The government of Pakistan has significantly increased the prices of petrol and high-speed diesel. Prices have been hiked by nearly Rs27 per litre, effective immediately.

The federal government of Pakistan announced production targets for the upcoming Kharif crop season, as the Rabi crop season concludes, with concerns over soil moisture and cotton shortfall.

The government of Pakistan has committed to ending currency controls, providing assurances to the IMF to facilitate the disbursement of a $1 billion loan tranche.

The imprisonment and reported deteriorating health of former prime minister Imran Khan came under sustained scrutiny in the UK Parliament on Tuesday. Peers across party lines pressed the Labour government to intensify diplomatic engagement with Islamabad and consider linking aid and trade to human rights benchmarks. The issue was raised during oral questions led by Labour peer Baroness Alexander of Cleveden, who asked about discussions with the government of Pakistan regarding Imran’s incarce...

The government of Pakistan has announced that electricity supply will be interrupted for approximately two hours each evening during peak demand to prevent an energy crisis, affecting over 241 million inhabitants.

The government of Pakistan and Google have partnered to launch 'AI Seekho 2026', an initiative aimed at equipping the country's youth with artificial intelligence skills.

The federal government of Pakistan has established a task force aimed at reforming, revamping, and strengthening the legal wings and revenue litigation framework of the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR).

New date of the visit will be announced later after mutual consulation, says government of Pakistan

The federal government of Pakistan has extended an olive branch to the PTI, urging them to rejoin parliamentary panels and end political confrontation to advance a 'Charter of Democracy'.

The federal government of Pakistan has launched a special subsidy program for farmers owning less than 12 acres of land. This initiative aims to mitigate the adverse impact of the global energy crisis on the agricultural sector.

The federal government of Pakistan will provide approximately Rs6 billion to Pakistan Railways to maintain current fares and freight charges for three months, aiming to facilitate passengers and goods transport customers in Punjab.

The federal government of Pakistan has announced March 20th and 21st as public holidays for Eidul Fitr, with the first special train departing today.

The government of Pakistan has announced an increase in the price of petrol by Rs8 per litre and high-speed diesel by Rs5.16 per litre for the upcoming fortnight, as stated in a press release from the Petroleum Division.

• Accumulated losses hit Rs2.07tr by June 2025; half of it piled up in just three years • Outstanding loans stand near Rs3.1tr, debt rising Rs300bn a year • Financing cost reaches Rs210bn in FY25, highest among SOEs ISLAMABAD: Carrying the largest outstanding loan portfolio on its books and a negative return on assets, the National Highway Authority (NHA) — the country’s logistics backbone — is the single largest entity bleeding the federal budget, exposing Pakistan to substantial fiscal risk despite the recent doubling of tolls. The NHA is the “largest loss-maker”, operating on a “structural deficit model and reliant on budgetary support”, the Central Monitoring Unit (CMU) of the Ministry of Finance said in its Annual Aggregate Report on state-owned enterprises (SOEs) for the year ended June 30, 2025. With accumulated losses of Rs2.074 trillion, the entity that owns and operates all the national highways and motorways accrued around Rs1.004tr in the last three years alone — about Rs295 billion each in FY24 and FY25 and Rs413bn in FY23. Moreover, it stands out at the top of the SOE list, with the largest accrued financing cost of Rs210bn in FY25, as its toll revenue remains unaligned with debt servicing, leading to fiscal dependence and sovereign guarantee exposure. “Currently, the NHA holds outstanding loans totalling approximately Rs3.1tr, with an annual debt accretion rate of Rs300bn. This debt portfolio generates Rs98bn in markup, which is expected to rise to more than Rs150bn per annum, creating a substantial credit risk for the government of Pakistan (GoP), which guarantees these loans”, the CMA said. It said the presence of sovereign guarantees for public-private partnership (PPP) contracts added further financial strain, amplifying the government’s credit risk exposure. With more than Rs115 billion in loans given by the federal government last year, it is also among the top borrowers. On the other hand, its net assets remained almost static over the last three years, actually declining slightly from Rs5.84tr in FY23 to Rs5.83tr in FY25. Its total equity has been declining over time from Rs2.57tr in FY23 to Rs2.27tr in FY24 and Rs1.95tr in FY25. Conversely, NHA’s total liabilities have been increasing, making it the single-largest entity to accrue current liabilities. Its total liabilities amounted to Rs3.27tr in FY23, increasing to Rs3.54tr in FY24 and reaching Rs3.88tr by the end of FY25. The CMU observed that National Highway Authority’s 2025 performance underscored its strategic importance yet exposed growing fiscal vulnerability. “Despite an impressive surge in toll revenues and build, own and transfer (BOT) project inflows, the authority continues to operate under a persistent deficit, driven by high depreciation and finance costs,” it said. Operating income rose sharply to Rs83.1bn in FY25 (against Rs42.4bn in FY24), propelled by the doubling of toll income to Rs64.4bn. However, the overall income of Rs119.7bn remained insufficient against total expenditures of Rs408.1bn. Consequently, the deficit before levy and taxation stood at Rs292.98bn and the deficit after tax at Rs294.86bn, reflecting continued structural stress. It noted that two critical components eroded National Highway Authority’s profitability. These include depreciation expense of Rs133.8bn, reflecting a heavily capital-intensive asset base and growing maintenance backlog and Rs193.5bn finance cost, up from Rs182bn last year, highlighting the escalating burden of debt and interest rate exposure. The CMU advised diversification of funding sources through infrastructure bonds targeted at domestic institutional investors and international development markets. It said the expansion of public-private partnerships for new road construction, maintenance outsourcing and service area development can shift part of the fiscal and operational burden to the private sector while improving efficiency and service quality. The CMU also called for renegotiating loan terms with lenders to extend maturities, reduce interest rates or convert debt into quasi-equity instruments to create immediate fiscal space. Published in Dawn, February 16th, 2026