Day: July 11, 2026

Islamabad: Acting President of the Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ICCI), Tahir Ayub, has urged the government to launch a comprehensive regulatory reform agenda aimed at significantly improving the ease of doing business, reducing the cost of compliance, and creating a more investment-friendly environment for domestic and foreign investors.

Talking to different visiting delegations on Friday, Tahir Ayub said that Pakistan possesses immense economic potential, a strategic geographic location, and a vibrant entrepreneurial community, said a press release.

However, cumbersome regulations, overlapping jurisdictions, excessive documentation, and lengthy approval processes continue to impede business growth and discourage investment, he added.

He emphasized that simplifying regulatory procedures has become imperative to stimulate economic activity, attract investment, and generate sustainable employment opportunities.

He said the business community firmly believes that economic growth is driven by a vibrant private sector, but businesses require a predictable, transparent, and efficient regulatory framework to flourish. He stressed that reducing unnecessary bureaucratic hurdles would not only improve investor confidence but also enhance Pakistan’s competitiveness in regional and global markets.

Tahir Ayub called for the establishment of a fully integrated one-window digital system for business registration, licensing, tax payments, utility connections, and regulatory approvals. Such an initiative, he said, would substantially reduce compliance costs, improve transparency, minimize human interaction, and curb discretionary practices that often delay legitimate business activities.

He also highlighted the importance of ensuring consistency and predictability in government policies, stating that frequent changes in taxation, regulatory requirements, and compliance mechanisms create uncertainty for investors and undermine long-term business planning. Stable and business-friendly policies, he noted, are essential for attracting both local and international investment.

Tahir Ayub stressed that Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), which constitute the backbone of Pakistan’s economy, deserve special regulatory facilitation. He recommended simplified tax filing procedures, easier business registration, quicker access to finance, and reduced compliance requirements to enable SMEs to expand their operations and contribute more effectively to employment generation and exports.

ICCI Vice President Mohammad Irfan Chaudhry said that improving the ease of doing business is no longer merely an economic reform but a national necessity. He observed that businesses spend considerable time and resources complying with multiple regulatory requirements imposed by various departments, affecting productivity and increasing operational costs.

He said digital transformation of public services, time-bound approvals, transparent inspection mechanisms, and greater coordination among government institutions would significantly improve the business climate.

Islamabad: Federal Minister for National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination Mustafa Kamal on Friday underscored the importance of telemedicine in improving access to healthcare, reaffirming the government’s commitment to strengthening Basic Health Units (BHUs) through modern technology and digital healthcare services.

He made these remarks to inauguration ceremony of the ninth of 10 Telemedicine Centres at the Primary Health Centre in Phulgran, Islamabad, as initiative was part of the ministry’s healthcare digitalisation programme aimed at transforming primary healthcare facilities into modern centres.

He said the government planned to expand the network of telemedicine centres, noting that primary healthcare facilities play a vital role in treating common illnesses and reducing pressure on major hospitals. He informed that more than 14,500 people had so far received medical consultation and treatment through telemedicine centres.

“These primary healthcare centres help reduce the burden on tertiary care hospitals by treating minor illnesses at an early stage,” he said, adding that major hospitals focused should be focus on patients requiring tertiary care.

Referring to the Prime Minister’s Sehat Sahulat Programme, Kamal said the initiative had been revived after a gap of four years and currently covered treatment of up to Rs1 million per patient.

He said 44 hospitals and around 9,502 hospital beds had been brought under the programme, adding that more hospitals would be included to improve healthcare access and enhance public satisfaction.

The minister observed that despite the country’s health budget of Rs 1,153 billion, public complaints regarding healthcare services continued.

Citing a study, he said a comprehensive health insurance system, like the Sehat Sahulat Programme, could provide free treatment of up to Rs1 million for every citizen at an estimated annual cost of around Rs210 billion, while significantly improving public satisfaction with healthcare services.

Kamal stressed that the government’s primary responsibility was to formulate effective health policies and ensure their implementation, despite running hospitals.

He reiterated the ministry’s commitment to expanding quality healthcare services in remote areas through digitalisation, modern technology and telemedicine.

Islamabad: The Sensitive Price Indicator (SPI)-based weekly inflation decreased by 0.45 percent during the week ended on July 9, 2026, for the combined consumption group, the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) reported Friday.

According to PBS data, the SPI for the week under review fell to 352.66 points from 354.24 points recorded in the previous week. On a year-on-year basis, the SPI increased by 11.94 percent.

The weekly SPI, with base year 2015-16=100, covers 17 urban centres and 51 essential items for all expenditure groups.

The SPI for the lowest consumption group (up to Rs 17,732) declined by 0.36 percent to 342.98 points from 344.22 points.

Likewise, the SPI for consumption groups of Rs 17,733-22,888, Rs 22,889-29,517 and Rs 29,518-44,175 and above Rs 44,175 decreased by 0.33 percent, 0.32 percent, 0.33 percent and 0.55 respectively.

During the week, out of 51 items, prices of 22 items (43.14 percent) increased, eight items (15.69 percent) decreased, while 21 items (41.17 percent) remained unchanged.

On a week-on-week basis, the prices of tomatoes witnessed the sharpest decline of 23.30 percent, followed by LPG 15.12 percent, pulse moong 2.15 percent, petrol 0.69 percent, diesel 0.63 percent, pulse masoor 0.52 percent, sugar 0.07 percent and mustard oil 0.06 percent.

