ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s $7 billion International Monetary Fund program remains firmly on course, a top official said on Friday, brushing aside India’s calls for the lender to reassess the country’s financial support.
Energy
Trade deficit balloons 55pc in April as exports fall, imports jump
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s trade deficit surged 55.2% month-on-month to $3.39 billion in April 2025, driven by a sharp contraction in exports and a double-digit rise in imports, official data showed on Friday.
Inflation hits historic low of 0.3pc in April, deflation fears grow
KARACHI: Pakistan’s consumer inflation rate slowed sharply to 0.3 percent year-on-year in April 2025, the lowest level in approximately six decades, marking a dramatic turnaround from the double-digit crises that gripped the economy a year earlier, data from the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) showed on Friday.
Multinationals press for 17 percent GST to reverse sales slump
ISLAMABAD: Multinational companies in Pakistan are pushing the government to slash taxes and overhaul fiscal policies they blame for eroding profits, with sales declines of up to 30 percent across industries.
Petrol, diesel prices cut by Rs2/liter, tax grab limits relief
ISLAMABAD: The government cut petrol and diesel prices by Rs2 per liter on Wednesday, a marginal reprieve for consumers as it siphoned savings from falling global oil costs through higher taxes to shore up revenue.
Lifeline under siege
India’s abrupt suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty on April 24, 2025, following a deadly terrorist attack in Kashmir, has thrust South Asia into a perilous standoff, with Pakistan warning that any tampering with its water lifeline would be an “act of war.” The decision, outlined in a sharply worded letter from India’s Jal Shakti Ministry Secretary Debashree Mukherjee to her Pakistani counterpart Syed Ali Murtaza, dismantles a 65-year-old pact that has endured wars and crises, exposing the fragility of trust between two nuclear-armed neighbors.
Pakistan seeks to boost US imports, remove barriers to escape Trump tariffs
KARACHI: Pakistan is seeking to increase its imports from the United States and eliminate non-tariff barriers in an effort to mitigate the impact of high tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump.
Pakistan inflation nears zero in April, deflation looms
KARACHI: The inflation is set to bottom out in April 2025, potentially dipping into deflationary territory, as a sharp decline in food and electricity prices drives the Consumer Price Index (CPI) to unprecedented lows, a brokerage report said in Monday.
FDI rises 14pc on Chinese flows; textile, tech exports gain
By Staff Reporter
KARACHI: Pakistan attracted $1.64 billion in foreign direct investment during the first nine months of its fiscal year through March, a 14 percent increase from the same period a year earlier, as Chinese inflows doubled and textile and technology exports surged.
Pakistan eyes US cotton, soybean buys to avoid Trump tariffs
By Staff Reporter
KARACHI: Pakistan plans to sharply increase imports of cotton and soybean from the United States to cut its bilateral trade surplus in half and sidestep steep tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump, Bloomberg reported on Wednesday.