The Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) on Tuesday recorded marginal increases as uncertainty prevailed over talks to end the war between the US and Iran.

The KSE-100 Index closed at 178,406.69 points, up 206.67 points over the last close.

The market opened the day at 178,200.02 points, the previous closing level, and traded between 178,768.83 points intraday high and 178,023.65 points intraday low.

The benchmark KSE-100 Index a day before staged a tremendous rebound by adding 2,105.91 points, a positive shift of 1.20 percent, to close at 178,200.02 points against 176,094.12 points recorded in the previous trading session.

The ready market saw a volume of 785.361 million shares as opposed to 880.951 million shares a day earlier while the traded value jumped to Rs33.140 billion as compared to Rs24.957 billion.

The market capitalisation rose to Rs19.953 trillion against Rs19.755 trillion a day ago.

The government has slashed the cost of kerosene oil after cutting the costs of fuel and high-speed diesel.

Kerosene price reduced by Rs3.58 per litre after drop in pricing of petroleum products announced last night.

The Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA) has decreased the price of kerosene from Rs305.22 to Rs301.64 per litre in an announcement.

The Petroleum Division in a statement last night for August 4 announced a Rs4.08 per litre drop in the price of petrol, making the new price Rs331.95 per litre.

The price of high-speed diesel has also been cut by Rs2.45 a litre to Rs389.93 a litre.

After months of uncertainty and protracted processing delays, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has started granting visitation visas to Pakistani nationals who apply through registered travel agencies.

Representatives from the travel sector and a UAE Embassy official said that the ruling represents a major improvement in the processing of visas, especially for families whose applications had previously been subject to protracted review and delays.

With about 1.8 million Pakistanis living there, the UAE is one of the most popular foreign locations for Pakistani expatriates. The most recent action is anticipated to increase travel between the two nations and make family visits easier.

Families have benefited the most, according to travel executives, as visa applications are now handled more quickly and judgements are made more quickly.

The UAE Embassy in Pakistan has begun granting visitation visas to Pakistani tourists going with their families, according to Muhammad Nadeem Sharif, chief executive of Aroma Travels and past head of the Travel Agents Association of Pakistan. He described the development as a welcome step.

He noted that prompt responses are now being sent to applicants who are going with family or joining relatives who already live in the United Arab Emirates. Sharif added that after recent difficulties in the region, passenger traffic is gradually improving and tourism promotion campaigns have restarted.

According to a senior Pakistani immigration official who spoke to Arab News under condition of anonymity, the number of passengers travelling from Pakistan to Dubai each day rose from about 170 earlier this summer to almost 400 by the last week of July, indicating a consistent rebound in travel demand.