October 17, 2026
Balance of Payments Swings to a $4.39 Billion Deficit
September's deficit compares with $118 million in August and a surplus a year ago, as imports grew at twice the pace of exports and the trade gap widened 21 percent.
Articles for tag: balance of payments, Current account, exports, imports, remittances, state bank of pakistan
September 24, 2026
ADB Holds Pakistan at 3.7pc Growth, 8.3pc Inflation
The Asian Development Bank keeps Pakistan's growth forecast at 3.7 percent for 2026-27 and projects 8.3 percent inflation — the second highest in the region — while naming the Middle East war, Gulf labour markets and an FBR shortfall as risks.
September 18, 2026
State Bank Reserves Hit Record $21.4bn After $3bn Weekly Jump
State Bank reserves rose $3.061 billion in the week to 11 September to a record $21.4 billion, taking total liquid reserves to $26.8 billion — still just below the September 2021 peak.
September 17, 2026
Current Account Deficit Narrows to $543m as Remittances Carry It
The July-August deficit fell 36 percent to $543 million, with remittances of $7.3 billion and services exports up 29 percent offsetting a goods trade gap that widened 10.4 percent.
September 10, 2026
Remittances Rise 16.5pc to $3.66bn in August
Overseas Pakistanis sent home $3.656 billion in August, 16.5 percent more than a year earlier, taking the first two months of the fiscal year to $7.3 billion against a $44 billion annual target.
September 10, 2026
The Same Sea
In August overseas Pakistanis sent home $3.66bn, and a large loaf in Karachi went to Rs270. A column on the two Gulf currents that reach the same kitchen from opposite directions.
August 14, 2026
Zardari and Shehbaz Mark the 79th Independence Day with Calls for Reform and Warnings on Afghanistan
The day opened with a 31-gun salute in Islamabad and 21-gun salutes in the provincial capitals. The president accused the Afghan Taliban of hosting a "cocktail of terror groups"; the prime minister invited all parties to work together.
August 12, 2026
The Crew List
Three Pakistanis were killed on a ship in the Red Sea this week. We know the number. We do not know the names, the vessel, or the ports they came from. Aflatoon on the men who leave, and the arithmetic that counts them only once.
August 11, 2026
Remittances Rise 13 Per Cent to $3.6 Billion in July as Exports Stay Weak
Workers' remittances reached $3.6 billion in July, up 13 per cent year-on-year, with Saudi Arabia the largest corridor at $913.9 million. Economists warn the inflows also measure how many Pakistanis are leaving to find work.
July 21, 2026
Canada FM Anand Holds Talks With Dar, Meets PM Shehbaz; Bilateral Focus on Trade, Education and Diaspora Ties
Canadian Foreign Minister Anita Anand held formal meetings with Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in Islamabad on July 20–21, with discussions centred on expanding bilateral trade, education links and support for Pakistan's Pakistani-Canadian diaspora of more than 300,000 people. Canada described the visit as part of its Indo-Pacific engagement strategy. No formal agreements were pre-announced, though officials signalled continued engagement on visa facilitation and educational exchanges.
