Pakistan’s industrial sector has been quietly building something that analysts have been waiting years to see: a recovery that doesn’t fall apart after one good month. Large-Scale Manufacturing grew 6.5% year-on-year in February 2026, pushing the eight-month cumulative figure for FY26 to 5.9% — a number that, by Pakistan’s recent standards, deserves more attention than it’s getting.

For anyone who has watched this economy through its cycles of boom, bust, and IMF bailout, the instinct is scepticism. A good print here, a favourable base effect there — Pakistan has been down this road before. But what stands out in February’s data isn’t just the headline number. It’s the spread. Automobiles surged 28.7%, sugar jumped 29.3%, food was up 13.9%, petroleum products climbed 14%, cement added 8.3%, and non-metallic minerals rose 7.6%. That’s not one sector catching fire. That’s an economy finding its footing across the board.

The automobile number, as........

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