In crisis-hit Pakistan, rogue loan apps add to financial pain

A vendor selling stones waits for customers at a market in Lahore on May 29, 2023. (AFP)
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Updated 31 May 2023
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In crisis-hit Pakistan, rogue loan apps add to financial pain

  • Experts say poor digital literacy has made people in Pakistan vulnerable to apps that promise quick solutions
  • People from low-income segments are vulnerable to rogue apps since banks don’t offer loans for smaller durations

LAHORE: Unemployed Pakistani software engineer Ali thought he had found a way to pay his overdue electricity bill when he took a small, 30-day loan from a digital lending app late last year.

The money landed in his account minutes after completing the application – a big draw of the lending apps that are spreading fast among lower-income Pakistanis grappling with an economic crisis and a dearth of accessible bank loans.

“In only 10 minutes, the 15,000 Pakistani rupees ($53) that I had applied for was in my account minus the processing fee,” the 30-year-old, asking not to use his real name, told the Thomson Reuters Foundation as he sat in his brother’s garment factory in Lahore, Pakistan’s second-biggest city.

But just seven days later, his relief turned to fear as he received calls demanding the money back immediately or ordering him to pay a penalty for a one-week extension.

“They phoned me and my contacts even on Sundays, hurling threats and abuse. It got so stressful I took the offer of another lending app to pay off the loan,” he said.

The new lender also turned out to be unscrupulous and charged a sky-high interest rate, meaning his initial 15,000-rupee loan ending up costing him 230,000 rupees.

Experiences like his are increasingly common as more people in the country of 220 million turn to dozens of mobile-based lenders, creating fertile ground for scams and fraudsters, digital rights and consumer defense groups say.

Many of the apps are regulated, but they too are the source of hundreds of complaints filed so far this year with the country’s capital market regulator, the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan.

DATA ABUSE, BLACKMAIL

Reflecting a jump in smartphone use, the number of Pakistanis using personal finance apps more than doubled to 19 percent in 2022 from two years earlier, boosting low rates of financial inclusion, found a survey earlier this year by Karandaaz Pakistan, a nonprofit.

But while the apps offer quick, collateral-free credit to the largely unbanked, the boom has led to a surge in complaints about illegal lenders that routinely abuse customers’ data and use aggressive recovery tactics including threats and blackmail.

The country’s capital market regulator, the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan, had by May received 1,415 such complaints against licensed digital lenders and 181 against unlicensed ones, and federal police are investigating apps involved in blackmailing clients.

Many more cases likely go unreported, said Nighat Dad, a lawyer who runs the Digital Rights Foundation, a Pakistan-based non-profit, which has been documenting abuses involving loan apps – from excessive interest rates to demands for early payment and blackmail using customers’ personal contacts.

Many of the apps do not include contact details, making it impossible for aggrieved customers to seek redress.

Dad said poor digital literacy had made people vulnerable to apps that promise quick solutions.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, smartphone use has surged in Pakistan as elsewhere, making mobile-based lending apps more accessible for people seeking “emergency financing,” said Raja Ateeq Ahmed, an official at the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan.

The loan apps are also cashing in due to the cumbersome process and bureaucratic hurdles involved in getting a bank loan, industry experts say.

“Banks require income statements and have a strict, rather discouraging, regime for people in need of money. Also, banks do not offer small loans or loans for shorter terms such as for a week or for a month,” said Fahd Ali, who teaches at the Information Technology University in Lahore.

EXTORTION MONEY

Another Lahore resident, a 26-year-old woman who asked not to be named, said she rued the day she had registered herself on a loan application she came across while browsing social media.

She did not apply for a loan but received a deposit of 10,000 rupees in her bank account several days later, a sum she promptly returned.

“Denying receiving any money from me, first they persistently contacted me and then pestered my friends and family exploiting the access granted to my contact lists ... hurling threats and abuse,” she said.

In the end, she paid about 40,000 rupees in extortion money to stop the threats, but the calls have continued and she has reported the app to the authorities.

Ahmed from the markets regulator said aggrieved customers form a tiny portion of those borrowing from loan apps, but concerned about the rise in complaints, the commission has issued new guidelines for digital lenders.

Non-bank financial companies (NBFCs) that disburse loans through digital channels will have to disclose the credit amount, rates, fee and charges, and the duration of the loan to consumers through audio or video and emails and text messages in both English and Urdu.

They will be banned from accessing a borrower’s contacts lists or pictures on their mobile phone “even if the borrower has given consent,” the regulator said in a statement.

Google also requires lending apps to submit country-specific licensing documentation to prove their ability to provide or facilitate personal loans, and has restricted personal loan apps from accessing user contacts or photos.

