February 17, 2026 - Daily Capital Mail

PSX plunges 2.9% on sharp sell-off

February 17, 2026 capital

KARACHI: Pakistan’s stock market suffered heavy losses on Monday as the benchmark KSE-100 index plunged 5,150 points, weighed down by institutional selling as political uncertainty and disappointing corporate results dented investor confidence. In a show of extreme volatility, the index oscillated between the intra-day high of 179,969 and low of 173,574. The market saw broad-based weakness, which overshadowed buying activity and pulled the index deep into the red. The trading session was marked by aggressive liquidation, weak sentiment and external pressures that collectively put the bourse under pressure. The downturn…

Surplus crops expose supply chain weakness

February 17, 2026 capital

LAHORE: Every year, bumper harvests bring hope to farmers but also expose a costly weakness in the agriculture supply chain. Surplus vegetables, like potatoes and onions, often end up rotting in open markets or fields, reflecting not abundance but inefficiency. Farmer leaders say that without urgent reforms in storage and processing, such losses will continue to drain national wealth, while equally creating a surplus or a shortage sort of situation almost the entire year. Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI) Regional Committee on Food Convener Shahid Imran…

MNAs slam solar power policy change

February 17, 2026 capital

ISLAMABAD: Parliamentarians and even government officials in the National Assembly Standing Committee on Industries and Production on Monday denounced the change in solar net metering policy by the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (Nepra). The committee met under the chairmanship of Syed Hafeezuddin, who raised the issue of amendments to the net metering policy as the regulator has now shifted to net billing. “This policy amendment will have serious implications for the overall reputation of the government,” Hafeezuddin cautioned, adding “when the regulator can honour the commitments made to the…

Gold per tola slips to Rs514,762 after international losses

February 17, 2026 capital

Gold and silver prices declined on Tuesday in both international and local markets. In the international bullion market, the price of gold fell by $90 per ounce to $4,920. Locally, the price of 24-carat gold per tola dropped by Rs9,000 to Rs514,762, while the price per 10 grams fell by Rs7,716 to Rs441,325. Similarly, silver prices fell, with the local rate per tola decreasing by Rs150 to Rs8,014 and per 10 grams dropping by Rs129 to Rs6,870. Spot gold dropped 1.5% to $4,918.65 per ounce by 0933 GMT after losing…

As Trump counts troops for Gaza, Pakistan waits

February 17, 2026 capital

ISLAMABAD: As US President Donald Trump prepares to unveil details of a UN-authorised stabilisation force for Gaza, Pakistan is keeping its position deliberately opaque on whether it will commit troops to the proposed International Stabilisation Force (ISF). Trump announced on Sunday that member states of his newly formed Board of Peace have pledged thousands of personnel ahead of its maiden summit. However, in Islamabad, officials have offered neither confirmation nor denial about Pakistan’s potential participation, signalling caution at a moment of high diplomatic sensitivity. The first formal meeting of the…

Medical board says Imran’s vision improving

February 17, 2026 capital

ISLAMABAD: The federal government’s constituted medical board reported an improvement in former prime minister Imran Khan’s right eye vision. The medical board, comprising two senior ophthalmologistsDr Nadeem Qureshi and Dr Arifexamined Imran Khan at Adiala Jail on Sunday. According to their two-page report, unaided vision in Imran’s right eye was recorded at 6/24 (partial), while the left eye measured 6/9. With glasses, his vision improved to 6/9 (partial) in the right eye and 6/6 in the left. The report stated that the anterior segment of both eyes was normal and…

PTI did not call street protests: CM Afridi

February 17, 2026 capital

PESHAWAR/ISLAMABAD: Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) Chief Minister Sohail Afridi said on Monday that PTI workers were present on the streets without a formal protest call from Imran Khan’s party as opposition lawmakers continued their sit-in outside Parliament House, demanding treatment for the jailed PTI founder under the supervision of his trusted doctors. Amid these protests, the K-P CM, who belongs to the PTI, issued a statement clarifying that the party’s strategy was clear: it wanted to limit the protest plan to parliament. According to Afridi, lawmakers, led by Mahmood Khan Achakzai and…

K-P living in stone age, says Maryam

February 17, 2026 capital

GUJRAT: Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz on Monday lambasted the PTI-led Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa government, accusing it of leaving the province “in the stone age” while Punjab moves ahead with technology-driven development initiatives. Addressing a laptop distribution ceremony at a university in Gujrat, Maryam contrasted what she described as Punjab’s forward-looking policies with stagnation in K-P, saying students in Punjab now benefit from Honhaar scholarships, laptop schemes, the Parwaz Card, green buses and technical training programmes. “So there is Honhaar here, and incitement there, but this is nothing to rejoice about,” she…

YouTuber Rajab butt interim bail extended

February 17, 2026 capital

LAHORE: A district and sessions court on Monday extended the interim bail of YouTuber Rajab Butt and two co-suspects in a case pertaining to the alleged promotion of an online gambling application. Additional Sessions Judge Mansoor Qureshi heard the matter as the accused Rajab Butt, Nadeem Mubarak alias Nadeem Naniwala, and another suspect appeared before the court following the expiry of their interim bail. Advocate Rana Maroof represented the suspects during the proceedings. During the hearing, the investigating officer requested additional time to complete the probe, stating that further inquiry…

Gilani backs parliamentary democracy

February 17, 2026 capital

ISLAMABAD: Senate Chairman Yousuf Raza Gilani met Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) President Dr Tulia Ackson in New York and reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to parliamentary democracy, multilateralism, and global cooperation through active engagement with the IPU. He conveyed greetings and appreciated the IPU’s role as the global forum of parliaments, a statement received here said on Sunday. Gilani said Pakistan considers IPU an important platform for dialogue, rule of law, inclusive governance, and parliamentary cooperation while highlighting the country’s participation in IPU assemblies and committees.