ISLAMABAD: A high-level American delegation arrived in Islamabad on Friday to court Pakistan as a potential partner in securing vital mineral supply chains, part of a broader Washington effort to loosen China’s stranglehold on the rare earths and other metals essential to everything from electric vehicles to fighter jets.
Commodities
World Bank cuts Pakistan growth forecast on flood fallout
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s economic recovery faces fresh headwinds from devastating floods, with the World Bank slashing its growth projection for fiscal 2026 and warning of persistent inflation pressures amid strained public finances.
Pakistan logs rare Rs1.5 trillion fiscal surplus in Q1, defies flood disruptions
The government posted a rare Rs1.51 trillion federal fiscal surplus in the first quarter of fiscal year 2026, flipping last year’s Rs649 billion deficit and signalling robust revenue gains even as floods hammered crops and spiked food prices.
KP governor urges PM Sharif to lift Punjab curbs on wheat supply
ISLAMABAD: The governor of northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province on Monday appealed to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to intervene and lift what he called “unconstitutional restrictions” on wheat supplies from Punjab, warning of risks to food security amid soaring prices.
SBP keeps policy rate at 11 percent as floods drive up inflation risks
KARACHI: Pakistan’s central bank left its benchmark interest rate unchanged at 11% on Monday as policymakers assessed the impact of recent floods on food prices and the broader economy, extending a pause in monetary easing for a fourth straight meeting.
ECC cautioned on looming price hike from flood damage, market distortions
ISLAMABAD: The Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) of the cabinet was warned of a looming inflation spike driven by flood-ravaged crops, supply chain disruptions, and potential cartel activity in the edible oil and ghee markets, threatening further food price hikes across the country.
Pakistan targets record 30m tonnes wheat output for 2025-26 Rabi season
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has set a wheat production goal of 30 million tonnes for the 2025-26 Rabi season, leveraging sufficient water supplies in Punjab and Sindh, the country’s main agricultural provinces, following recent floods that boosted water availability for crops, the Ministry of National Food Security and Research said on Friday.
SBP expected to hold interest rates steady amid flood-driven inflation pressures
KARACHI: The central bank is poised to keep its key interest rate unchanged at 11 percent when it announces its decision on Monday, according to a Reuters poll of analysts, as devastating floods and border disruptions with Afghanistan continue to fuel food price surges and constrain options for further monetary easing.
Pakistan keeps Afghan border closed to transit trade over security fears
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan said on Friday it would keep its border crossings with Afghanistan closed to transit trade indefinitely, citing persistent security threats from across the frontier, even as a fragile ceasefire holds following weeks of deadly clashes.
Pakistan offers Rs22.98/unit power to industry, agriculture to revive growth
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Thursday launched a three-year subsidy package offering cut-rate electricity to its industrial and agricultural sectors in a bid to spur exports and job growth, despite ongoing IMF pressure to curb untargeted energy support.