Digital rights activists say, however, that even tougher rules are needed to ensure compensation and redress for victims.

“The regulation should aim to uphold the rights of consumers, empowering them to report fraudulent apps and creating mechanisms for amount recovery,” said Dad, adding that people from low-income segments were most exposed.
In Lahore, Ali urged people facing financial difficulties not to resort to rogue lenders.

“It’s better to die in misery than to borrow ... from these loan sharks,” he said.


Pakistan says will privatize over 50 state entities within four years

Updated 17 February 2025
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Pakistan says will privatize over 50 state entities within four years

  • The statement comes after Economic Affairs Minister Ahad Cheema’s meeting with a World Bank delegation
  • Divestment of state entities is key component of Pakistan’s reform agenda under $7 billion IMF program

ISLAMABAD: Economic Affairs Minister Ahad Cheema has said that Pakistan plans to privatize more than 50 state-owned enterprises (SOEs) within the next four years as part of its efforts to overhaul public entities and improve their performance, the Pakistani government said on Monday.
Cheema said this during his meeting with a delegation of top officials of the World Bank Group (WBG), according to the Press Information Department (PID) of the Pakistani government. The visit aims to enhance understanding of Pakistan’s economic, political, social and governance landscape, while exploring opportunities for future development support.
The development comes months after Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif announced his government would privatize all state entities, except those considered “strategically important” or essential. In 2023, the International Monetary Fund (IMF), as part of Pakistan’s $3 billion bailout, had stressed the need for stronger governance of SOEs, whose losses were heavily impacting the government finances.
Last year Pakistan’s Cabinet Committee on Privatization (CCOP), responsible for the Privatization Program 2024-29, approved the privatization of 24 entities. However, it decided that the inclusion of other state entities would be determined after a review to assess their categorization as strategic or essential enterprises.
“In the first phase, the government is focusing on the privatization of power distribution companies (DISCOS) and in the second phase, Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) and other SOEs are to be privatized,” Cheema was quoted as saying by the PID, following his meeting with the World Bank delegation.
“The minister shared that the government aims to privatize up to 50 SOEs over the next 3-4 years.”
The minister informed the delegation about the challenges faced by the power sector, including high tariffs for consumers, inefficiencies in line losses and efforts to achieve full cost of recovery, according to the statement.
The World Bank delegates commended Pakistan’s efforts in addressing critical challenges and expressed their support for Pakistan’s newly launched Country Partnership Framework (CPF) for 2026-2035 to help achieve its development goals, with an unprecedented commitment of $40 billion. It would include sovereign lending of $20 billion by the International Development Association (IDA) and International Bank for Reconstruction & Development (IBRD). IFC will mobilize another $20 billion to foster private sector investments in Pakistan.
Last week, Pakistan also signed a financial advisory agreement with a consortium, led by Dubai-based Alvarez & Marsal Middle East Limited, to privatize three major power distribution companies.
The agreement is part of the government’s broader effort to reform the power sector which has long struggled with circular debt, operational inefficiencies and power theft. The divestment of state-run power companies is a key component of Pakistan’s economic reform agenda as outlined by the IMF in its current $7 billion loan program.


Islamabad says unaware of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province’s decision to engage Kabul on militancy

Updated 17 February 2025
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Islamabad says unaware of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province’s decision to engage Kabul on militancy

  • The government in Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province on Sunday announced sending two delegations to Kabul to discuss a surge in militancy in the region
  • Pakistan has struggled to contain a surge in militancy, mainly in KP province, since a fragile truce between Pakistani Taliban and Islamabad broke down in 2022

