Business

Miftah Ismail officially steps down as finmin, hands over resignation letter to PM Shehbaz

Published

2 years ago

Farwa

Earlier, Miftah verbally tendered his resignation to PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif in London.
Miftah will be replaced as finmin by PML-N leader Ishaq Dar tomorrow.
He says he worked to “best of abilities” during tenure.

PML-N leader Miftah Ismail on Tuesday officially stepped down as the finance minister of the country by handing over his resignation letter to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.

On Sunday, he had verbally tendered his resignation to PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif in London following the party’s decision.

Later, he took to Twitter and wrote: “In a meeting with Mian Nawaz Sharif and PM Shehbaz Sharif today, I have verbally resigned as finance minister. I will tender a formal resignation upon reaching Pakistan. It’s been an honour to serve twice as finance minister. Pakistan Paindabad.”

In a meeting with Mian Nawaz Sharif and PM Shehbaz Sharif today, I have verbally resigned as Finance Minister. I will tender a formal resignation upon reaching Pakistan. It’s been an honour to serve twice as Finance Minister. Pakistan Paindabad
— Miftah Ismail (@MiftahIsmail) September 25, 2022

The decision to remove Miftah as the finmin was made during a meeting of PML-N leaders in London, including Nawaz Sharif, PM Shehbaz, and others.

After resigning, Miftah thanked Nawaz and said that over the last four months, he performed to the best of his abilities and remained loyal to his party as well as the country.

While accepting his resignation, Nawaz praised Miftah’s efforts and the way he carried out his duties at a time when the country was facing an economic crisis.

PML-N leader Ishaq Dar — who arrived in Pakistan on Monday after a five-year exile in London and took oath as a senator today — will be replacing Miftah as the finance minister, while Miftah will also remain part of the government.

Business

E&P Companies Will Invest $5 Billion in Pakistan’s Petroleum Industry

Published

15 hours ago

Farwa

Over the next three years, local and foreign companies involved in Pakistan’s oil and gas exploration and production sector have shown a strong desire to invest more than $5 billion in the nation’s energy sector.

Recent changes to the Petroleum Policy and the implementation of an exclusive tight gas policy, which provide better incentives and a more investor-friendly regulatory framework, are credited with the increase in investor confidence.

These strategic changes are expected to boost domestic energy production, open up new avenues for growth, and draw large amounts of both domestic and foreign investment.

Business

With inflation slowing, the SBP is anticipated to lower the policy rate for the eighth time in a row.

Published

16 hours ago

Farwa

Businesspeople anticipate another reduction in the policy rate when the State Bank of Pakistan’s (SBP) Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) releases the updated rate.

The interest rate for the upcoming two months will be announced by the central bank. It is still unclear if the rate will stay the same or be lowered to reflect stakeholder expectations.

According to experts, the policy rate will be lowered in order to further boost the nation’s economic sector.

Interest rates may be lowered for the seventh time in a row if the inflation rate declines significantly more than anticipated.

In its last six sessions, the MPC had cut the policy rate by 10 percent. In January 2025, it decreased the rate by one percent to 12pc.

12PC POLICY RATE

In January, the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) announced cut in key policy rate by 100 basis points (bps) to 12 percent from 13pc in line with expectations of the business community.

The policy rate, which had been at 22 percent since June 2024, was slashed by 1,000 basis points to 12 percent.

The SBP governor said the decision was taken with careful consideration. “Although inflation is expected to decline next month (February), core inflation remains a pressing concern,” he stated.

Ahmed highlighted strong remittance inflows and robust export growth as key factors supporting the current account.