Policy gaps amplify the damage
Weeks earlier the State Bank raised the cash‑transaction reporting threshold from Rs 2 million to Rs 3 million. While the move was touted as easing compliance, it effectively shields larger, illicit cash flows from scrutiny, allowing market manipulators to move money under the radar. The policy change, announced by Fazal Nadeem on X, was not accompanied by any strengthening of market surveillance – a missed opportunity to curb the very profit‑taking that hurt everyday investors.
Missed industrial promise
On the same day Sazgar Engineering celebrated the opening of its electric‑vehicle plant in Biñan, Laguna, Philippines – a milestone that could have signalled a new export‑driven growth engine for Pakistan. Yet the market’s focus remained on short‑term price swings, ignoring the long‑term jobs and technology transfer the plant promises.
Retail investors left with a bruised balance sheet
ILP shares closed at Rs 98.18, a modest gain that belies the broader market gloom. Even such bright spots cannot offset the systemic erosion of confidence caused by unchecked profit‑taking and lax regulation.
