Monday, January 19 2026

Stocks open strong, KSE-100 up 1,700 points in early trade
The Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) opened on a strong note, with the benchmark KSE-100 Index gaining nearly 1,700 points during the opening minutes of trading on Monday. At 9:35am, the benchmark index was hovering at 186,786.74, an increase of 1,687.91 points or 0.91%. Buying interest was observed in key sectors, including automobile assemblers, cement, commercial banks, fertiliser, oil and gas exploration companies, OMCs, power generation and refinery. Index-heavy stocks, including ARL, HUBCO, MARI, OGDC, POL, PPL, PSO, SNGPL, SSGC, MCB, MEBL and NBP, traded in the green. Analysts attributed the buying rally to expectations of a policy rate cut in the upcoming Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) meeting, which is scheduled for 26 January 2026.
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BML completes financial restructuring, enters new phase of profit & growth
ank Makramah Limited (BML) has announced the successful implementation of its court-sanctioned financial restructuring plan, as disclosed through Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) notices. Approved by the Islamabad High Court, the restructuring eliminates accumulated losses through a capital reduction, leaving the bank with a clean balance sheet and positioning it for sustainable, profitable growth. BML said the move is designed to accelerate growth rather than address distress, highlighting that the bank has already reported net profits for the first nine months of the current financial year. The turnaround was further strengthened by recoveries from non-performing loans, supporting the bank’s improving earnings profile. Following the cleanup, BML expects its Earnings Per Share (EPS) to turn significantly positive, creating a pathway toward the eventual resumption of dividends.
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Minister directs achieving revenue collection targets
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Minister for Excise, Taxation and Narcotics Control, Syed Fakhar Jehan directed the Excise and Taxation offices in Peshawar and district-level officers to intensify efforts to achieve revenue collection beyond the assigned targets. He was speaking during a meeting at the Directorate General of Excise, Taxation and Narcotics Control, Hayatabad, to review the six-month performance of tax recovery across the province.The minister emphasised the need to expand the tax net and ensure that new taxable units are brought under taxation strictly in accordance with the law. The minister stressed that officers should not remain content merely with achieving set targets, but must actively mobilise their field staff to enhance tax collection beyond expectations.
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EU carbon tax: Green Grid certification essential to save exports: PBIF
Mian Zahid Hussain, President Pakistan Businessmen and Intellectuals Forum & All Karachi Industrial Alliance, Chairman National Business Group Pakistan and Chairman Policy Advisory Board FPCCI, said that the survival of Pakistan’s export sector hinges on two critical policy shifts: the immediate introduction of “Green Grid” certification for industrial estates to bypass European carbon taxes, and the strategic utilisation of the newly deregulated sugar sector to launch a bio-energy export revolution. He warned that while the EU’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) is technically in a transitional phase for textiles, European buyers have already begun demanding “Carbon Passports” from Pakistani suppliers.
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Traders concerned at suspension of trade with Afghanistan
Businessmen from Pakistan and Afghanistan have termed the three-month closure of cross-border trade between the two neighbouring countries as disastrous for the regional economy, urging authorities to review the decision and allow resumption of commercial activities for the benefit of millions of affected people. Senior Vice President of Pak-Afghan Joint Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PAJCCI), Zia-ul-Haq Sarhadi, And Executive Member Sarhad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI), Former SVP Sarhad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI) Engr, Manzoor Elahi and Ahmad Shah Yarzada, Board Director PAJCCI Afghan chapter in a joint statement here on Sunday said that irreparable losses caused due to closure of trade between Pakistan and Afghanistan has affected the lives of millions of people due to its negative impact on the economy of the region.
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