KARACHI: Pakistan’s benchmark share index closed at another all-time high by registering a 1.2 percent gain as bulls celebrated the arrival of a high-level investment delegation from Saudi Arabia, analysts said on Monday.

The KSE-100 index witnessed a bullish trend, gaining an intraday high of 1,158.65 points that marked a 1.61 percent increase. It closed at 72,764.24 points, up by 1.20 percent.

Stock analysts said the major contributing factor behind the bullish close was the arrival of a 50-member Saudi business delegation in Pakistan for potential investments and a drop in inflation.

“Today’s all the bullish activity was because of the Saudi delegation visiting Pakistan to explore investment opportunities,” Sheheryar Butt, portfolio manager at Darson Securities, told Arab News. 

The delegation, led by Saudi Arabia’s Assistant Minister of Investment Ibrahim Al-Mubarak, arrived in Pakistan on Sunday. It comprises representatives of some 30 Saudi companies from the fields of IT, telecom, energy, aviation, construction, mining exploration, agriculture and human resource development.

Butt said the encouraging remarks by the visiting Saudi investment minister on Monday also played a key role in keeping the market in the green zone.

Addressing an investment summit in Islamabad, the Saudi minister said Pakistan was a “high priority” economic opportunity and the Kingdom believed in the potential of Pakistan’s economy, demographics and talent as well as location and natural resources.

Speaking at the summit, Pakistan Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb said foreign investment was vital to macroeconomic stability in Pakistan and the visit of Saudi investors was a link in this chain.

Auzrangzeb said Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s successful visit to Saudi Arabia opened the way for economic cooperation between the two countries.

“The visit of a delegation of Saudi investors to Pakistan is also a part of paving the way for this economic cooperation,” the minister said. “The government is now moving toward privatization and PIA [Pakistan International Airlines] will also be privatized.”

He said export-led growth, foreign direct investment (FDI) and excess to capital were top priorities of the government, and it was working on short, medium and long-term strategies as well as structural economic reforms.

Ali Nawaz, CEO of Chase Securities, attributed the bullish trend at the stock market to the arrival of the Saudi investment delegation.

“This news likely injected optimism into the market as it suggests potential for increased foreign investment, bolstering investor confidence,” Nawaz said.

Other factors, he said, included a decline in inflation that fueled a positive sentiment.

“Lower inflation rates typically indicate a healthier economic environment, fostering expectations of potential interest rate cuts in the future,” he added.
 

ABBOTTABAD: Eight years ago, while offering a training class at her Options beauty salon in the northwestern Pakistani city of Abbottabad, Nighat Aftab received an unlikely application: that from a deaf girl who wanted to attend the training and join her salon. 

“I didn’t have much experience working with such women and at first, I hesitated a little that how could I hire such a person whose language I don’t understand?” Aftab told Arab News in an interview earlier this month. “But then I said, ‘Come, join me’.”

Today, there are seven deaf beauticians out of a total of 12 employed at Options, which has since become a sanctuary for women with hearing and speech impairments, providing them economic opportunity, a chance to be financially independent and earn for their families, and a place where they can be part of a supportive, inclusive community.

According to the World Health Organization, the deaf population in Pakistan is around 10 million people. Pakistan has one of the lowest percentages of female labor force participation in South Asia and women with disabilities face even more impediments to employment.

“Previously, I used to work at a parlor in Islamabad where my salary wasn’t great, and I used to miss home a lot,” beautician Saima Mir told Arab News in sign language as Aftab translated for her. 

“Now I am very happy. I like working here. There are many here who cannot hear and speak, it makes me happy.”

Others also said they felt a “sense of belonging” at the Options Salon.

“I have my mother and father. They are old. I feel frustrated at home as there is nobody with whom I can talk and share,” Isma Mushtaq told Arab News. “I come here and I spend time here happily.”

While many of the salon’s loyal customers are now used to communicating with the deaf staff members, that was not always the case, Aftab recalled, saying she faced criticism in the beginning by clients struggling to communicate with her workers. To bridge the gap, deaf workers were teamed up with those from the hearing community.

“The difficulties we faced [with communication] in the beginning got resolved over time,” said Sobia Khan, a beautician from the hearing community. 

And the troubles had been worth it, Aftab said.

“I might have closed down the salon by now because my daughters are now married and I want to enjoy my own life but I am committed because of these young women [deaf workers] and I am unable to quit because their employment is attached to me,” she said. 

“And because of them, Allah has blessed me with health. I am able to come to work daily, even though I am not that healthy, but I am happy here.”