Category: Featured
PSX roars back with 5,700-point rally
KARACHI: The Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) delivered a powerful performance on Wednesday as it staged a strong comeback, driven by heavy buying in banking and fertiliser stocks amid strong corporate earnings. The benchmark KSE-100 index surged 5,702.68 points, or 3.29%, and settled at 178,853.10. It touched the intra-day high of 178,974 and low of 174,329, reflecting heightened volatility. The rally was primarily led by major banking and fertiliser stocks as investors responded positively to encouraging earnings announcements. Institutional participation and renewed investor confidence helped push the market sharply higher after…
Read MoreApple to manufacture iPhones in Pakistan
ISLAMABAD: American tech giant Apple is set to start manufacturing iPhones in Pakistan after the government has agreed to offer incentives in the proposed Mobile and Electronics Manufacturing Framework. Apple has also agreed to refurbish iPhones in Pakistan for re-export under the new framework. The government expects $100 million from the re-export of refurbished iPhones in the first year. Apple management has asked for the provision of land at discounted rates, 8% performance incentive and plans to repair two to three-year-old iPhones. “We have included these three conditions in the…
Read MoreSBP raises Rs1.3tr via T-bill, PIB auctions
KARACHI: The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) on Wednesday raised over Rs1.31 trillion through auctions of short-term treasury bills and long-term floating-rate Pakistan Investment Bonds (PIBs), reflecting continued government reliance on domestic debt markets to finance budgetary needs. According to the central bank, the government accepted Rs1.21 trillion against bids exceeding Rs1.26 trillion in the auction of Market Treasury Bills (MTBs) with settlement on February 19. Separately, the SBP raised Rs95.33 billion in the auction of 10-year floating-rate Pakistan Investment Bonds (PFL). In the MTB auction, the largest acceptance came…
Read MoreGold, silver prices surge again, local rates hit new highs
Gold and silver prices continued their upward trend on Thursday, widening the gap between precious metals and consumer affordability. The international bullion market saw gold rise by $79 per ounce to $5,012, prompting a surge in local rates. In Pakistan, the price of one tola of gold increased by Rs7,900 to Rs523,962, while 10 grams rose by Rs6,773 to Rs449,212. Silver prices also climbed, with one tola reaching Rs8,404, up Rs358, and 10 grams hitting Rs7,205, a gain of Rs205. Spot gold rose 0.7% to $5,012.83 per ounce by 0634…
Read MoreGovt to take $600m SCB loan
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has decided to take a $600 million short-term loan from Standard Chartered Bank (SCB) to replenish its foreign exchange reserves, as disbursements on account of foreign commercial loans and sovereign bonds have so far remained well below official expectations. Government sources said the country has accepted a term sheet for a $600 million trade finance facility from SCB, London. The loan is being taken for a period ranging from six to nine months, they added. The facility carries an interest rate of around 6.3%, which is slightly lower…
Read MorePakistan summons Afghan diplomat over Bajaur attack killing 11 soldiers
Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Thursday summoned the Afghan deputy head of mission to deliver a strong demarche over the February 16 attack in Bajaur that killed 11 Pakistani soldiers. The assault involved a suicide car bomb followed by a firing raid on a post of Pakistan’s armed forces and law enforcement agencies. Authorities attributed the attack to Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, which Pakistani officials refer to as Fitna al-Khawarij (FAK). Pakistan condemned the attack in the strongest terms and said such incidents have serious implications for regional security. According to a Foreign…
Read MoreDar urges justice and accountability for lasting Middle East peace at UN
Pakistan reiterated its longstanding support for Palestinian rights and called for sustained diplomatic efforts toward a just resolution of the Middle East conflict during a high-level United Nations Security Council briefing on the Palestinian question on Wednesday. Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar addressed the council in New York, underscoring Pakistan’s position that “there can be no durable peace without justice, no stability without accountability, and no sustainable solution without the realisation of the Palestinian people’s right to self-determination.” In remarks summarising Islamabad’s stance, the foreign minister…
Read MoreAttaullah Tarar denies any government ‘deal’ with Imran Khan
Information Minister Attaullah Tarar on Thursday strongly dismissed media reports suggesting any “deal” between the government and jailed Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan. In a statement shared on X, Tarar said, “There is neither any deal nor any leniency for Imran.” He added that any suggestion of the government granting Imran Khan concessions was “entirely false and misleading”. Tarar concluded with, “Imran Khan is a convicted criminal, and the news regarding his release is baseless. There is no truth in this news.” Khan, 73, has been jailed since August…
Read MoreSC adjourns Imran Khan’s Toshakhana, cipher, defamation cases indefinitely
ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court of Pakistan on Wednesday heard three cases concerning former prime minister Imran Khan – an appeal in the Toshakhana case, the cipher case and a defamation case – and adjourned all proceedings indefinitely. A three-member bench headed by Justice Hashim Khan Kakar conducted the hearing. “The courtroom has limited space,” Justice Kakar said at the outset. “I can feel a shortage of oxygen in this room,” he remarked. “We will hear your cases in court number 2,” he told Khan’s lawyer, Barrister Salman Safdar. Leaders of…
Read More