Afghan Broadcast News (ABN)

Independent News. Trusted Perspectives. From the Heart of Afghanistan.
Tuesday, 22 September, 2026
Kabul, Afghanistan

Shahid Iqbal

Articles by Shahid Iqbal

Banks likely to stay dependent on govt borrowing for profits

Business August 1, 2026

• Limited private sector lending options may persist• Federal govt borrowing from banks rises to Rs5.9tr in FY26• Private sector receives around Rs1.4tr KARACHI: The country’s banking sector i...

‘Managed’ exchange rate hurts exports, investments

Business July 30, 2026

KARACHI: An artificial exchange rate not only discourages exporters but also poses a major hurdle to foreign investment, particularly in the exportable manufacturing sector, said exporters, who expres...

War dries up unofficial dollar inflows

Business July 26, 2026

• Small exporters, manufacturers hit as inflows through hundi, hawala shrink sharply• Crypto investments divert billions of dollars from local market KARACHI: The country’s unaccounted foreign e...

Uncertainty in Gulf likely to keep policy rate unchanged

Business July 26, 2026

KARACHI: The State Bank is widely expected to keep its policy interest rate unchanged at its monetary policy meeting on Monday (July 27), as policymakers are unlikely to alter the benchmark rate amid ...

Current account slips into $139m deficit in FY26

Business July 18, 2026

• CAD gap hits $649m in June • Foreign direct investment declines 34pc to $1.64bn KARACHI: Pakistan ended the outgoing fiscal year with a current account deficit (CAD) of $139 mil...

Gulf war triggers investment outflow from Pakistan

Business July 17, 2026

KARACHI: The ongoing war in the Gulf has further reduced foreign investment in Pakistan, with Bahrain withdrawing its investments from domestic bonds within the first 10 days of the current fiscal yea...

Artificial intelligence to drive new tax model, says Aurangzeb

Business July 8, 2026

KARACHI: Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb said on Tuesday that human intervention between the tax administration and taxpayers would be reduced to a minimum under a new AI-led engagement model. Ad...

Remittance incentives to banks abolished as IMF steps in

Business July 3, 2026

• No reward points under SDRP • TTCIS also discontinued; banks to keep transfers free for users KARACHI: The State Bank has abolished the incentives paid to banks for increasing remittances, afte...

Gulf turmoil hurting Pakistan’s economic outlook

Business June 30, 2026

KARACHI: Regional instability continues to influence market sentiment, negatively impacting Pakistan’s domestic bond and equity markets and foreign direct investment, all of which declined at the en...

Middle East conflict fails to deter Gulf job exodus

Business June 21, 2026

KARACHI: Despite the war in the Gulf region, Pakistani workers continued to leave for jobs in countries directly affected by the conflict, particularly during March. Official data showed that during J...