Pakistani asset management firm launches Shariah-compliant energy fund amid reforms

An undated image of logo of Lucky Investments taken from its website.
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Updated 01 January 2026
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Pakistani asset management firm launches Shariah-compliant energy fund amid reforms

  • Lucky Investments Limited says fund will invest across oil, gas, power and renewables
  • Product targets long-term investors as Pakistan’s energy sector reforms gain traction

KARACHI: A Pakistan-based asset management company on Thursday announced the launch of a Shariah-compliant energy equity fund, seeking to tap growing investor interest in the country’s energy sector as the administration in Islamabad pursues gradual reforms to boost supply, efficiency and sustainability.

Lucky Investments Limited’s initiative comes as Pakistan’s energy sector shows signs of renewed activity, driven by rising demand, policy initiatives and an increasing shift toward renewable sources, even as the country continues to grapple with high costs and supply constraints.

Islamic finance has also expanded steadily in Pakistan, creating demand for sector-focused investment products that comply with religious principles.

The Lucky Islamic Energy Fund (LIEF) will invest primarily in Shariah-compliant, listed energy companies across oil and gas exploration and production, refining, power generation and renewable energy, the company said, with the aim of long-term capital growth.

“The energy sector remains central to Pakistan’s economic revival and long-term sustainability,” Mohammad Shoaib, chief executive officer of Lucky Investments Limited, said, adding the fund would give investors a Shariah-compliant way to participate in the sector while aligning investments with faith-based values.

The open-end fund is benchmarked against the KMI-30 Index, which tracks the 30 largest Shariah-compliant companies listed on the Pakistan Stock Exchange, and is classified as high-risk, making it suitable for investors with a long-term investment horizon.

The fund carries no minimum holding period or redemption penalty.

Lucky Investments said all investments would be overseen by a religious scholar serving as the firm’s Shariah adviser to ensure ongoing compliance with Islamic principles.

The asset manager said it currently manages more than Rs 130 billion ($460 million) in assets under management, positioning it among the fastest-growing asset management companies in the country in 2025.
 


Pakistani students stuck in Afghanistan permitted to go home

Updated 12 January 2026
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Pakistani students stuck in Afghanistan permitted to go home

  • The border between the countries has been shut since Oct. 12
  • Worries remain for students about return after the winter break

JALALABAD: After three months, some Pakistani university students who were stuck in Afghanistan due to deadly clashes between the neighboring countries were “permitted to go back home,” Afghan border police said Monday.

“The students from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (northwest Pakistan) who were stuck on this side of the border, only they were permitted to cross and go to their homes,” said Abdullah Farooqi, Afghan border police spokesman.

The border has “not reopened” for other people, he said.

The land border has been shut since October 12, leaving many people with no affordable option of making it home.

“I am happy with the steps the Afghan government has taken to open the road for us, so that my friends and I will be able to return to our homes” during the winter break, Anees Afridi, a Pakistani medical student in eastern Afghanistan’s Nangarhar province, told AFP.

However, worries remain for the hundreds of students about returning to Afghanistan after the break ends.

“If the road is still closed from that side (Pakistan), we will be forced to return to Afghanistan for our studies by air.”

Flights are prohibitively expensive for most, and smuggling routes also come at great risk.

Anees hopes that by the time they return for their studies “the road will be open on both sides through talks between the two governments.”