Pakistan Pakistan Economy Updates

[Fatman17]

Pakistan's external debt rises to $135.1 billion: WB - Profit by Pakistan Today

China accounts for $22.42 billion in bilateral debt, while new private borrowing commitments carry an average interest rate of 8.6% against 3.6% from official lenders; Pakistan's external debt stands at 34% of gross national income in 2025

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Pakistan's total external debt increased by 4% to $135.11 billion at the end of 2025, with China accounting for $22.42 billion of the country's bilateral debt and new borrowing commitments from private creditors carrying significantly higher interest rates than those from official lenders, according to the World Bank's International Debt Report 2026.

The report, which provides country-level external debt statistics for 2025, shows that Pakistan's outstanding external liabilities have nearly doubled over the past decade, rising from $68.67 billion in 2015 to $135.11 billion in 2025.

 

[Fatman17]

Pakistan seeks LNG cargoes as Qatar supply disruptions threaten winter shortages

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• Pakistan invites bids for two spot LNG cargoes for delivery in December and January
• Spot LNG prices have surged to $34 per MMBTU, raising fears of higher energy costs

Updated 5 November 2026

 

[Fatman17]

Pakistan seeks LNG cargoes as Qatar supply disruptions threaten winter shortages

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• Pakistan invites bids for two spot LNG cargoes for delivery in December and January
• Spot LNG prices have surged to $34 per MMBTU, raising fears of higher energy costs

Updated 5 November 2026

Govt ‘wastes’ Rs3.5tr yearly on energy imports

Experts cite mismanagement, delayed building codes and ignored local manufacturing as key reasons.

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ISLAMABAD: Pakistan is wasting Rs3.5 trillion annually — more than three times the federal development budget — on unnecessary, rising energy-sector imports due to mismanagement, delays in adopting building codes, and failure to implement an indigenisation plan for energy materials and equipment that used to be produced locally.

This was the crux of an event on ‘Pakistan’s Energy Security’, organised by the LUMS Energy Institute (LEI) and attended by National Grid Pakistan (NGP) Chairman Dr Fiaz Chaudhry, Chief Executive Officer of the Independent System and Market Operator Dr Masood Ahmad, and NGP CEO Altaf Hussain Malik, among others.

 

[Fatman17]

Nearly 12 million Pakistanis file one-time tax returns - Profit by Pakistan Today

FBR data reveals large number of one-time filers, while around 7.5 million taxpayers submit returns regularly; officials consider easing filing requirements for non-income earners

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Nearly 12 million people in Pakistan have registered as income tax filers primarily to complete one-time transactions involving the purchase or sale of property and vehicles, creating a large pool of taxpayers who subsequently stop filing returns, according to Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) data.

Sources said that while approximately 7.5 million taxpayers continue to submit income tax returns regularly, nearly 12 million individuals registered in the tax system for specific financial transactions without maintaining annual filing compliance.

Despite their limited participation in the tax system, these individuals remain registered with the FBR and continue to receive automated notices for failing to submit subsequent returns.

The notices are generally issued through email, meaning many individuals remain unaware of their non-compliance until they access the FBR's IRIS portal to file a return for another transaction.

 

[Fatman17]

Türkiye sends seismic research vessel to Pakistan for oil, gas exploration - Türkiye News

Türkiye’s seismic research vessel Oruç Reis has set sail for Pakistan to conduct oil and gas exploration activities, as Ankara seeks to expand the overseas operations of the state-run Turkish Petroleum Corporation (TPAO), Energy and Natural Resources Minister Alparslan Bayraktar said on Nov. 6.

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[Fatman17]

Türkiye sends seismic research vessel to Pakistan for oil, gas exploration - Türkiye News

Türkiye’s seismic research vessel Oruç Reis has set sail for Pakistan to conduct oil and gas exploration activities, as Ankara seeks to expand the overseas operations of the state-run Turkish Petroleum Corporation (TPAO), Energy and Natural Resources Minister Alparslan Bayraktar said on Nov. 6.

