News

K-Electric comes under fire on Rs76bn write-offs

Industrial and political representatives from Karachi have called for forensic audit of almost Rs76 billion write-off claims made by K-Electric unrecoverable from consumers since 2017 and announced that its recovery through tariff from consumers would be resisted through all constitutional means. At a public hearing organised by the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (Nepra) on Thursd

Fresh expressions of interest for PIA

The Pakistani government will seek expressions of interest (EoIs) next week for the sale of Pakistan International Airlines, the privatisation ministry said on Thursday, days after it reported its first annual profit in over two decades. Pakistan has been seeking to sell a 51-100 per cent stake in the debt-ridden carrier, to raise funds and reform cash-draining, state-owned enterprises as envis

Pak-Afghan trade talks begin after year-long hiatus

Pakistan and Afghanistan on Thursday resumed high-level trade and investment talks after a year-long gap to facilitate cargo movement at border stations to maintain unfettered bilateral and transit trade. The last high-level meeting took place between both countries in March 2024, when Commerce Secretary Mohammad Khurrum Agha visited Kabul and met Afghan Acting Minister for Industry and Commerc

Petroleum supply hit as refineries face crisis

The sub-optimal capacity utilisation of oil refineries has started affecting the supply of critical petroleum products, including jet fuel, at important installations. Sources at the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (Ogra) told Dawn that an important defence organisation had asked the regulator to ensure that its regulated entities, particularly local refineries, honour their commitments to sup

Index loses 755 points on LSM contraction

The continued contraction in big industry output shattered investor confidence, causing the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) to snap its northward journey on Wednesday despite an overnight rating upgrade by Fitch. Ahsan Mehanti of Arif Habib Corporation said the PSX closed sharply lower in the earning season amid a 3.5pc year-on-year contraction in Large-Scale Manufacturing in February and investo