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NHA stays govt’s biggest fiscal drain despite higher tolls

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• Accumulated losses hit Rs2.07tr by June 2025; half of it piled up in just three years
• Outstanding loans stand near Rs3.1tr, debt rising Rs300bn a year
• Financing cost reaches Rs210bn in FY25, highest among SOEs

ISLAMABAD: Carrying the largest outstanding loan portfolio on its books and a negative return on assets, the National Highway Authority (NHA) — the country’s logistics backbone — is the single largest entity bleeding the federal budget, exposing Pakistan to substantial fiscal risk despite the recent doubling of tolls.

The NHA is the “largest loss-maker”, operating on a “structural deficit model and reliant on budgetary support”, the Central Monitoring Unit (CMU) of the Ministry of Finance said in its Annual Aggregate Report on state-owned enterprises (SOEs) for the year ended June 30, 2025.

With accumulated losses of Rs2.074 trillion, the entity that owns and operates all the national highways and motorways accrued around Rs1.004tr in the last three years alone — about Rs295 billion each in FY24 and FY25 and Rs413bn in FY23.

Moreover, it stands out at the top of the SOE list, with the largest accrued financing cost of Rs210bn in FY25, as its toll revenue remains unaligned with debt servicing, leading to fiscal dependence and sovereign guarantee exposure.

“Currently, the NHA holds outstanding loans totalling approximately Rs3.1tr, with an annual debt accretion rate of Rs300bn. This debt portfolio generates Rs98bn in markup, which is expected to rise to more than Rs150bn per annum, creating a substantial credit risk for the government of Pakistan (GoP), which guarantees these loans”, the CMA said.

It said the presence of sovereign guarantees for public-private partnership (PPP) contracts added further financial strain, amplifying the government’s credit risk exposure.

With more than Rs115 billion in loans given by the federal government last year, it is also among the top borrowers. On the other hand, its net assets remained almost static over the last three years, actually declining slightly from Rs5.84tr in FY23 to Rs5.83tr in FY25. Its total equity has been declining over time from Rs2.57tr in FY23 to Rs2.27tr in FY24 and Rs1.95tr in FY25.

Conversely, NHA’s total liabilities have been increasing, making it the single-largest entity to accrue current liabilities. Its total liabilities amounted to Rs3.27tr in FY23, increasing to Rs3.54tr in FY24 and reaching Rs3.88tr by the end of FY25.

The CMU observed that National Highway Authority’s 2025 performance underscored its strategic importance yet exposed growing fiscal vulnerability. “Despite an impressive surge in toll revenues and build, own and transfer (BOT) project inflows, the authority continues to operate under a persistent deficit, driven by high depreciation and finance costs,” it said.

Operating income rose sharply to Rs83.1bn in FY25 (against Rs42.4bn in FY24), propelled by the doubling of toll income to Rs64.4bn. However, the overall income of Rs119.7bn remained insufficient against total expenditures of Rs408.1bn. Consequently, the deficit before levy and taxation stood at Rs292.98bn and the deficit after tax at Rs294.86bn, reflecting continued structural stress.

It noted that two critical components eroded National Highway Authority’s profitability. These include depreciation expense of Rs133.8bn, reflecting a heavily capital-intensive asset base and growing maintenance backlog and Rs193.5bn finance cost, up from Rs182bn last year, highlighting the escalating burden of debt and interest rate exposure.

The CMU advised diversification of funding sources through infrastructure bonds targeted at domestic institutional investors and international development markets.

It said the expansion of public-private partnerships for new road construction, maintenance outsourcing and service area development can shift part of the fiscal and operational burden to the private sector while improving efficiency and service quality.

The CMU also called for renegotiating loan terms with lenders to extend maturities, reduce interest rates or convert debt into quasi-equity instruments to create immediate fiscal space.

Published in Dawn, February 16th, 2026



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Bears wipe out over 5,000 points from KSE-100 as index closes in the red

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Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) benchmark index, the KSE-100, closed in the red, down 5,149.80 points from its previous close.

The index lost 2.87 per cent from its previous close of 179,603.73 points to close at 174,453.93 points.

Trading volumes stood at 378,714,148 at a value of Rs37,382,003,783.

The intraday high was 179,969.22 points, and the intraday low was 173,574.26, representing a heightened amount of volatility.

The 1-year change was a positive 55.64pc while the year-to-date change was a rise of 0.23pc.

