ISLAMABAD: Qatar’s emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hammad Al Thani concluded his two-day visit to Islamabad on Sunday after signing three bilateral MOUs on trade and investment, tourism and business, and the exchange of financial intelligence.
Following a ceremony at the President House on Sunday where the Qatari head of state was conferred Pakistan’s highest civilian honor- the Nishan-e-Pakistan- by President Arif Alvi, the emir was seen off at Islamabad’s Nur Khan air base by Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Overseas Pakistanis, Zulfikar Bukhari.
During his visit, the emir attended one-on-one discussions with Prime Minister Imran Khan and President Arif Alvi, as well as delegation level meetings between representatives from both countries to discuss different areas of bilateral relations, according to a statement from the Prime Minister’s Office.
“The two sides also exchanged views on the regional situation and efforts to facilitate the Afghan peace process,” Pakistan’s Foreign Office said in a statement.
Last week, the Prime Minister’s official Instagram account had announced in a post that Qatar would be making investments in Pakistan worth $22 billion.
Emir of Qatar concludes Pakistan trip after signing three MoUs
Emir of Qatar concludes Pakistan trip after signing three MoUs
- The emir attended one-on-one discussions with Prime Minister and the President
- Three bilateral agreements were signed in areas of trade, business and financial intelligence sharing
Pakistan stocks edge higher as export financing, industrial power tariffs are cut
- KSE-100 index gained 1,607.26 points, or 0.88%, to close at 183,945.38
- Rebound follows steep sell-off a day earlier amid regional geopolitical tensions
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s stock market rebounded on Friday, with the benchmark index gaining more than 1,600 points, as analysts pointed to cuts in export refinancing rates and lower electricity tariffs for industrial consumers as key drivers of the recovery.
The KSE-100 index rose 1,607.26 points, or 0.88%, to close at 183,945.38, up from 182,338.12 a day earlier, according to Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) data.
The uptick followed Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s announcement of a Rs4.4 per unit cut in electricity tariffs for industrial consumers, alongside a reduction in the export refinance rate from 7.5% to 4.5%.
“Stocks staged an early recovery at the PSX on institutional buying in oversold scrips after the prime minister’s assurance to renegotiate the IMF deal, along with cuts in the export refinance rate to 4.5% and industrial power tariffs by Rs4.4 per unit,” Arif Habib Commodities Chief Executive Officer Ahsan Mehanti told Arab News.
He added that higher global crude oil prices and earnings-season speculation also acted as catalysts for bullish activity.
According to local media reports last week, Pakistan is seeking flexibility in IMF lending conditions for the 2026–27 budget and aims to renegotiate its agreement to complete the remaining $7 billion under the Extended Fund Facility (EFF) and a $1.4 billion Resilience and Sustainability Facility (RSF) by September 2027.
The rebound came a day after Pakistani stocks plunged 6,042.26 points on Thursday, a drop analysts attributed to heavy selling and heightened geopolitical tensions between Iran and the United States.
Those concerns intensified after US President Donald Trump warned Iran this week that “time is running out” to reach a deal on its nuclear program, amid a steady buildup of US military forces in the Gulf.
