad Shafi Siddiqui, in a six-page judgment, emphasized that pension benefits are earned through long, continuous, faithful, and unblemished service, upholding the right of a former civil…
LAHORE: Police on Saturday submitted a report in the Lahore High Court (LHC) detailing the security plan for the upcoming three-day Basant festival. Basant will be celebrated in Lahore from February 6-8, following the passage of the Punjab Regulation of Kite Flying Bill, 2025, that ended a suspension of the festival after almost two decades. The report…
Protests in Iran have subsided after a crackdown by security forces amid an internet blackout, monitors said Friday, a week after the start of the largest demonstrations in years challenging the country’s government. Reza Pahlavi, the US-based son of Iran’s late shah, however, said he was confident the Islamic republic would fall and called…
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar expressed his hope for peace and stability in Iran on Saturday, the Foreign Office (FO) said. According to a post by the FO on X, Dar spoke with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi in a phone call in which the two diplomats discussed the current situation in…