Despite the government’s efforts to reform status of the Pakistani passport, Henley Passport Index has ranked the country’s passport as fourth weakest in the world, behind only war-torn Syria, Afghanistan and Iraq. The index assesses the travel documents based on how many countries citizens can access without a visa, as well as, using information from the International Air Transport Association.

The federal government has deferred approval of Rs192 billion worth of Hyderabad-Sukkur motorway project due to proposed changes in its financing model. The project now seeks Rs76 billion from the budget compared to the original plan of constructing the road with private sector funding. The project was initially expected to be completed at a cost of Rs165 billion, which has now increased to Rs191.5 billion.

Pakistan saw an increase of 26% in remittances, with a record run of above $2 billion in remittances for the 10th consecutive month in March, the State Bank of Pakistan said Monday. Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates (UAE) continued to maintain the top spots as key contributors of remittances to Pakistan for the fiscal year 2021, central bank data showed.

Pakistan is set to become the world’s 23rd biggest economy by 2040 based on its predicted gross domestic product (GDP) rank which currently sits at 39th position, according to a United States intelligence report. The assessment was included in this year’s Global Trends report by US National Intelligence Council (NIC). The NIC is issued every four years.