Federal govt borrows Rs 858 billion in five months

ISLAMABAD: The government has taken a total of Rs 858 billion during the first five months of the current fiscal year.

The private channel quoted official documents as saying that Rs 144 billion was borrowed in the month of November alone, while Rs 741 billion was borrowed in the same period of the previous fiscal year.

An additional Rs 117 billion was borrowed during July to November of the current fiscal year compared to the previous fiscal year.

An additional $ 40 million was borrowed in November compared to October 2025.

$314.5 million was obtained under bilateral and multilateral agreements during November.

According to the report of the Economic Affairs Division, this increase in loans was made to meet the government’s financial needs and ongoing projects.

Earlier, The Asian Development Bank (ADB) approved a $330 million loan to improve Pakistan’s national power transmission system.

The project will build a new 290-kilometer 500 kV transmission line and upgrade key grid stations in Islamabad and Faisalabad.

The project will help the country deliver up to 3,200 MW of affordable electricity, which will reduce dependence on imported fuel and bring stability to the energy sector.

The bank’s financing includes an OCR loan of $285 million and a concessional loan of $45 million. The new line is expected to reduce line losses and increase grid reliability.

According to the Asian Development Bank, the project will also strengthen energy sector reforms and financial stability in line with Pakistan’s National Power Policy 2021 and Vision 2025, while better integration of affordable electricity is expected to reduce average costs