On the other hand, prices of potatoes increased by 3.94 percent, followed by chicken 3.70 percent, onions 3.54 percent, wheat flour 1.61 percent, eggs 0.81 percent, beef 0.59 percent, cooked daal 0.58 percent, fresh milk 0.50 percent and washing soap 0.44 percent.

On a year-on-year basis, prices of potatoes declined by 35.89 percent, followed by pulse gram 22.23 percent, chicken 21.32 percent, sugar 20.98 percent, salt powder 14.09 percent, pulse masoor 12.93 percent, eggs 9.23 percent and pulse moong 7.70 percent over the corresponding week of last year.

Major annual increases were recorded in the prices of tomatoes by 129.01 percent, followed by onions 76.34 percent, wheat flour 71.22 percent, electricity charges for Q1 49.14 percent, gas charges for Q1 29.85 percent, LPG 25.51 percent, gents sponge chappal 16.69 percent, mutton 16.36 percent, chilies powder 15.20 percent, beef 13.56 percent, bananas 9.96 percent and bread 9.69 percent, according to the PBS.

Islamabad: The Commission on Science and Technology for Sustainable Development in the South (COMSATS), in collaboration with its technology partner KHASTECH Solutions Friday launched KALAAM, an indigenous Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) virtual meetings platform designed to provide secure, scalable, economical and locally optimized digital communication services.

The platform was launched following the signing of an agreement between COMSATS Executive Director Ambassador Dr. Mohammad Nafees Zakaria and Chief Executive Officer of KHASTECH Solutions Brig. Dr. M. Ashraf at the COMSATS Secretariat.

The agreement signing ceremony was witnessed by senior officials from the COMSATS Secretariat, KHASTECH Solutions and COMSATS Internet Services (CIS).

The participants said KALAAM had been developed as an enterprise-grade virtual meetings solution with a strong emphasis on data sovereignty, advanced security and high performance, making it an ideal choice for government institutions, financial organizations, the education sector and corporate environments.

They said one of the key distinguishing features of KALAAM was its adoption of locally hosted infrastructure, ensuring that organizational data remained within the country.

This approach enhances regulatory compliance, strengthens data protection and supports national digital security objectives.

By keeping all data within the country, the platform provides complete control, compliance readiness and enhanced protection for sensitive communications, making it particularly suitable for government entities, banks and other critical organizations where data security is of paramount importance.

The platform incorporates end-to-end encryption and secure authentication protocols, enabling organizations to maintain strict governance, oversight and confidentiality of communications.

KALAAM offers a comprehensive range of advanced collaboration features, including high-definition video conferencing, screen sharing, interactive whiteboards, session recording and virtual classroom tools.

It also supports multiple concurrent meeting rooms, enabling organizations to efficiently conduct parallel meetings, training sessions, webinars and large-scale online events under a single account.

Designed specifically to adapt to the country’s network conditions, the platform delivers stable performance even in low-bandwidth environments, helping organizations maintain seamless communication across diverse geographic regions without compromising quality or reliability.

To meet varying enterprise requirements, KALAAM offers flexible deployment options, including cloud, private cloud and on-premise installations, allowing organizations to align the solution with their operational, infrastructure and security requirements. In addition, a dedicated local technical team will provide rapid support, deployment assistance and customization services for institutional clients.

According to COMSATS, KALAAM has been purpose-built to serve government departments and regulatory bodies, banks and financial institutions, universities and educational organizations, as well as corporate and enterprise sectors requiring secure and reliable virtual collaboration.

With the launch of KALAAM, COMSATS said it had reinforced its commitment to strengthening the country’s digital ecosystem by delivering a platform where organizational data remains within the country.

The initiative aims to support technological independence, improve cybersecurity resilience and provide institutions with a

trusted indigenous alternative for secure virtual meetings and digital collaboration.

Islamabad: The prices of gold witnessed a significant decrease in the local market on Friday, with the price of 24-karat gold per tola decreased by Rs1,400 to settle at Rs432,436, according to rates issued by the All Pakistan Sarafa Gems and Jewellers Association.

Similarly, the price of 10 grams of 24-karat gold decreased by Rs1,200 to Rs370,744, while the price of 10 grams of 22-karat gold went down by Rs1,100 to Rs339,861.

In the international market, the price of gold decreased by $14 to settle at $4,100 per ounce.

Meanwhile, the price of silver per tola increased by Rs11 to Rs6,432, while the price of 10 grams of silver also went up by Rs10 to Rs5,514.

The price of silver in the international market increased by $0.11 to at $59.53 per ounce, the association reported.

Islamabad: Candidate for the position of United Nations Secretary-General, Macky Sall along with Former President of Guinea-Bissau Gen. Umaro Embal³, called on Deputy Prime Minister/Foreign Minister Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar on Friday and discussed matters of mutual interest.

DPM/FM reiterated Pakistan’s steadfast commitment to multilateralism and support for the central role of the United Nations in the global system.

DPM/FM called for upholding the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, ensuring respect for international law and treaties, and the faithful implementation of UN Security Council resolutions, especially on Palestine and Jammu and Kashmir, for global peace and security.

He expressed the hope that, under the leadership of the incoming Secretary-General, the UN would continue to adapt itself to address emerging global challenges and advance the global development agenda.