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PTCL approves acquisition of Telenor Pakistan

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  • Board approves making binding offer for acquisition.
  • Earlier PTCL gave non-binding offer to Telenor.
  • Offer will be likely made on September 1 or 2.

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited (PTCL) has announced its board’s decision approving the acquisition of a telecom company, Telenor Pakistan — a cellular and digital services provider.

The development by the telecommunication authority, according to The News, was confirmed on Tuesday following its board’s approval for making a binding offer to finalise the purchase.

The PTCL, earlier, gave a non-binding offer to the company. The authority will now make a binding offer after getting a confirmation from the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) with regard to the mode of payment.

The offer is likely to be made to Telenor Pakistan on September 1 or 2.

Telenor Pakistan has also received a bidding offer from a Lebanese investor and the company will now take the final decision.

The sources said that the sale of Telenor Pakistan is expected to be finalised somewhere between $500 to $700 million.

The PTCL communique sent out to the Pakistan Stock Exchange on Tuesday stated that after a due diligence process, the board of directors on August 29, 2023, authorised the company to make a binding offer to the target firm.

At the start of the year, the PTCL made a non-binding offer to acquire Telenor Pakistan after eyeing to buy it at a possible price range of $800 million to $1.2 billion.

The PTCL’s board of directors, which gave a nod to acquiring majority shares of Telenor, was interested in buying the cellular company with management control.

Etisalat, the PTCL’s parent company, gave guarantees to raise commercial loans to finalise the deal. 

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Pakistan’s gold prices are still declining; see the most recent

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The price of 10-gram gold reduced by Rs943 to settle at Rs207,733, while the price of gold dropped by Rs1200 to close at Rs242,300 a tola, according to the Sindh Sarafa Jewellers Association.

In the global market, the price of the precious metal fell by $10 to $2,349 per ounce, resulting in losses.

At 04:48 GMT, the spot price of gold had dropped by 0.2% to $2,354.77 per ounce. In the previous session, prices reached a two-week high.

American gold futures dropped 0.6% to $2,361.

Spot silver decreased by 0.4% to $28.03 per ounce, while palladium remained steady at $978.03 and platinum decreased by 0.1% to $992.89.

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Pakistan and the IMF begin talks for a new loan.

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Pakistan is requesting a $6 to $8 billion bailout package from the international lender over the next three to four years to address its financial troubles.

A mission team led by Nathan Porter, the IMF’s Mission Chief in Pakistan, is meeting with a Pakistani delegation led by Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb.

According to sources familiar with the situation, Islamabad may face more difficult options, such as raising power and gas bills.

Mr. Aurganzeb informed the IMF team that the country’s economy has improved as a result of the IMF loan package, and Islamabad is ready to sign a new loan programme to further develop.

The IMF mission expressed satisfaction with Islamabad’s efforts to revive the country’s struggling economy.

The IMF praised Pakistan’s economic growth in its staff report earlier this week, but warned that the outlook remains challenging, with very high downside risks.

The country nearly avoided collapse last summer, and its $350 billion economy has stabilized since the end of the last IMF program, with inflation falling to roughly 17% in April from a record high of 38% last May.

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Petrol prices are likely to drop significantly beginning May 16.

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According to sources, the government is set to decrease petrol prices by Rs 14 per litre and diesel prices by Rs 10 on May 16 for the next fortnight’s revision.

Last month, the government reduced the price of fuel and high-speed diesel by Rs5.45 and Rs8.42 per fortnight, respectively.

The current fuel price is Rs288.49 per litre, while the HSD price is Rs281.96.

Meanwhile, oil prices fell further on Monday, as signs of sluggish fuel consumption and comments from U.S. Federal Reserve officials dimmed optimism for interest rate reduction, which may slow growth and reduce fuel demand in the world’s largest economy.

Brent crude prices down 25 cents, or 0.3%, to $82.54 a barrel, while US West Texas Intermediate crude futures fell 19 cents, or 0.2%, to $78.07 per barrel.

Oil prices also declined on signals of poor demand, according to ANZ analysts, as gasoline and distillate inventories in the United States increased in the week before the start of the driving season.

Refiners throughout the world are dealing with falling diesel profitability as new refineries increase supply and warm weather in the northern hemisphere and weak economic activity reduce demand.

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