The latest budget is a reckless bet that the government can muscle through enforcement measures no one believes are feasible. Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb has staked the country’s fiscal future on a Rs14.1 trillion revenue target, a 19% jump from Rs11.9 trillion, underpinned by a crackdown on tax dodgers and IMF-mandated austerity. The problem? This plan assumes a level of political backbone and economic resilience that Islamabad has rarely shown. It’s less a strategy than a prayer, and the odds are stacked against it.
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US Centcom chief praises Pakistan as ‘phenomenal partner’ in counter-terrorism efforts
ISLAMABAD: Army General Michael Kurilla, commander of US Central Command (Centcom), called Pakistan a “phenomenal partner” in counter-terrorism efforts, citing the country’s role in combating groups like the Islamic State-Khorasan (IS-K) amid persistent violence in Balochistan province.
US State Department hopeful on Trump’s Kashmir role
ISLAMABAD: The US State Department signaled optimism on Tuesday that President Donald Trump could help resolve the decades-old Kashmir dispute, a proposal Pakistan embraced but India swiftly rejected.
Pakistan to slash tariffs, abolish duties in bold export push
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan is set to slash its overall tariff regime by more than 4% over the next five years as part of a bold reform package aimed at turbocharging exports and pivoting the nation toward an export-led growth model, Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb said on Wednesday.
IMF pleaser, growth freezer budget
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Rs 17.6 trillion budget for 2025-2026, rolled out by Finance Minister Mohammad Aurangzeb, is a high-wire act, slashing the deficit to 3.9% of GDP from 5.9% to win IMF applause, while tiptoeing around the political third rail of taxing the untaxed and sparking growth in an economy stuck in neutral. Revenue projections hit Rs 19.3 trillion, Rs 14.1 trillion from taxes, Rs 5.1 trillion from non-tax sources, a blueprint drenched in discipline. Yet, with unemployment at 6.3% (and a jaw-dropping 44.9% for youth), a 241.5 million population swollen by a youth bulge, and an informal economy mocking the tax net, this budget risks being a masterclass in caution rather than the bold stroke Pakistan desperately needs. Stability is the buzzword here, but it might just be a polite term for paralysis.
Budget 2025/26: Taxes up, spending down, IMF smirks
ISLAMABAD: Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb on Tuesday rolled out a Rs17.573 trillion budget for the fiscal year 2026, slashing spending by 6.9% and targeting a hefty Rs14,131 billion tax take, up 8.95%, under the watchful eye of the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
Budget to put IMF before growth
By Staff Reporter ISLAMABAD: Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb will step into the spotlight today, unveiling the federal budget for 2025-26 in parliament, a fiscal blueprint
Pakistan’s economy sees 2.7pc growth in FY25, but farms and factories beg to differ
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s economy is set to expand 2.7% in the fiscal year ending June 2025, up from 2.5% last year, though concerns over inflated industrial figures and a weak agricultural sector cloud the outlook, the government’s economic survey showed on Monday.
Pakistan’s economy seen growing 2.7pc, survey set for unveiling today
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s economy is expected to have grown by 2.7% in the fiscal year 2024-25, preliminary figures signal on Monday, with the official Economic Survey set to be unveiled later today by Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb.
Pakistan urges global action to ease tensions with India as delegation lands in London
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has appealed to global powers for “intervention” to address its deepening rift with arch-rival India, a plea delivered Sunday by a high-level diplomatic delegation after touching down in London to drum up international support.