KARACHI: The Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) and Businessmen Group (BMG) have urged the federal government to avoid repeating policy mistakes that have damaged exports, discouraged investment and undermined industrial competitiveness. In a joint statement, KCCI leadership said many fiscal measures introduced over the past two years had been opposed by the chamber…
A pumpjack, used to help lift oil from a well, in the Permian basin near Midland, Texas, U.S., October 8, 2025 PHOTO: REUTERS Oil prices fell on Tuesday, erasing most of the previous session’s gains, after Iran and Israel said they had halted attacks on each other following an appeal from US President Donald Trump, though…
In the local bullion market, the price of gold per tola fell to Rs452,233 after a decline of Rs3,094 KARACHI: Gold prices in Pakistan declined on Monday in line with a subdued international market trend, as easing geopolitical risk from reports of a possible Israel-Iran ceasefire and stronger-than-expected US labour data kept bullion under pressure,…
Pakistan's economic discourse has become increasingly dominated by a single phrase: elite capture. It describes a quiet diversion of public policy, state resources, and institutional authority away from the national interest and toward private gain. It is embedded in important areas of Pakistan's economic framework, particularly in tariff structures, tax policy, and sector-specific concessions. These…
Broad-based selling keeps KSE-100 index firmly in red as banks, energy, cement and auto stocks lead losses The Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) remained under intense selling pressure on Monday as investors reacted to rising geopolitical concerns, dragging the benchmark KSE-100 index sharply lower during intraday trade. The market opened in the red and extended losses…
Vocational skills offer faster jobs, higher earnings, resilience in AI-driven era KARACHI: Pakistan today stands at a crossroads. With one of the world’s youngest populations, a shrinking formal job market, and the rapid global rise of automation and artificial intelligence (AI), the country must rethink how it prepares its youth for work. For decades, the…
Agriculture, retail and real estate stay undertaxed while the salaried class and corporate sector carry the load KARACHI: We often hear about the challenges Pakistan faces when it enters an International Monetary Fund (IMF) programme, yet we seldom spend enough time reflecting on our own structural shortcomings. It is always easier to criticise an external…
Pakistan should not depend on foreign institutions for assessment of its budget. An Independent Fiscal Council with statutory authority will provide parliament with its own expert voice, independent of the executive’s fiscal claims. photo: file ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s fiscal strategy and productivity landscape have been marred by years of perpetual firefighting. Beyond the International Monetary Fund’s…
Globally competitive industry cannot be developed behind walls, without assuming additional risk If Pakistan wants to build globally competitive cars and export them, it must lower its protectionist walls, access lower cost parts, and frictionlessly integrate into GVCs. photo: file ISLAMABAD: In the 1990s, two new auto assemblers in Pakistan, Toyota and Honda, joined Suzuki,…
The government wants to accelerate economic growth to lower rising poverty and unemployment, but the IMF was of the view that Pakistan has not yet reached a stage where it can afford sustainably higher economic growth. PHOTO: Reuters ISLAMABAD: The government may not be able to provide any significant tax relief to all the affected…