• Jamaat-e-Islami Party leader Hafiz Naimur Rehman has warned that his party will take to the streets again if the government does not take steps to abolish the oil tax.

At a press conference in Idara Noor Haq, Hafiz Naeem said the party’s campaign against oil tax will continue until the government provides relief to the people. He said he had raised the issue with Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar and asked him to abolish the tax, adding that the government collects Rs 1,500 billion every month through this tax.

Hafiz Naeem said Ishaq Dar promised that the government would share the relevant figures within a day or two. He added that Mr. Dahl argued that abolishing the tax would also benefit owners of heavy vehicles. In response, Hafiz Naim proposed increasing the tax on expensive cars from Rs 100 to Rs 200 while providing relief to the middle and lower income sections of the society.

The Jamaat-e-Islami chief said he had also met Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who sought more time to consider additional relief measures. However, he reiterated that his party’s primary demand was the abolition of the petroleum levy. He also said that the federal and provincial governments had seized power through Form 47 and blamed corruption for the deteriorating situation in Sindh, especially Karachi.

The National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA) has increased the electricity tariff by Rs 2.36 per unit under the Monthly Fuel Charge Adjustment (FCA), increasing the financial burden on electricity consumers.

According to NEPRA’s notification, the price increase has been made due to fuel cost adjustment in September 2026. The adjustment reflects the difference between the actual cost of fuel used to generate electricity and the previously determined baseline fuel cost.

As per the decision, electricity consumers will be charged an additional fee of Rs 2.3673 per unit on their bills as per the applicable FCA mechanism. The adjustment will be reflected in energy bills for November 2026.

Pakistan’s trade deficit increased by about 16% to $14.6 billion in the first four months of the current fiscal year (July-October) compared to $12.6 billion in the same period last year.

According to a document released by Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS), the trade deficit in October 2026 also expanded by 19.7% compared to the same month last year. On a monthly basis, it increased by 10.3% compared to September.

According to the data, Pakistan’s exports increased by 2.2% in October compared to the same month last year, while imports increased by about 12%. In October, the country’s total exports amounted to $2.93 billion and imports amounted to $6.8 billion, resulting in a monthly trade deficit of $3.87 billion.

Compared to September 2026, exports in October increased only by 0.2%. However, the country’s trade deficit widened further due to a significant increase in imports.