$7.4bn backing for such firms higher than IMF bailout as reform pressure mounts
A man in Karachi uses a battery-operated fan to cool off during a power outage in the June heat of 2025. Pakistan’s electricity companies are struggling with dilapidated infrastructure blamed for frequent outages. © Reuters
ADNAN AAMIR
February 26, 2026 10:25 JST
ISLAMABAD — Pakistan’s latest report on state-owned enterprises lays bare the scale of public money flowing into loss-making companies, strengthening the argument for privatization and deeper structural reform, analysts say, particularly as the country remains under the scrutiny of the International Monetary Fund.