Peshawar: Governor Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Haji Ghulam Ali Sunday visited the historical Sarkai Gate (Thandakoi) market in the inner city and met with the shopkeepers, traders and people from different walks of life.

In order to be safe from financial losses, he also appealed to take possible precautions including implementation of safety measures.

The local population, business community, shopkeepers expressed their happiness and paid tribute to the Governor to visit the inner city.

The traders, shopkeepers and people from different walks of life appreciated the Governor for visiting and meeting with common people. It is for the first time that a Governor suddenly reached among the common people that is why (Haji Ghulam Ali) has earned the title of People’s Governor across the province.

The citizens and businessmen expressed their happiness seeing the governor suddenly present in their midst and also informed the Governor about various problems and difficulties they are faced with.

The people of the area said that Governor Haji Ghulam Ali not only met with the people himself, but also given easy access to the political and social personalities, including the general public to the Governor’s House, which is highly commendable.

 Meanwhile, the Governor shook hands with the shopkeepers, met with them and got information about their problems and issues. He assured of his full cooperation to solve these problems on priority basis.

The people, traders and shopkeepers thanked the Governor who himself came and met with them to listen to their problem. It was for the first time that a Governor without any protocol, visited the inner city and met with the common people of the historical walled City Peshawar.

Karachi: Governor State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) Jameel Ahmad said that the firm commitment of the government and the SBP to respond to the macroeconomic challenges has resulted in significant improvement and Pakistan’s economy is on the path to recovery amid global challenges.

The SBP governor, while delivering a keynote address to the Members Convocation of ICMA Pakistan late Saturday night, elaborated on the recent improvement in Pakistan’s economy and shared that it is worth taking a step back and analysing where our economy is standing and where it is headed.

Referring to the challenging macroeconomic environment Pakistan was facing a year ago, he said that inflation had reached 38 per cent, the FX reserves were fast depleting, the exchange rate was under a lot of pressure and uncertainty was quite high.

However, today, inflation is coming down sharply, our reserves have risen to around US$8 billion despite heavy debt repayments and will so cross the $ 9 billion mark, the current account deficit has narrowed quite significantly, and as a result, the PKR is stable while the stock market is reaching new highs, Jameel Ahmed stated adding that uncertainty has also reduced and Pakistan’s bilateral and multilateral partners are continuing their support.

The governor, while citing Pakistan’s economic improvements, shared that progress was made possible because of a firm commitment of the government and the State Bank of Pakistan to effectively respond to the macroeconomic challenges.

“Unpopular yet necessary measures had to be taken as the State Bank raised the policy rate to 22 per cent, in order to reduce pressure on inflation and the current account,” the SBP governor said and added that the government also undertook fiscal consolidation by constraining non-essential current expenditures and the coordinated policy response was now yielding the desired results.

Governor SBP stressed the need for fresh perspectives and innovative solutions to address the longstanding issues facing our economy and said that fresh perspectives and innovative thinking have become more necessary, as the global shocks facing our economy are getting increasingly complex. He shared that climate change, technological advancements, cyber security threats, and financial innovations are adding new dimensions to the risks to economic and financial stability.

Governor Jameel Ahmad congratulated the graduating accounting professionals and encouraged them to make a mark for themselves and proactively respond to the emerging challenges as our country needs professionals with in-depth knowledge of economics, finance and accounting to find workable solutions.

He said that leadership skills are also paramount to designing and implementing the policy and regulatory decisions with courage and fortitude. In conclusion, the Governor encouraged the graduates to work with dedication, hard work, and unwavering commitment to excellence to help in shaping the economic landscape of Pakistan.

Earlier, President ICMA Pakistan Shehzad Ahmed Malik extended a warm welcome to Governor SBP Jameel Ahmed, Deputy Governor Dr. Inayat Hussain and Deputy Governor Saleem Ullah for attending the Convocation. He congratulated the SBP team on their efforts for stabilizing the economy.

In the end, Governor SBP bestowed degrees upon the graduating CMAs.

Lahore: All three matches of third round of President's Cup One-Day Tournament in Abbottabad and Rawalpindi were abandoned without a ball being bowled.

KRL and HEC shared points in Abbottabad, SNGPL and SBP shared points at Shoaib Akhtar Cricket Stadium in Rawalpindi, while Ghani Glass and Pakistan Television also shared points at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium, Rawalpindi.

Fourth round fixtures for Tuesday: SBP v WAPDA, Shoaib Akhtar Cricket Stadium; Ghani Glass v HEC, Abbottabad Cricket Stadium; SNGPL v KRL, Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium