The meeting, chaired by Federal Minister for Commerce Jam Kamal Khan, was attended by senior government officials and members of the TDAP Board, read a statement.

During the session, the board reviewed and approved several strategic initiatives aimed at enhancing Pakistan’s export competitiveness and enhancing trade facilitation.

Key approvals included the Annual Business Plan for the Financial Year 2025–26, participation in over a hundred and twenty international exhibitions, Made in Pakistan Exhibitions in Ethiopia and Bangladesh, National Exhibitions, seminars on export promotion, and National Export Training programs across Pakistan.

As part of its efforts to strengthen regional trade infrastructure, the board approved the establishment of display centers, conference rooms, and IT accelerators at TDAP’s regional offices in Quetta and Sialkot, with dedicated facilities for sports goods and surgical instruments in Sialkot.

The board also endorsed measures to promote greater participation of women entrepreneurs in international trade exhibitions.

Chairing the meeting, Jam stressed the importance of shifting Pakistan’s export focus toward emerging international markets instead of relying solely on traditional destinations.

“This approach would help diversify export avenues and reduce dependency on limited regions,” he said.

The Minister for Commerce also proposed the induction of dedicated researchers within TDAP to conduct sector-specific studies and provide data-driven insights. This, he said, would strengthen the authority’s planning and policy support capabilities.

While acknowledging the need for improvements, the Jam appreciated the ongoing efforts to restructure TDAP and transform it into a more export-oriented institution, aligned with the dynamic needs of global trade.

The meeting concluded with the approval of enhanced promotional support for Pakistan’s trade missions abroad and the endorsement of key recommendations put forward by the sub-committees of the TDAP board.

The South Asian country has set challenging revenue targets in its annual budget to help it win approval from the IMF for a loan to stave off another economic meltdown, even as domestic anger rises at new taxation measures.

After the end of IMF deal: Reforms agenda will be placed before nation: MoS

“We hope to culminate this (IMF) process in the next three to four weeks,” Minister of State for Finance, Revenue and Power Ali Pervaiz Malik said on Wednesday, with the aim of thrashing out a staff level agreement before the IMF board recess.

“I think it will be north of $6 billion,” he said of the size of the package, though he added at this point the IMF’s validation was primary focus.

The IMF did not respond immediately to a request for comment.

Pakistan has set a tax revenue target of 13 trillion rupees ($47 billion) for the fiscal year that began on July 1, a near-40% jump from the prior year, and a sharp drop in its fiscal deficit to 5.9% of gross domestic product from 7.4% the previous year.

Malik said the point of pushing out a tough and unpopular budget was to use it a stepping stone for an IMF programme, adding the lender was satisfied with the revenue measures taken, based on their talks.

IMF bailout plan likely in July

“There are no major issues left to address, now that all major prior actions have been met, the budget being one of them,” Malik said. While the budget may win approval from the IMF, it could fuel public anger, according to analysts.

“Obviously they (budget reforms) are burdensome for the local economy but the IMF program is all about stabilisation,” Malik said.

Sakib Sherani, an economist who heads private firm Macro Economic Insights, said a quick deal with the IMF was needed to avoid pressure on Pakistan’s foreign exchange reserves and the currency given the country’s maturing debt repayments and the effects of unwinding of capital and import controls that were applied earlier.

“If it takes longer, then the central bank may be forced to temporarily re-instate import and capital controls,” he said.

KSE-100 index crosses 80,000 level as buying spree continues

“There will be a period of uncertainty, and one casualty is likely to be the rally in equities.”

Pakistan’s benchmark KSE-100 Index rose during on Wednesday, closing at a record high of 80,233.67, an increase of 680.79 points or 0.86%.

The index has rallied roughly 10% since the budget was presented on June 12, helped by continued optimism on getting an IMF bailout package to bolster the struggling economy.

The meeting was attended by Minister of State Petroleum Musadik Masood Malik, Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Finance Tariq Bajwa, SAPM- Revenue Tariq Pasha, Secretary Petroleum, and other government officials.

The meeting resorted to bring sustainability in the energy sector, including measures to reduce the circular debt in the gas sector.

Despite massive increase in power tariff after coming into power, the ruling coalition of Pakistan Democratic Movement has failed to overcome the vicious cycle of circular debt.

The government increased base tariff of electricity by Rs4.96 per unit from July 1, 2023, across the country as per understanding with the International Monetary Fund taking base tariff up to Rs29.78 per unit, premised on revenue requirement of Rs3.281 trillion, based on different yearly economic assumptions.

In February, 2023, Minister of State for Finance Dr. Aisha Ghaus Pasha said reforms in the energy sector were critical for the economy, and the Ministry of Energy had shared with the International Monetary Fund as to how it would reduce the circular debt of the power sector.

