Business & Finance

How Pakistan pays its way: the IMF programme and its reviews, federal budgets and FBR tax collection, State Bank of Pakistan rate decisions, fuel and energy prices, and the markets and industries that feel them first. Each report is dated, attributes its figures and links to the documents and reporting behind them.

275 stories with context, sources and clear reporting.

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The entrance sign of the World Bank Group headquarters building in Washington, D.C., seen between two office towers in daylight.

Pakistan / Business & Finance

World Bank sees Pakistan growth stuck near 4%, urges flexible rupee before 2029 vote

The World Bank's Pakistan Development Outlook projects 4.2% growth in FY2027-28 and 4.4% in the 2029 election year, and says managed rupee stability risks renewal of past crises.

A Pakistan State Oil forecourt on GT Road, with a green and white fuel canopy on the right, a landscaped traffic island carrying a PSO sign, and a yellow and black painted kerb beside an empty road.

Pakistan / Business & Finance

Pakistan trims petrol to Rs377.71 and lifts diesel to Rs391.75 for 23 October

Pakistan cut petrol by Rs1.60 a litre to Rs377.71 and raised high-speed diesel by Rs1.64 to Rs391.75 for 23 October, with the two fuels moving in opposite directions.

Rows of red refillable liquefied petroleum gas cylinders.

Pakistan / Business & Finance

LPG cylinder prices top Rs10,000 as Pakistan's winter fuel squeeze deepens

LPG is selling for up to Rs750 a kilogram and more than Rs10,000 a cylinder, more than double OGRA's notified rate, as imports stay disrupted and a promised crackdown is delayed.

The LNG tanker Gulf Energy, with four spherical tanks on deck, moored in a Norwegian strait.

Pakistan / Business & Finance

Pakistan receives second Qatari LNG cargo as winter supply gap looms

A second Qatari LNG cargo has reached Pakistan this month, restarting the PGPL terminal, but two cargoes leave a large gap against an estimated 24 needed for winter.

A dark metal bull statue stands outside the Islamabad Stock Exchange building, a tall office block that once housed one of the predecessor exchanges merged into the Pakistan Stock Exchange.

Pakistan / Business & Finance

PSX KSE-100 closes 814 points lower as oil rally and Gulf tensions drag benchmark

Pakistan's KSE-100 closed at 165,151.64 on 21 October 2026, down 814.44 points or 0.49 percent, as Brent crude hit a five-month high on Houthi attacks and Gulf vessel strikes.

A wide curved modernist office building of pale concrete and horizontal window bands, seen across an open plaza under a bright sky.

Pakistan / Business & Finance

IMF's Azour tells Pakistan to make taxes fairer, as salaried pay rises to Rs629bn

IMF director Jihad Azour urged a fairer, broader tax system at an Islamabad workshop, where FBR data showed salaried contributions at Rs629bn and realty collections down 38%.

A pale grey Wuling Bingo electric hatchback parked on a city street beside a bicycle and a shopfront.

Pakistan / Business & Finance

Pakistan PM approves Auto Policy 2026-31 draft with 1% EV sales tax

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif approved the Auto Policy 2026-31 draft on 20 October, proposing a 1% sales tax on battery EVs and a levy on larger petrol cars.

A large steam turbine and connected pipework inside the turbine hall of a thermal power station, with red safety railings in the foreground.

Pakistan / Business & Finance

Pakistan's 2027 power purchase price projected at Rs27.31 per unit

CPPA-G's base case puts the 2027 power purchase price at Rs27.31 per unit and procurement at Rs3.55 trillion; NEPRA will hear objections on 3 November.

A hazy view of a PSO petrol and CNG station near Hyderabad, with a fuel canopy, parked buses and trucks, and a motorcyclist crossing an open forecourt.

Pakistan / Business & Finance

Pakistan cuts petrol to Rs381.14 and diesel to Rs389.27 for 20 October

Pakistan cut petrol by Rs5.16 a litre to Rs381.14 and high-speed diesel by Rs7.69 to Rs389.27 for 20 October, the latest revision under daily pricing.

A large golden bull statue with lowered head and horns stands on a low stone plinth in front of a red stone and glass office building, with a green construction net and metal fence behind it.

Pakistan / Business & Finance

Pakistan trims FY26 GDP growth to 3.65% as fourth quarter slows to 2%

Pakistan revised FY26 GDP growth down to 3.65% and reported 2% growth in April–June, as industry contracted and import data was revised up by $14.8bn.

A floodlit government building in Islamabad at night, with a wide paved forecourt, rows of windows and a low central entrance.

Pakistan / Business & Finance

Pakistan PM warns FBR officers against resisting tax reforms

PM Shehbaz Sharif warned FBR officers that resistance to tax reforms will not be tolerated, as the government restructures the tax body and expands faceless assessment.

The International Monetary Fund headquarters in Washington, DC, photographed in 2017 as a wide, low-rise stone building under a clear sky.

Pakistan / Business & Finance

SBP Governor tells investors reserves rebuilt to $21.5bn without new debt

SBP Governor Jameel Ahmad told foreign investors in Bangkok that reserves recovered from under $3bn to $21.5bn and forward liabilities fell from $5.7bn to below $1bn.