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COVID-19 will push Pakistan into major recession: World Bank

PAKISTAN may fall into a recession due to the impact of COVID-19 pandemic, and the economy might shrink 2.2 per cent, a World Bank report has said.

It also predicted a steep fall in per capita income.


The total death in Pakistan due to COVID-19 has touched 100 on Tuesday (14) with 5,812 patients.

Earlier, the global body had estimated that the country would grow one per cent in 2019-20.

The World Bank projected a decline in Pakistan's national output in the range of 1.3 to 2.2 per cent.

“Pakistan, which has already experienced low growth rates in recent years, could well fall into a recession”, noted the report. With 1.8% population growth, that would imply a painful decline in per capita income, it added.

Meanwhile Prime Minister Imran Khan has admitted that Pakistan was a nuclear state but it was strange that it could not make its own ventilators and test kits and had to import them.

Pakistan has a population of 212 million.

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Russian oil producers

This also aligns with US sanctions on major Russian oil producers Rosneft and Lukoil, set to take effect on Friday.

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Reliance halts Russian oil imports at export refinery amid global pressure

Highlights

  • Reliance Industries has stopped importing Russian crude oil for its export-only refining unit at Jamnagar in Gujarat.
  • The European Union has barred the import of fuel made from Russian crude, starting January 2026.
  • India's crude oil imports from Russia have surged from 2.5 per cent before the 2022 Ukraine war to around 35.8 per cent in 2024-25.
Reliance Industries, owned by billionaire Mukesh Ambani, has stopped importing Russian crude oil for its export-only refinery at Jamnagar in Gujarat.

Reliance said the move aims to comply with an EU ban on fuel imports made from Russian oil through third countries, which takes effect next year. It also aligns with US sanctions on major Russian oil producers Rosneft and Lukoil, set to take effect on Friday.

"This transition has been completed ahead of schedule to ensure full compliance with product-import restrictions coming into force on 21 January 2026," Reliance said in a statement.

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