Business & Economy Correspondent

Mehreen Abbasi

Stories by Mehreen Abbasi

Page 3 of 23

A busy open-air vegetable market in Peshawar, with vendors seated behind wide baskets of produce and shoppers moving between the stalls.

IMF raises Pakistan's FY27 inflation outlook to 9.9% and holds growth at 3.5%

The IMF's October 2026 World Economic Outlook raised Pakistan's inflation forecast to 9.9% for FY27 and kept growth at 3.5%, both at odds with the government's targets.

ISE Towers, the Islamabad Stock Exchange building in Islamabad, Pakistan, a tall office block that housed one of Pakistan's predecessor exchanges before their integration into the Pakistan Stock Exchange.

Pakistan / Business & Finance

PSX KSE-100 ends 1,964 points lower as political clamour drags trading

Pakistan's KSE-100 benchmark closed at 165,124.41 on 12 October 2026, down 1,964.86 points or 1.18 percent, as selling spread across banks, oil and gas and cement.

Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb, wearing glasses, a dark suit and a light-blue tie, with the Pakistani flag visible behind his left shoulder.

Pakistan / Business & Finance

Pakistan targets above-4% growth and over $1bn from privatisation, Aurangzeb says

Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb told Reuters that Pakistan expects above-4% growth this fiscal year and aims to sell five to six state entities for over $1bn.

A wide view of a ripening wheat field in Punjab, with golden wheat heads filling the frame against a pale sky.

Pakistan / Business & Finance

Punjab approves Rs10bn flour subsidy as wheat and flour prices climb

Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz approved a Rs10 billion subsidy and raised the subsidised wheat quota as wheat and flour prices climbed across Pakistan.

Wide-angle view of the international arrivals hall at Islamabad International Airport, showing the entrance signage and the check-in area with travellers and seating.

Pakistan / Business & Finance

PM Shehbaz orders smart scanners at all international airports, bans manual baggage searches

PM Shehbaz ordered smart scanners at every Pakistani international airport and banned manual baggage searches, citing passenger dignity.

The headquarters of the International Monetary Fund at 700 19th Street NW in Washington, D.C., a large stone office building with a tall colonnade, photographed on 31 March 2026 under clear sky.

Pakistan / Business & Finance

Pakistan finance minister says he was unaware of IMF call to phase out fuel subsidy

Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb said at the Poultry Expo in Lahore on 11 October 2026 he was unaware of the IMF call to phase out Pakistan's fuel subsidy.

A Norse Atlantic Airways Boeing 787-9 in white and blue livery parked at an airport gate with a jet bridge attached, support vehicles on the apron, blue sky and scattered clouds in the background.

Pakistan / Business & Finance

PIA to lease two Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners from Norse Atlantic for UK routes from November

PIA signed an ACMI wet-lease on 9 October 2026 with Norse Atlantic Airways for two Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners — its first 787 widebodies — to operate Pakistan-UK services.

The State Bank of Pakistan building on Mall Road in Lahore, a colonnaded heritage facade behind a low boundary wall, photographed in daylight.

Pakistan / Business & Finance

Pakistan's September remittances cool to $3.59bn, putting FY27 on track for about $43.5bn

State Bank of Pakistan data show workers' remittances fell 1.9 per cent month-on-month to $3.59 billion in September 2026, lifting the Jul-Sep total to $10.88 billion.

Pakistan / Business & Finance

Pakistan trims petrol by 66 paisas to Rs398.30 and lifts diesel by 52 paisas to Rs396.24 for October 10–12

Petrol eases to Rs398.30 a litre while high-speed diesel rises to Rs396.24 from 10 October under the daily pricing mechanism, with OGRA already publishing daily notifications.

Pakistan / Business & Finance

PSX KSE-100 ends 1,138 points lower despite IMF staff-level agreement

Pakistan's KSE-100 benchmark closed 1,138.5 points or 0.68 percent lower at 167,441.91 on 8 October 2026, reversing an early IMF-deal-driven rally as regional tensions returned.

A three-phase digital electricity meter mounted on a metal pole, with its screen showing a reading of 0000 10 and its body marked FESCO and made in Pakistan.

Pakistan / Business & Finance

NEPRA adds Rs1.11 per unit to October electricity bills under August FCA

NEPRA's August 2026 fuel charges adjustment adds Rs1.11 per unit to October electricity bills for most consumers, with lifeline and prepaid users exempt.

A woman voter at a segregated polling station casting a folded ballot into a ballot box during Pakistan's 2013 general election.

Pakistan / Business & Finance

Pakistan ECC approves Rs18.5bn for local polls but releases Rs2bn

Pakistan's ECC approved Rs18.5 billion for local-government elections but released only Rs2 billion, despite the Election Commission asking for the full amount.