Monday, January 19 2026

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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World markets face fresh jolt as Trump vows tariffs on Europe over Greenland
Global markets face a fresh bout of volatility this week after President Donald Trump vowed to slap tariffs on eight European nations until the US is allowed to buy Greenland. Trump said he would impose an additional 10 percent import tariffs from February 1 on goods from Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Finland and Britain, which will rise to 25 percent on June 1 if no deal is reached. “Hopes that the tariff situation has calmed down for this year have been dashed for now - and we find ourselves in the same situation as last spring,” said Berenberg chief economist Holger Schmieding. Sweeping “Liberation Day” tariffs in April 2025 sent shockwaves through financial markets. Investors then largely looked past Trump trade threats in the second half of the year, viewing them as noise and responding with relief as Trump made deals with the likes of Britain and the European Union.
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Expanding Misurata free zone: Libya to sign USD2.7bn partnership
Libya will on Sunday sign a strategic partnership with international firms to expand and develop the Misurata Free Zone, attracting an estimated USD2.7 billion in investment, Prime Minister Abdulhamid Dbeibah said on X. The agreements, which would be signed with Qatari, Italian and Swiss companies, would help the project generate operating revenues estimated at around USD500 million annually. “This project not only enhances Libya’s position among the region’s largest ports in terms of size and capacity, but it also relies on direct foreign investment within a comprehensive international partnership,” Dbeibah said. Dbeibah said this partnership also reflects the government’s commitment “to attracting productive external financing to stimulate the economy, modernize infrastructure, and transform state assets into platforms for sustainable returns.”
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