The top active stocks were led by K-Electric Limited, falling 4.91pc to Rs8.13 at a volume of 63,826,098, followed by Worldcall Telecom Limited falling 6.13pc to Rs1.53 at a volume of 62,243,488, and Bank of Punjab, falling 8.55pc to Rs33.25 at a volume of 56,166,941.

The top advancing stocks were led by Trust Securities & Brokerage Limited, rising 19.90pc to Rs2.29, followed by 786 Investments Limited, rising 10.03pc to Rs17.88, and Tariq Corporation Limited(Pref), rising 10.01pc to Rs16.93.

The top decliners were LSE Capital Limited (Right), down 22.61pc to Rs1.78; Gulistan Spinning Mills Limited, down 12.09pc to Rs11.58, and Kohinoor Industries Limited, down 10.01pc to Rs50.27.

Bears remained dominant in the market last week, with Topline Securities noting that the ongoing negative momentum was due to the “ongoing result session, where corporate results fell short of investors’ expectations”.



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International oil prices steady as traders brace for US–Iran nuclear talks

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Oil traded little changed on Monday, with investors weighing the market implications of upcoming US-Iran talks aimed at de-escalating tensions against a backdrop of expected supply increases from the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and allies (Opec+).

Brent crude futures edged up 3 cents to $67.78 a barrel by 03:58 GMT.

US West Texas Intermediate crude was at $62.91 a barrel, up 2 cents. There will be no WTI settlement on Monday due to a US holiday.

Last week, both benchmarks posted weekly declines, with Brent settling down about 0.5 per cent and WTI losing 1pc after comments from US President Donald Trump that Washington could make a deal with Tehran over the next month drove down prices on Thursday.

The two countries are due to hold a second round of talks in Geneva on Tuesday after renewing negotiations earlier this month aimed at tackling their decades-long dispute over Tehran’s nuclear programme and averting a new military confrontation.

Iran is pursuing a nuclear agreement with the US that delivers economic benefits for both sides, with energy and mining investments and aircraft purchases up for discussion, an Iranian diplomat was reported as saying on Sunday.

“With both sides expected to hold firm on their core red lines, expectations are low that a deal can be reached, and this is likely to be the calm before the storm,” IG market analyst Tony Sycamore said.

The US has dispatched a second aircraft carrier to the region and is preparing for the possibility of a sustained military campaign if the talks do not succeed, US officials have told Reuters. Iran’s Revolutionary Guards have warned that in case of strikes on Iranian territory, they could retaliate against any US military base.

With US-Iran tensions pushing up oil prices, Opec+ is leaning toward resuming output increases from April following a three-month halt, to meet peak summer demand, Reuters reported.

Activity in global financial markets is expected to be muted on Monday, with China, South Korea, and Taiwan closed for Lunar New Year holidays, in addition to Presidents Day in the United States.

“With Chinese demand cues largely absent this week, liquidity remains thin, and price action could stay erratic,” said Sugandha Sachdeva, founder of SS WealthStreet, a New Delhi-based research firm.

In the near term, geopolitical developments and inventory data will remain the primary drivers of volatility, keeping crude vulnerable to sharp two-way swings, Sachdeva added.



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KSE-100 crashes over 6000 points during intraday trading

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Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) benchmark index, the KSE-100, was down 6029.47 points to 173,574.26 points by 3:00pm on Monday.

The index lost 3.36 per cent from its previous close of 179,603.73 at a trading volume of 302,069,750, and a value of 29,648,678,639.

The top active stocks were led by K-Electric Limited, falling 3.98pc to Rs8.21 at a volume of 48,142,642, followed by Hum Network Limited rising 4.92pc to Rs12.80 at a volume of 44,299,472, and Worldcall Telecom Limited, falling 4.91pc to Rs1.55 at a volume of 43,653,827.

The top advancing stocks were led by Trust Securities & Brokerage Limited, rising 19.37 to Rs2.28, followed by 786 Investments Limited, rising 10.03 to Rs17.88, and Agritech Non-Voting (Pref) Class A, rising 10.01 to Rs38.67.

The top decliners were LSE Capital Limited.(Right), down 16.96pc to Rs1.91; Gulistan Spinning Mills Limited, down 12.09pc to Rs6.91; and EKohinoor Industries Limited, down 10.01pc to Rs50.27.

Bears remained dominant in the market last week, with Topline Securities noting that the ongoing negative momentum was due to the “ongoing result session, where corporate results fell short of investors’ expectations”.



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