Business & Economy Correspondent

Mehreen Abbasi

Stories by Mehreen Abbasi

Page 5 of 23

Front view of the International Monetary Fund headquarters on Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington, D.C., with the IMF name shield above the entrance

IMF shares first MEFP draft with Pakistan, flags Rs1.675trn power circular debt breach

The IMF's first MEFP draft for Pakistan's $7bn EFF review flags a Rs1.675 trillion power circular-debt breach and asks for the 200-unit power subsidy to end in favour of BISP.

A service station on the M-2 motorway in Pakistan, with fuel pumps under a canopy and a road running through a flat landscape.

Pakistan / Business & Finance

Pakistan hikes petrol by Rs3.26 to Rs390.66 and trims diesel by Rs1.01 for October 2

Petrol rose to Rs390.66 a litre and high-speed diesel fell to Rs399.34 from 2 October 2026, a reversal after three straight daily cuts.

The International Monetary Fund headquarters in Washington, D.C., seen from the street with its angular modernist facade and dark glass curtain walls.

Pakistan / Business & Finance

Pakistan, IMF hit deadlock over fuel subsidy and Rs1.4 trillion gas receivables write-off

Pakistan and the IMF have hit a deadlock over the fuel subsidy scheme and writing off Rs1.4 trillion in gas utility receivables as the fourth EFF review continues.

Pakistan / Business & Finance

Pakistan CPI inflation eased to 10.3% in September but stayed in double digits on energy costs

PBS said headline inflation eased to 10.3% year-on-year in September 2026 from 11.1% in August, with energy and transport costs keeping the annual print in double digits.

A busy pedestrian shopping street in Anarkali Bazaar, Lahore, with small storefronts, overhead shop signboards, parked motorcycles and people walking.

Pakistan / Business & Finance

Pakistan's tax filers jump 45% while tax paid with returns falls 7%

Income-tax returns in Pakistan rose 45% to 5.77 million by 30 September, but tax paid with those returns fell 7% to Rs77.3 billion as the FBR began mapping shops.

A Pakistan State Oil petrol pump in the mountains of Kalam in the Swat Valley, with a fuel canopy and pumps set against a clear sky.

Pakistan / Business & Finance

Pakistan cuts petrol by 14 paisas and diesel by Rs1.89 for October 1

Petrol falls to Rs387.40 a litre and high-speed diesel to Rs400.35 from 1 October 2026, a third straight daily cut that arrived even as crude prices rose.

A field of wheat in Punjab, Pakistan, with dense rows of ripening crop stretching towards the horizon under a daytime sky.

Pakistan / Business & Finance

Pakistan starts Rabi season with 25% water shortage after dry monsoon

Pakistan entered the Rabi season on 1 October with reservoir storage below 9.5 million acre feet and a projected 25% water shortage after monsoon rainfall ran 19.3% short.

Gantry cranes rise above stacked shipping containers at Gwadar Port on Pakistan's Arabian Sea coast under a clear sky.

Pakistan / Business & Finance

Pakistan-China trade rises 13.4% as PM Shehbaz marks China's National Day

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif marked China's 77th National Day in Islamabad as bilateral trade reached $16.44 billion in January-July 2026, up 13.4% year-on-year.

Wide view of the Pakistan Secretariat complex in Islamabad, a row of large mid-century government buildings behind trees and lawns under a clear sky.

Pakistan / Business & Finance

FBR extends 2026 income-tax filing deadline to 15 October after trade-body requests

The Federal Board of Revenue pushed the 2026 income-tax return deadline to 15 October, hours after warning of Rs25,000 to Rs100,000 penalties on late filers.

The London Stock Exchange building in Paternoster Square, London, photographed in October 2007.

Pakistan / Business & Finance

PM Shehbaz meets Barclays, JP Morgan, Citi, BlackRock and Rothschild in London push

On 30 September 2026, Pakistan's prime minister met senior executives of five global financial houses in London, building on the $3bn Eurobond listing.

A Shell fuel station at night in Karachi, with a brightly lit canopy, fuel pumps and a small shop.

Pakistan / Business & Finance

Pakistan cuts petrol by Rs1.49 and diesel by Rs2.73 for September 30

Petrol falls by Rs1.49 to Rs387.54 a litre and high-speed diesel by Rs2.73 to Rs402.24 from 30 September 2026, a second consecutive daily cut under the new pricing mechanism.

A service station on Pakistan's M-2 motorway, with the petrol pump canopy, forecourt and parked vehicles visible

Pakistan / Business & Finance

Pakistan cuts petrol and diesel prices from September 29

Petrol falls by Rs2.27 to Rs389.03 and high-speed diesel by Rs3.56 to Rs404.97 from 29 September 2026, under the daily petroleum pricing mechanism.