{
  "id": 15633280,
  "title": "Pakistan’s Growth Slows as Hormuz Crisis Hits Industry",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/19/pakistans-growth-slows-as-hormuz-crisis-hits-industry",
  "topic": "finance",
  "section": "Finance & Markets",
  "published": "2026-10-19T17:30:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "OilPrice",
    "slug": "oilprice",
    "url": "https://oilprice.com/Latest-Energy-News/World-News/Pakistans-Growth-Slows-as-Hormuz-Crisis-Hits-Industry.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The conflict in the Middle East poses a threat to Pakistan's slow recovery, assisted by the International Monetary Fund. The surge in energy prices and the irregular LNG supply from Qatar have caused GDP growth to fall far below predictions. Pakistan's economy expanded by 2.0% in the quarter ending June, the fourth quarter of its fiscal year 2026, as reported by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics. This growth was significantly slower compared to the 4.42% growth observed in the first quarter and below the 3.5% growth expected in a Bloomberg survey of economists. For the full fiscal year 2026, Pakistan anticipates a GDP growth rate of 3.65%, slightly lower than the previously estimated 3.70%. Although the economy performed well overall, the fourth quarter suffered due to high energy costs, impacting industry and straining Pakistan's budget framework. Industry contracted by 4.7% in the fourth quarter, while agriculture and services grew by more than 3.5%. In the coming months, Pakistan faces challenges with potential natural gas shortages due to the ongoing disruption at the Strait of Hormuz, as confirmed by the head of the Pakistani state-owned LNG importer. Last year, Pakistan relied primarily on Qatar for its LNG imports, accounting for 99% of its total. This year, the country has had to resort to expensive spot purchases, driving up power generation costs and potentially increasing the import bill to over $1 billion to secure LNG for the upcoming months.",
  "summary": "The Middle East crisis is threatening Pakistan’s tentative recovery from the brink with the help of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), as soaring energy prices and the lack of regular LNG supply from Qatar dragged growth in gross domestic product (GDP) well below analyst estimates. Pakistan’s economy grew by 2.0% in the quarter ended June, which is the fourth quarter of its fiscal year 2026,…",
  "key_points": [
    "Pakistan's GDP growth slows to 2.0% in Q2 2026",
    "Energy price surge and irregular LNG supply impact industry",
    "Strait of Hormuz disruption threatens natural gas shortages"
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}