Debt, liabilities near Rs100tr

The Express Tribune reported that Pakistan's total debt and liabilities reached Rs99.6 trillion by June 2026, according to the State Bank's latest debt bulletin. The figure rose by Rs5.2 trillion, or 5.5 per cent, during fiscal year 2025-26, and public debt accounted for 87 per cent of the total. Servicing those obligations cost Rs12 trillion over the same year, which was Rs1.2 trillion less than the previous year.

Measured against the economy, total debt and liabilities fell to 78.5 per cent of gross domestic product, an improvement of 4.2 per cent within a year. That ratio, however, remains far above what is generally considered viable for a developing economy with few resources. Interest costs fell to Rs7.3 trillion from Rs9.5 trillion a year earlier, yet interest remains the largest budget expense, with Rs8 trillion projected for the current fiscal year.

Gross public debt rose by Rs6.2 trillion to Rs86.7 trillion, while its ratio to GDP eased from 70.6 to 68.3 per cent. Debt owed to the IMF jumped 17 per cent to Rs3.1 trillion, and external debt and liabilities reached $138.6 billion. Separately, a US State Department report on budget transparency said Pakistan had not published its executive budget proposal within a reasonable period and had made limited debt data public.