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Pakistan, Türkiye to revive offshore exploration after nearly two decades

- Petroleum minister describes the development as an important milestone in Pakistan-Türkiye relations

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[Fatman17]

Goods Transporters Drop Freight Rates by 5%

The All Pakistan Goods Transport Alliance has announced a 5% reduction in freight rates after welcoming cuts in petrol and diesel prices. Alliance

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[Fatman17]

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/2118741038261223772

Pakistan traders are refusing to pay their taxes. All government efforts have failed badly

 

[Fatman17]

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/2119089892991070556

Satellite Internet companies awaiting security clearance???

 

[Fatman17]

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/2120191909041938572

 

[Fatman17]

PPL plans $40mn deep drilling at Sui: report

The company is also advancing infrastructure projects to bring additional gas into the system

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Pakistan Petroleum Limited (PPL), one of the country’s largest E&P companies, plans to drill a 6,000-metre exploratory well at its Sui field in fiscal year 2027-28, targeting an initial 2 trillion cubic feet (TCF) of gas, as the company steps up exploration efforts to offset declining output from mature fields.

 

[Fatman17]

1,320MW Chinese-imported coal-fired power plant: Chinese co seeks another extension

ISLAMABAD: The management of a 1,320 megawatt Chinese-imported coal-fired power plant is reportedly making a...

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ISLAMABAD: The management of a 1,320 megawatt Chinese-imported coal-fired power plant is reportedly making a last-ditch effort to secure another extension for coal procurement without competitive bidding as an interim arrangement for a few months, well-informed sources told Business Recorder.

Sources said a team representing the power company held a special meeting with one of the key senior office-holders of the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA) on November 9, 2026, seeking support for the proposed extension.

 

[Fatman17]

PPL plans $40mn deep drilling at Sui: report

The company is also advancing infrastructure projects to bring additional gas into the system

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Pakistan Petroleum Limited (PPL), one of the country’s largest E&P companies, plans to drill a 6,000-metre exploratory well at its Sui field in fiscal year 2027-28, targeting an initial 2 trillion cubic feet (TCF) of gas, as the company steps up exploration efforts to offset declining output from mature fields.

OGDCL discovers hydrocarbon reserves in Sindh's Khairpur

The well yielded 12.8 million standard cubic feet per day (MMSCFD) of gas and 175 barrels of condensate per day

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[Fatman17]

Widening trade deficit

EDITORIAL: Pakistan Bureau of Statistics data reveals that the trade deficit has widened by 15.97 percent during the...

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EDITORIAL: Pakistan Bureau of Statistics data reveals that the trade deficit has widened by 15.97 percent during the first four months of the ongoing year compared to the same period the year before. Disturbingly, this indicates that the boom-bust cycle remains in operation and major changes that require structural reforms to the extent to arrest it remain pending.

Significantly, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in October 2024 documents titled Article IV Consultation and Request for an Extended Fund Arrangement under the Extend Fund Facility for the first time referred to the boom-bust cycle attributed to “repeated attempts to boost economic activity through fiscal and monetary stimulus (that) have not translated into durable growth, as domestic demand increased beyond Pakistan’s sustainable capacity, resulting in inflation and depletion of reserves, given a strong political preference for stable exchange rates.

 

[Fatman17]

Remittances equal 10% of Pakistan's GDP: Analyst - Profit by Pakistan Today

Annual inflows reach an estimated $44 billion as overseas workers help support Pakistan's external account amid economic recovery

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Remittances from overseas Pakistanis have emerged as a major source of external financing, with annual inflows equivalent to around 10% of GDP and sufficient to cover the country's external deficits, according to Emre Akcakmak, Head of Frontier Markets and portfolio advisor at East Capital.

In a post on social media platform X on Tuesday, Akcakmak estimated that remittances had reached $44 billion on a trailing 12-month basis, highlighting the contribution of approximately 10 million Pakistanis living abroad to the country's economic stability.

The assessment comes as fresh data from the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) showed that workers' remittances increased 13.8% year-on-year to $3.89 billion in October 2026, compared with $3.42 billion in the corresponding month last year.