Overview
- The benchmark closed at 156,733, down 1,732 points, after swinging from an intraday high of 159,507 to a low near 156,328.
- Brokers tied the decline to geopolitical strain following failed Islamabad–Kabul negotiations, with institutional selling, margin calls and profit taking accelerating losses.
- Heavyweights including Engro, Bank of Punjab, Systems, UBL, MCB, Thal, Bank Alfalah, Mari Petroleum, Service Industries and PPL collectively shaved about 1,538 points from the index.
- Trading remained active with roughly 846.8 million shares changing hands for Rs37.5 billion, underscoring a volatility-heavy session.
- Macro signals framed the backdrop as the government raised Rs1.057 trillion in a T‑bill auction, SBP FX purchases over the past year totaled $7.15 billion, and NCCPL recorded Rs657.7 million in net foreign buying.