Pakistan, China expand cooperation

KARACHI/ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and China are expanding cooperation across 21 priority sectors with investments exceeding $1.5 billion, reflecting the growing strength of the strategic economic partnership between the two countries, Ambassador to China Khalil Hashmi has said, according to statements issued on Wednesday. Speaking at a high?level interaction organised by the Foreign Affairs Liaison Office (FALO)…

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Data-driven policymaking key to growth

IT minister stresses e-commerce, digitisation can help expand economy significantly ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Information Technology and Telecommunication Shaza Fatima Khawaja on Wednesday said Pakistan’s ongoing digital transformation under CPEC 2.0 carries significant potential to expand the national economy through data-driven policymaking, digitisation and growth in e-commerce. Addressing the inauguration ceremony of the IBI Pakistan…

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Trade deficit fears mount

Business leaders urge honest budgeting as industrial slowdown, external pressures intensify LAHORE: As Pakistan heads towards the federal budget 2026-27 amid growing regional uncertainty and persistent economic fragility, nearly the entire business community, economists and business analysts are warning that the country’s external account pressures are once again beginning to intensify. There are fears that…

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PSX erases gains as ME worries trigger selling

KARACHI: Pakistan equities on Wednesday experienced a volatile session as early optimism gave way to selling pressure over geopolitical concerns. The benchmark KSE-100 index at the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) opened on a positive note and displayed resilience during early trading, but it later turned bearish and directionless as investors remained cautious amid geopolitical uncertainty…

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US delegation discusses trade with FinMin

ISLAMABAD: US Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs S Paul Kapur has expressed Washington’s interest in expanding economic cooperation with Pakistan, noting that American companies are keen to explore long?term investment opportunities in the country, according to an official statement issued on Wednesday. Kapur, accompanied by US Chargé d’Affaires Natalie A…

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PM hands budget-making to Dar

The government on Wednesday handed over the responsibility of making the new budget to Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar after it found the initial work below par, as the International Monetary Fund (IMF) also began its own scrutiny of the new tax proposals. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has constituted a Dar?led committee to "review, analyse…

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FinMin departs for China to attend Pakistan’s inaugural Panda Bond issuance ceremony

Ceremony marks Pakistan’s first-ever Panda Bond issuance, giving access to China’s capital market, ministry says Pakistan Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb speaks during an interview at the International Monetary Fund and World Bank Group’s annual spring meetings in Washington DC, US, April 13, 2026, PHOTO: REUTERS Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb departed for China on Thursday to…

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IPO launches digital transformation drive

DG says trademark, copyright & patent services will be fully digitalised in six months KARACHI: Intellectual Property Organisation of Pakistan Director General Noman Aslam has said that the IPO Pakistan has launched an aggressive six-month digital transformation strategy aimed at revolutionising the intellectual property ecosystem through automation, artificial intelligence and online complaint management to make…

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