New Delhi, Jan 16 (IANS) The latest figures released by the State Bank of Pakistan show that private sector credit has plunged by a staggering 79 per cent compared to the previous year, which means businesses have raised few or no loans to expand operations and create jobs, according to a report in Pakistan’s The News International.In the first half of the previous financial year, businesses borrowed Rs 1.87 trillion from banks, which came down to a mere Rs 395 billion in the current financial…
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New Delhi: Pakistan is trying to sell two futures at once — and neither is guaranteed. Even as Islamabad markets the JF-17 as a “budget multirole” fighter to cash-strapped air forces, it is simultaneously advertising its coastline as the next energy frontier, awarding offshore oil and gas blocks after years of exploration disappointment. The spectacle is revealing: a state scrambling to monetise both defence and geology because it lacks the one commodity that matters most — a strong econ…
New Delhi, Jan 15 (IANS) Pakistan’s current state of affairs cannot drive the 250 million-strong population towards sustained progress due to cross-cutting constraints affecting all 20 priority export products and six export drivers, a media report has stressed, highlighting that blaming the IMF will not do any good for the country, which is massively suffering across economic parameters.A panel constituted by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif reached this conclusion after discussions with industr…
New Delhi, Jan 14 (IANS) The ‘World Inequality Report 2026’ has listed Pakistan as a country in which inequality in income and wealth among its citizens is at alarming levels.”In Pakistan, inequality remains high and shows limited progress over the past decade. The top 10 per cent of earners capture 42 per cent of total income, whereas the bottom 50 per cent receive only 19 per cent. Wealth inequality is even more concentrated, with the richest 10 per cent holding 59 per cent of total wealth…
New Delhi, Jan 8 (IANS) Pakistan’s Household Integrated Economic Survey (HIES 2024-25), released on January 2 this year, indicates a significant increase in household food insecurity, with roughly one in four persons experiencing moderate-to-severe food insecurity in 2024-25, compared to about one in six in 2018-19, according to an article in the Pakistani media.Moderate-to-severe food insecurity rose by 8.43 per cent during this period, going from 15.92 per cent in 2018-19 to 24.35 per cent i…
New Delhi, Jan 8 (IANS) Bangladesh is facing a major economic problem as rising debt repayments, much of them linked to Chinese loans, squeeze public finances and limit policy choices. Senior officials now openly acknowledge that the country has fallen into a debt trap like Sri Lanka and Pakistan, according to a report in the London-based ‘Asian Lite’ newspaper.Chairman of Bangladesh’s National Board of Revenue M Abdur Rahman Khan said at a seminar recently that the country “has already fall…
New Delhi, Jan 8 (IANS) A United Nations (UN) report released on Thursday projects India’s GDP growth at a robust 6.6 per cent even as it expects the global economic growth to slow down to 2.7 per cent during 2026, due to geopolitical risks and policy uncertainty.”Strong demand in major markets may partially offset the US tariff hike impact on India,” the report states.Although the UN report has lowered the estimate for India’s growth rate from 7.4 per cent earlier, it is in tune with the IM…
New Delhi, Jan 7 (IANS) India’s real GDP growth rate has been projected at 7.4 per cent in FY 2025-26, up from 6.5 per cent during FY 2024-25, according to the advanced estimates released by the Ministry of Statistics on Wednesday.The buoyant growth in the services sector has been found to be a major driver with a robust growth of 9.9 per cent at constant prices in FY 2025-26 for financial services, real estate, professional services, and public administration.Trade, hotels, transport, and com…
New Delhi, Jan 7 (IANS) The sharp decline in Pakistan’s exports and the damage caused to the agricultural sector due to the floods are expected to pull down the country’s growth rate to below the IMF’s estimate, according to an article in the Pakistani media.The article in the Business Recorder by eminent Pakistani economist Hafiz Pasha points out that the country’s exports have plunged by as much as 14.5 per cent in November 2025 and by 6.2 per cent in the first five months. In particul…
New Delhi, Jan 4 (IANS) Pakistan’s textile sector, which forms the backbone of the country’s exports and industrial employment, is on the brink of collapse with workers being laid off and factories being shut.The Pakistan Textile Council has, in a letter to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, urged the government to declare an “Export Emergency” to arrest the rapid erosion in competitiveness that now threatens exports, jobs, and macroeconomic stability, according to a report in Pakistan’s B…