Energy Minister Engineer Khurram Dastgir Khan in May, 2023, told the National Assembly during a question hour that as of December 2022, the circular debt had stood at Rs2.536 trillion.

Later, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif chaired a high-level meeting before the Budget’24 in June to discuss budget proposals regarding the energy sector. He was given a detailed briefing on reforms in the energy sector and projects included in the budget.

During that meeting, the prime minister directed to make the energy sector reforms part of the budget and wanted the new electricity projects to be started from alternative sources in a phased manner by minimising the dependence on expensive imported fuel. He also directed to include effective measures to curb line losses and electricity theft in the upcoming budget and wanted the inclusion of wind and solar energy projects in the upcoming budget.

The agreement was signed by KiK CEO Petrick Zahn and representatives of Pakistan's textile industry, labor protection organisation, Employers Association of Pakistan, and other stakeholders at a ceremony held at a local hotel on Thursday in Karachi. Consul General of Germany Dr Rüdiger Lotz was also present in the ceremony.

"I welcome the fact that we are close to a breakthrough with the Accord. I appeal to all those involved to pave the way now quickly. With the planned safety training, complaint mechanisms, and health committees, we can reach over one million textile workers in 700 factories," the KiK CEO said.

 “The Accord Pakistan will be modeled on the successful Accord Bangladesh,” a company statement said.

“This alliance has led to an entire industrial sector in a developing country being transformed from the ground up. Since the Accord was established, there have been no major disasters in the textile industry in Bangladesh. The aim of the Accord in Pakistan is to build on this successful model.” 

According to the agreement between German company KiK and Pakistani stakeholders, training will be provided to workers under the International Agreement on worker safety and making the supply chain safe for workers. Meanwhile, workers will also be empowered to file complaints for non-implementation of safety rules.

“A mechanism will be created through which laborers and workers can directly inform the appointed representatives of the KiK about the nature of the violation,” KiK's CSR Head Ansgar Lohmann responded to a question.

“Health and safety committees will be formed in the industrial units to provide a safe and healthy environment to the workers,” he added.

Consul General of Germany Rüdiger Lotz said the international agreement between Pakistan's textile industry and the German company KiK is an important milestone that will help accelerate the development of the country's textile and garment sector and ensure the safety and security of workers associated with this industry.

He said that this is an important development for Pakistan in the context of Germany's new Supply Chain Act and KiK is committed to achieving lasting results from this agreement with its partners in Pakistan.   Petrick Zahn said that the company has been active for workers safety in Pakistan since 2017, but now, seeing the best results of the International Accord in Bangladesh, a similar agreement has been made with the textile industry and the trade association.

 He said that during the last five years KiK has made great progress under the Pakistan Building Safety Initiative to provide fire protection to industrial units and secure electrical installations and infrastructure.

He hoped that the implementation of the International Accord would help improve the quality of Pakistan's textile production.

  Lohmann said that there are more than 4,000 stores of KiK across Europe for which Pakistan is the third most important country behind Bangladesh and China.

  He said KiK is buying products worth over 100 million euros from Pakistan annually, however, the implementation of the International Accord will significantly increase the export of products not only for KiK but also for other international buyers.

 “Confidence in the Pakistani textile industry will also increase,” he said.

Petrick Zahn called on the factory owners, trade unions and retailers involved in the agreement “to put aside their own interests before the goal is reached and to bring about a swift and comprehensive solution for the sake of the thousands of employees”.

This marks the minister’s first official visit to PPL since assuming office.

Upon arrival, the minister was warmly received by the Managing Director and CEO, PPL Imran Abbasy, who introduced him to the company’s senior leadership, the minister was given a comprehensive briefing on PPL’s core operations, and key achievements in exploration and production over the past three years. The management apprised the delegation of the company’s success in significantly enhancing its output in natural gas, crude oil, and mining operations.

In addition, the MD highlighted some of the operational and strategic challenges currently facing the company and sought continued support from the ministry to help address these issues effectively.

The minister expressed his appreciation with PPL’s performance and the efforts of the management in strengthening the country’s energy sector.

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The discussions focused on the School Meal Programme, development of the Nashonuma Dashboard, data sharing, and the repurposing of Nashonuma centres into counselling hubs for maternal and child health, the press release added.

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He expressed these views while chairing a meeting on Friday to review the proposed app; Punjab Local Government Secretary Shakeel Ahmed Mian participated in the meeting through video link while Special Secretary Aasia Gull and Additional Secretary Maria Tariq also attended the meeting.

On this occasion, the representatives of the Punjab Information Technology Board (PITB) briefed the meeting about the salient features of the app.

