Business & Economy Correspondent

Mehreen Abbasi

Stories by Mehreen Abbasi

Page 2 of 23

An oil-fired thermal power station at dusk, its stacks and cooling towers lit against a dimming sky, with electric transmission lines in the foreground.

DISCOs seek Rs2.56 per unit September FCA, NEPRA hearing set for 29 October

DISCOs have filed for a Rs2.56 per unit fuel charges adjustment for September with NEPRA, which has scheduled a public hearing for 29 October on the November billing impact.

The coal-fired power station at Port Qasim near Karachi, showing generating units, a tall stack and cooling towers against a clear sky.

Pakistan / Business & Finance

Sindh seals 34 MoUs at Shanghai conference to draw Chinese investment

Sindh signed 34 memorandums of understanding at a Shanghai investment conference on 15 October, offering Chinese investors a 10-year tax exemption in its special economic zones.

The State Bank of Pakistan Building on Mall Road, Lahore, a tall stone structure photographed in 2017 under a clear blue sky.

International — Region / Business & Finance

Pakistan to chair World Bank and IMF boards in 2027, first time since 1953

Economic Affairs Minister Ahad Khan Cheema was named the 2027 chair of both boards of governors on 16 October at the Bangkok annual meetings; Pakistan last held the role in 1953.

Low-angle view of a large white government building of the Pakistan Secretariat in Islamabad with rows of windows and a colonnaded facade under a clear sky.

Pakistan / Business & Finance

FBR moves 2026 income-tax return deadline to 31 October in second extension

The FBR extended the Tax Year 2026 income-tax return filing deadline from 15 October to 31 October, its second extension in a month, after trade bodies sought more time.

A crowd gathers at an outdoor food distribution point, with sacks of supplies and staff behind a counter.

Pakistan / Business & Finance

Pakistan's hunger score worsens to 25.5 in 2026 Global Hunger Index

Pakistan ranked 106th of 122 countries in the 2026 Global Hunger Index, its score rising to 25.5 from 24.0 in 2018 as food inflation and climate shocks deepened food insecurity.

The Sukhumvit skyline in Bangkok, showing residential and commercial towers stretching along the tree-lined boulevard at dusk.

Pakistan / Business & Finance

Aurangzeb says Pakistan's fiscal deficit at 22-year low, eyes double-B sovereign rating

In Bangkok on 14 October, Aurangzeb told investors Pakistan's fiscal deficit is at a 22-year low, with growth set to top 4% in FY27.

A large red-and-black tanker seen from above on open blue sea, with a distant coastline and terminal structures behind it.

Pakistan / Business & Finance

Pakistan seeks 15-year Saudi oil facility as deferred-payment deal lapses

Pakistan asked Saudi Arabia to revive its lapsed deferred-payment oil facility and proposed a $6.7bn concessional arrangement over 15 years, officials said.

A motorway service station in Pakistan with a broad canopy over fuel pumps and a vehicle parked at the forecourt.

Pakistan / Business & Finance

Pakistan cuts petrol by Rs2.71 and holds diesel almost flat for October 14

Pakistan cut petrol by Rs2.71 a litre to Rs392.66 and left high-speed diesel almost unchanged at Rs396.82 from 14 October under its daily pricing mechanism.

Bangkok skyline and the Chao Phraya River lit up at night, viewed from the State Tower in 2008.

International — Region / Business & Finance

Pakistan takes over as G-24 chair in Bangkok, vows Asian bond push and 30% EV target

Aurangzeb accepted the G-24 chair on 14 October in Bangkok, pledged repeated Panda and samurai bond issuance and a 30% EV share by 2030.

A Pakistan State Oil petrol and CNG filling station with a broad white canopy, fuel pumps and a small shop beside a road in Hyderabad, Sindh.

Pakistan / Business & Finance

Pakistan cuts petrol by Rs2.93 and raises diesel by 61 paisas for October 13

Pakistan cut petrol by Rs2.93 to Rs395.37 a litre and raised high-speed diesel by 61 paisas to Rs396.85 from 13 October under its daily pricing mechanism.

A Libyan oil facility seen from the air, with a cluster of tanks and pipelines against a desert landscape.

Pakistan / Business & Finance

Pakistan opens Libya crude channel and lines up TPAO Indus Basin survey

Pakistani Petroleum Minister Ali Pervaiz Malik told his Libyan counterpart on 12 October at the IEF in Riyadh that refineries should consider Libyan crude.

The Queen Sirikit National Convention Center in Bangkok, the venue hosting the 2026 IMF and World Bank annual meetings between 12 and 18 October 2026.

International — Region / Business & Finance

Pakistan takes chair of Borrowers' Platform council at IMF/World Bank Bangkok meetings

Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb accepted the chairmanship of the Borrowers' Platform Governing Council in Bangkok, framing debt as a development tool.