Pakistan’s annual inflation rises to 7% in February, statistics bureau says

A customer buys vegetables from a stall at a market in Karachi on July 3, 2023. (AFP/File)
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Updated 02 March 2026
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Pakistan’s annual inflation rises to 7% in February, statistics bureau says

  • Pakistan’s stock exchange halted trading on Monday after falling more than 5 percent due to the volatility
  • IMF has urged policymakers to remain data-dependent to anchor inflation expectations, rebuild buffers

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s annual inflation rate rose to 7 percent year-on-year in February, ​the statistics bureau said on Monday, with fears of commodity prices volatility after US and Israel strikes in Iran.

The consumer price index of annual inflation jumped from 5.8 percent the previous month, the ‌bureau said.

On ‌a month-on-month ​basis, ‌inflation ⁠increased by ​0.3 percent ⁠in February, down from a 0.4 percent rise the previous month.

Pakistan’s stock exchange halted trading on Monday after falling more than 5 percent due to the volatility.

The central bank, ⁠which held its policy ‌rate at ‌10.50 percent in January, has said ​inflation could exceed ‌its 5 percent to 7 percent medium-term target ‌range for a few months this year, even as growth gains momentum and imports push the trade deficit ‌wider.

The International Monetary Fund, which has cautioned against premature monetary ⁠easing ⁠under Pakistan’s $7 billion loan program, has urged policymakers to remain data-dependent to anchor inflation expectations and rebuild external buffers.

An IMF mission has started discussions with Pakistani authorities on the third review of the country’s Extended Fund Facility and the second review of its ​Resilience and Sustainability ​Facility.


Islamabad says over 580 Afghan Taliban militants killed as Pakistan, Afghanistan fighting continues

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Islamabad says over 580 Afghan Taliban militants killed as Pakistan, Afghanistan fighting continues

  • Clashes between the two countries began on Feb. 26 when Afghan forces launched an attack on Pakistani military installations
  • Islamabad has since been pounding parts of Afghanistan where it says militant targets are present, Kabul denies the allegation

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has killed 583 Afghan Taliban fighters, wounded more than 795 and struck 64 locations inside Afghanistan in air attacks, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said on Sunday, as fighting between the two neighbors entered the second week.

Clashes between the two countries began on Feb. 26 when Afghan forces launched a surprise attack on Pakistani military installations along their shared border.

Afghanistan said the assault was in retaliation for Pakistan’s earlier airstrikes in February on what Islamabad described as militant camps inside Afghanistan.

“Summary of Afghan Taliban losses: 583 Killed, 795+ Injured, 242 Check posts destroyed, 38 Posts captured & destroyed, 213 tanks, armored vehicles, artillery guns destroyed,” Tarar said on X.

The statement came hours after Pakistan’s security forces successfully foiled an infiltration attempt by militants belonging to the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), also known as the Pakistani Taliban, along the Pakistan–Afghanistan border in the

Chaman sector, according to a security official. The group, estimated to comprise three to four militant formations, attempted to breach the border fence under the cover of darkness.

“Troops detected the movement in time and engaged the militants as they attempted to cut through the border fence,” said the security official, seeking anonymity. “During the exchange of fire, one foreign terrorist was killed while the remaining militants fled the area.”

Pakistan accuses Kabul of sheltering militant groups such as the TTP on its soil and facilitating attacks against Pakistan. Afghanistan denies the allegations and has urged Islamabad to address its security challenges without blaming Kabul.

Afghanistan has called for dialogue to resolve the conflict. Pakistan, however, has rejected talks with Kabul, saying its operation “Ghazab Lil Haq” — meaning Wrath for Truth — will continue until its objectives are achieved.

Since the conflict began, diplomatic efforts have intensified, with several countries and international bodies, including the European Union and the United Nations, urging restraint and calling for talks.