The Minister expressed his satisfaction that the attendance of the field staff and the action on the citizens’ complaints could also be monitored; each supervisor would update the staff schedule of his area weekly. He indicated that the work of every waste management company would increase after the sanitation system was outsourced. “The waste management companies would now have to monitor down to the tehsil level,” he added.

During the meeting, it was decided to form coordination committees at the district and tehsil levels and the concerned Deputy Commissioner in the district and Assistant Commissioner at the tehsil would head these committees.

The Minister averred that the local government officers, the waste management companies and the contractors would get representation in the proposed committees. He directed the officials concerned that the contractors should be given access to online data so that they could redress the complaints of citizens. He added that all the details would be updated on the dashboard at the provincial and divisional levels.

On this occasion, the survey conducted across Punjab by ‘JS Bank-Zindigi’ was also reviewed. The survey would include details of houses, business centres and factories. The Minister directed that the survey report should be completed soon so that a comprehensive and effective system of quality sanitation can be implemented.

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The Chief Minister was given a detailed briefing about the Model Village project. The meeting also reviewed progress being made on Lahore Development project and Punjab Development project. On this occasion, the proposal to install water filtration plants in the remote areas was also reviewed.

The Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif has assigned a deadline of 30th June, 2026 regarding the installation of water filtration plants. She emphasized on the early completion of the construction and repair of streets in the Lahore Development Project.

Expressing her indignation over delay in the completion of some projects, the CM also reviewed 122 beautification projects in every city of Punjab. 51 beautification projects will be completed in Lahore division, 64 in Rawalpindi, 37 in Faisalabad, 75 in Multan. 45 in Sargodha, 64 in Gujranwala, 51 in DG Khan, 61 in Bahawalpur, 53 in Gujrat and 49 in Sahiwal.

The Chief Minister directed to ensure timely completion of all beautification projects. She underscored those public complaints regarding non-availability of drinking water will be redressed on a priority basis.

She directed to formulate a regular system for the construction, repair and maintenance of water filtration plants. She affirmed the importance of keeping the timeline along with construction and quality of development projects before launching them.

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Presiding over an important meeting at his office to address the growing encroachment issues on the Karachi-Thatta Road (N-5), which is a vital transportation corridor, he emphasized that the Karachi-Thatta Road serves as a key route for trade, travel, and daily commute and should remain free from any kind of obstruction.

He issued strict directives to the relevant departments and district administrations to ensure the complete removal of all encroachments within one week. "Any negligence in this matter will not be tolerated, and I will initiate disciplinary action against the officers responsible," he warned.

Furthermore, the Chief Secretary directed the Deputy Commissioner Malir to take immediate steps to relocate all parked tankers from the main highway to the designated Zulfiqarabad Oil Tanker Terminal, which was established specifically for such purposes.

He also instructed the traffic police and municipal authorities to prepare a coordinated action plan and conduct joint operations to clear the road and maintain its status as a safe and accessible national highway. He issued strict directives to the relevant departments and district administrations to ensure the complete removal of all encroachments within one week, following all codal formalities. Chief Secretary Shah reaffirmed the provincial government’s commitment to ensuring better traffic management and public safety, especially on major inter-city roads like the N-5. He added that sustainable enforcement and strict monitoring must continue even after the initial clearance drive to prevent the recurrence of encroachments.

The meeting was attended by key officials, including the Secretary Implementation & Coordination (I&C), DIG Traffic, Managing Director of Sindh Solid Waste Management Board (SSWMB), Municipal Commissioner of Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC), Deputy Commissioners and Senior Superintendents of Police (SSPs) of Malir, Korangi, and Thatta districts.

During the meeting, the participants were briefed on the current state of encroachments along the N-5 highway. These include illegal occupation of road space by water tankers, heavy trucks, and roadside fruit and vegetable carts, which are severely hampering the smooth flow of traffic and causing public inconvenience.

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The event was organised by the Association of Women for Awareness and Motivation (AWAM) in partnership with Minority Rights Group (MRG) with support from the European Union. Thirty minority rights defenders from Faisalabad, Sheikhupura, and Lahore took part in the workshop, receiving training on documenting human rights violations, effective advocacy, and using the Right to Information (RTI) as a tool for accountability.

Experts, including NCHR Member Nadeem Ashraf, Corien Waheed (Tameer), Naumana Suleman (Minority Women Forum), Sonia Javed and Sonia Patras (AWAM), Ahmed Ali (Research Scholar), Tahira Habib (HRD), and journalist Noor-ul-Amin, shared insights on promoting religious freedom, engaging authorities through dialogue, and building stronger protection networks.

Speakers stressed that peaceful advocacy, fact-based reporting, and dialogue with policymakers are key to countering intolerance and strengthening social cohesion. The workshop concluded with a call to step up coordinated action and strengthen protection mechanisms so that Pakistan’s minorities can live without fear of intolerance and mob violence.

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