KARACHI: In a country where women-owned businesses remain significantly underserved by formal financial institutions, the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan’s (SECP) approval of the country’s first digital financing product exclusively for women-led micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) could mark an important test for financial inclusion efforts. The newly approved “Khudmukhtar Khatoon” financing facility…
Report finds at least 20,179 children killed between Oct 2023 and Oct 2025, around 30% of overall death toll Children inspect the damage at the site of the Israeli strike on a school housing displaced Palestinians on September 21, 2024. Photo AFP Israeli authorities and security forces deliberately targeted Palestinian children, resulting in genocide, crimes…
ISLAMABAD: Environmental leaders, policymakers, conservationists and legal experts have stressed the urgent need to safeguard one of Pakistan’s most significant ecological assets, the Margalla Hills National Park (MHNP), while ensuring that environmental laws and land-use regulations are effectively implemented. They were speaking at a webinar held to discuss the Supreme Court of Pakistan’s decision concerning…
Footwear, bags taxed on notional retail prices instead of actual transaction values LAHORE: The Chainstore Association of Pakistan (CAP) has expressed serious concern over the proposed inclusion of non-FMCG items, including everyday footwear, school backpacks, bags, wallets and other PCT 42.02 goods, in the Third Schedule of the Sales Tax Act, 1990, warning that the…
The bill includes revised income tax slabs, changes to import duties on vehicles and property taxation ISLAMABAD: The National Assembly on Tuesday passed the Finance Bill 2026-27 after a clause-by-clause consideration by rejecting all the amendments presented by the opposition. Minister for Finance Muhammad Aurangzeb moved the motion for consideration of the Finance Bill, 2026-27…
Says until all four provinces are equal partners in development, it cannot be called Pakistan’s development Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif addresses the National Assembly in Islamabad on Friday. Photo: X ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday rejected opposition claims that his government lacked legitimacy, telling the National Assembly that if the 2018 general election…
ISLAMABAD: After 58 years, Pakistan has decided to exempt the income of the Quaid-e-Azam Mazar Management Board from tax and is also set to legally allow traders to exit the optional fixed income tax scheme just one year after opting in. These amendments are part of the Finance Bill 2026, which Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb…
Banking, cement, energy stocks lead activity with KSE-100 gaining 159.95 points midday KARACHI: The Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) witnessed a volatile trading session on Tuesday, with the benchmark KSE-100 Index hovering at 178,631.81, up 159.95, or 0.09%, at 1:04pm. Early optimism had propelled the benchmark index over the 179,000-point level, above the previous close of…
Family stages protest, demands arrest of suspects, action against police officials KHANEWAL: A 22-year-old man was shot dead by armed assailants while on his way to attend a court hearing in Kabirwala, allegedly as a result of a long-standing tribal feud. The deceased, identified as Mursaleen Tayyab Hanjra, came under attack near Jhandeer Kassi in…
NEW DELHI: Tata Electronics said on Monday it had detected a recent “cybersecurity incident”, after researchers said World Leaks posted purported component design and specification papers of Apple and Tesla, both customers of the Indian group. The ransomware group has posted more than 200,000 files on the dark web, the security researchers told Reuters. “A…