Economic Affairs Division | Pakistan

• NA panel seeks cheaper financing for Lyari freight corridor • Voices concern over K-IV delays, funding shortfall ISLAMABAD: The Economic Affairs Division (EAD) on Wednesday warned a parliamentary panel that any renewed US-Iran escalation could adversely affect Pakistan’s economy through higher energy costs, inflation, increased external financing needs and slower economic growth. Against this backdrop, the National Assembly Standing Committee on Economic Affairs Division, led by Mirza Ikhtiar Baig, advised the government to evaluate all possible cost-effective options for the construction of the multi-billion-rupee Lyari Elevated Freight Corridor (LEFC) before entering into stringent loan conditions with the Korean Exim Bank. The committee also expressed concern over delays and cost overruns in the Karachi Greater Water Supply Project (K-IV). The EAD team, comprising parliamentary secretary Zeb Jaffar and federal secretary Humair Karim, informed the committee that Pakistan entered 2026 with improving macroe...