Trade deficit jumps 18% to $7.1b

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s trade deficit jumped 18% to $7.1 billion during the first two months of the fiscal year, as exports grew at half the rate of imports – an amount that is more than double of the expensive $3 billion debt Pakistan raised on Thursday from international capital markets at a profit rate of 7.9%…

Read More

Court sentences Umar Hayat to death in Sana Yousaf murder case

Convict had retracted confession yesterday, alleging false implication under pressure from victim’s TikTok followers ISLAMABAD: An Islamabad court on Tuesday announced the verdict in the Sana Yousaf murder case, sentencing Umar Hayat, to death. On Monday, Hayat refused to accept his confessional statement given before the magistrate, saying that he did not even know what a confessional…

Read More

Weekly inflation surges 15.16% YoY

KARACHI: The Sensitive Price Indicator (SPI), which monitors weekly inflation, has been on a sharp upward trajectory for many weeks, largely due to spillover effects of the Israel-US war on Iran. For the week ended May 7, 2026, it surged 15.16% compared to the same week of last year. On a year-on-year basis, a major…

Read More

Water shortage grips cantt areas

RAWALPINDI: Residents of the Rawalpindi Cantonment Board (RCB) and Chaklala Cantonment Board (CCB) areas are facing an acute water crisis, with a widening supply shortfall, declining groundwater yields and reduced inflows from Khanpur Dam leaving thousands of households struggling to meet their daily water needs. The crisis has intensified despite a substantial increase in water…

Read More

Freelancer exports cross $950 million

KARACHI: Pakistani freelancers earned more than $950 million in foreign exchange during the first 10 months of the current fiscal year despite multiple local and global challenges. During the period from July 2025 to April 2026, Pakistani freelancers outperformed freelancers from India, China, the United Arab Emirates and several other countries. According to the State…

Read More

Bar demands share in judges’ appointments

RAWALPINDI: The Rawalpindi District Bar Association has demanded a formal share in the appointment of judges in the Lahore High Court and Islamabad High Court, stating that Rawalpindi Bar has consistently been ignored in judicial appointments. It warned that continued neglect will be challenged at all levels and protests will be held to any extent….

Read More

Dealers seek 8% margin amid daily fuel pricing

ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Petroleum Ali Pervaiz Malik held a meeting with a delegation of the Pakistan Petroleum Dealers Association (PPDA), led by Chief Adviser Malik Khuda Baksh, to discuss petroleum pricing reforms, deregulation, and matters concerning petroleum dealers. The PPDA delegation appreciated the government’s effective management of petroleum product supplies during the challenges arising…

Read More