ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s headline inflation quickened to 10.9% year-on-year in April, the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics reported on Friday, topping the government’s projection and highlighting the stubborn price pressures that prompted the central bank to raise interest rates for the first time in three years.
Economy
Pakistan halts power cuts after LNG cargo docks, ending month of outages
ISLAMABAD: Power Minister Awais Ahmed Khan Leghari said on Friday that planned power outages have ended nationwide after a liquefied natural gas cargo arrived the previous day, restoring stability to the electricity system following a month of fuel-driven disruptions.
Pakistan’s foreign reserves rise above $21 billion on Eurobond proceeds
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s total liquid foreign-exchange reserves climbed above $21 billion at the end of last week, lifted by fresh inflows from the country’s first return to international capital markets in four years.
FBR misses 10-month tax goal by Rs684 billion as Middle East conflict clamps down on imports
ISLAMABAD: The Federal Board of Revenue missed its collection target by Rs684 billion during the first 10 months of fiscal 2026, tax officials said, with much of the gap traced to trade disruptions caused by the ongoing Middle East conflict.
IMF-pushed fuel hike tests Pakistan’s balancing act between fiscal targets and cost-of-living pain
ISLAMABAD: The government raised petrol and diesel prices on Thursday while simultaneously extending fuel subsidies for motorcyclists and the transport sector, aiming to shield vulnerable consumers from the surge in global oil costs triggered by the Middle East crisis.
Pakistan flags external risks from Middle East conflict as inflation outlook ticks higher
ISLAMABAD: The finance ministry said on Thursday that the country’s external sector faces fresh risks from global uncertainties and supply disruptions tied to the Middle East conflict, even as a healthy primary fiscal balance and three straight months of current-account surpluses underpin domestic stability.
PM Sharif extends fuel subsidies for motorcyclists and transporters by one month
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday extended by one month the fuel subsidies for motorcyclists, public-transport operators and goods transporters, aiming to shield economically vulnerable segment from the sharp rise in global oil prices triggered by the conflict in the Middle East.
Pakistan’s $7 billion IMF program faces derailment risk as Iran conflict drives commodity shock, Oxford Economics says
ISLAMABAD: Commodity price shocks triggered by the US-Israel war against Iran are exposing Pakistan’s deep external vulnerabilities and threaten to delay or even derail the country’s $7 billion International Monetary Fund loan program, global economic advisory firm Oxford Economics warned in a recent report.
Competition regulator approves complete sale of loss-making PIA to Arif Habib-Led Consortium
ISLAMABAD: The Competition Commission of Pakistan has approved the acquisition of the remaining 25% stake in Pakistan International Airlines by a consortium led by Arif Habib Corp., completing the full privatization of the national carrier and handing control to private investors less than four months after they bought a 75% holding.
Pakistan’s weekly oil import bill double to $800 million as Middle East war disrupts global energy markets
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif told his federal cabinet on Wednesday that Pakistan’s weekly oil import bill has more than doubled to $800 million because of the sharp rise in global fuel prices triggered by the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.