ISLAMABAD: Claiming a rare Rs1.5 trillion federal fiscal surplus — instead of usual deficits — in the first quarter of the current fiscal year, the government on Monday conceded rising prices of essential commodities due to supply disruptions caused by floods and closure of the Pak-Afghan border.

“Flood-related supply disruptions and temporary border closures have put upward pressure on prices of a few essential commodities”, said the Ministry of Finance (MoF) in its Monthly Economic Update & Outlook – October 2025. However, it claimed inflation would remain in the target range of 5-6pc this month, which had already reached 5.6pc in September, against the MoF’s forecast of 3.5-4.5pc made on Sept 30.

The MoF said net federal revenues surged by 231.4pc to Rs3.27 trillion in the first........

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