Cricket is not Cricket without Shahid Afridi

kistan – 5Es based National Economic Transformation Plan, comprising Exports, E-Commerce, Environment, Energy, and Equity, forms the foundation of the government’s strategy for inclusive and sustainable growth. It focuses on export-driven growth, digital transformation, environmental sustainability to ensure water and food security, access to affordable energy and infrastructure development, as well as promoting social equity, empowerment. Macroeconomic Framework – Growth, Investment & Savings: The Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth for the fiscal year stood at 2.7%, marking a modest increase from 2.5% recorded in FY23-24. Looking ahead to FY25-26, the economic outlook is anchored by a targeted GDP growth of 4.2%. The agricultural sector is set to achieve growth of 4.5%, driven by government initiatives under the URAAN Pakistan framework, improved input availability, and gradual adaptation to challenging climatic conditions. Building on the macroeconomic stability reali...

Finance ministry forecasts mild inflation uptick The Ministry of Finance has projected that consumer price index (CPI) inflation will rise modestly to between 3.0 and 4.0 per cent and 4.0 per cent in June 2025, marking a gradual shift following record-low inflation levels in recent months. In its Monthly Economic Outlook released on Thursday, the ministry said that inflation is expected to remain between 1.5 per cent and 2.0 per cent in May, before edging up in the final month of the fiscal year. The report also noted that the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC), responding to a persistent decline in inflation, cut the policy rate by 100 basis points to 11 per cent on May 5, 2025. Broad money (M2) grew by 4.7 per cent between July 1 and May 2 FY2025, compared with 7.0 per cent during the same period last year. Net foreign assets rose to Rs1,210.5 billion, up from Rs590 billion, while net domestic assets increased by Rs476.2 billion -- significantly below last year’s Rs1,588.3 billion. Pri...