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Foreign Office said on Monday it had not been informed about a decision by the government in the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province to hold direct talks with Kabul regarding a surge in militancy in the region, saying it would act accordingly once it is formally conveyed about the decision.
The development came a day after a KP government spokesman said the provincial government had decided to send two delegations, comprising tribal elders, religious scholars, and political leaders, to Kabul to engage in direct talks with the Afghan Taliban rulers for peace and stability in the province. It followed a statement by KP Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur, in which he said the security situation in the region was directly linked to the “developments in neighboring Afghanistan,” following a consultative meeting of various religious and political parties in the province.
Pakistan has struggled to contain a surge in militancy in the country, particularly in KP that borders Afghanistan, since a fragile truce between the Pakistani Taliban, or the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), and Islamabad broke down in November 2022. The TTP and other militant groups have frequently targeted security forces convoys and check-posts, besides targeted killings and kidnappings of law enforcers and government officials in recent months.
Shafqat Ali Khan, a spokesperson for Pakistan’s Foreign Office, told Arab News that Pakistan’s foreign relations with any country fall under the domain of the federal government as per the constitution, and in general, a provincial government takes part in a matter involving external affairs only through the federal authorities.
“Under the constitution, foreign relations remain the mandate of the federal government,” he said. “We have not received any communication from them [KP administration] so far and will act accordingly if the KP government contacts foreign ministry.”
Pakistan’s top military and political leadership has blamed the surge in violence on TTP militants launching cross-border attacks from Afghanistan, accusing Kabul of harboring and facilitating them. Afghanistan denies the allegation and says Pakistan’s security is an internal matter of Islamabad.
The TTP continues to get financial and logistical support from Kabul, a United Nations (UN) report said this month, amid Islamabad’s repeated calls for Afghanistan to rein in the group. The ambition and scale of the TTP’s attacks on Pakistan had significantly increased, with over 600 attacks from July to December 2024, the report said.
The KP information department said on Sunday that two separate delegations would soon engage in direct talks with the Afghan Taliban in Kabul to address key issues, including cross-border security, economic cooperation and trade. Provincial government spokesperson Muhammad Ali Saif would be the focal person and will also be part of all delegations in this regard, it added.
“Both delegations will visit Kabul soon as the government has finalized the Terms of Reference (TORs) for the tribal elders,” Saif told Arab News in a statement sent by his office on Monday.
The KP government will formally notify the federal government about the initiative and ensure it is aligned with Pakistan’s foreign and security policies, according to the TOR document seen by Arab News.
“No commitments will be made that override Pakistan’s national security framework or diplomatic stance and a detailed briefing document will be shared with federal authorities before the engagement,” the document said.
The KP government proposes sending a delegation of tribal elders, religious scholars, and political leaders to engage with their Afghan counterparts and address mutual concerns, particularly peace, security, cross-border trade and economic cooperation, through “tribal diplomacy,” according to the document.
“Objectives of the delegations included strengthening cross-border tribal diplomacy, confidence-building measures between tribal communities and authorities in both countries, and facilitating dialogue on regional peace and stability,” it read.
Another aim is to address cross-border security concerns by engaging tribal elders to “dissuade terrorist organizations from using Afghan territory for launching attacks in Pakistan and seek cooperation in monitoring and preventing TTP and other militant groups’ movement across the border,” according to the TORs.
“[The delegations will] discuss initiatives to enhance health care, education, and livelihood opportunities,” the document said, adding that the discussions would also focus on cross-border humanitarian and cultural initiatives for safe movement of people across the border for medical treatment, trade and social engagements.


Authorities to dismantle all bunkers in sectarian clashes-hit Pakistani district by March 23

Updated 49 min 3 sec ago
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Authorities to dismantle all bunkers in sectarian clashes-hit Pakistani district by March 23

  • The development came as another aid convoy came under attack by unidentified men in Ochat area of Kurram district
  • Fresh feuding between Shiite and Sunni tribes began on Nov. 21 when gunmen ambushed a convoy and killed 52 people

ISLAMABAD: The government in Pakistan’s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province has decided to dismantle all bunkers in the Kurram district, which has been the site of sectarian and tribal clashes over the last three months, by March 23, officials said on Monday.
Kurram, a tribal district of around 600,000 where federal and provincial authorities have traditionally exerted limited control, has frequently witnessed violence between its Sunni and Shiite communities over land and power. Travelers to and from the area often ride in convoys escorted by security officials.
Fresh feuding began on Nov. 21 when gunmen ambushed a convoy and killed 52 people, mostly Shiites. The assault triggered road closures and other measures that have disrupted people’s access to medicine, food, fuel, education and work and created a humanitarian crisis in the area, where authorities say at least 150 people have been killed in nearly three months of clashes.
On Monday, KP Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur presided over a provincial cabinet meeting, during which officials briefed participants about various measures taken by them to restore peace to volatile district, including the demolition of bunkers used by rival tribes to attack each other with both small and heavy weapons.
“So far, 151 bunkers have been demolished,” KP CM’s office quoted officials as telling the cabinet members. “The deadline for demolishing all bunkers in the area has been set for March 23.”
The warring tribes had agreed on the demolition of bunkers and handover of heavy weapons as part of a peace agreement reached on Jan. 1, but sporadic violence has continued and both sides have occasionally engaged in battles with machine guns and heavy weapons that have isolated the remote, mountainous region.
Shiite Muslims dominate parts of Kurram, although they are a minority in the rest of Pakistan, which is majority Sunni. The main road connecting Parachinar, the main town in Kurram, to the provincial capital of Peshawar has been blocked since sectarian fighting began in November.
Meanwhile, police said an aid convoy, comprising 52 vehicles, that was en route to the troubled district came under attack by unidentified men near Ochat, a hilly area on the outskirts of Parachinar.
“The area is remote and we’re collecting information about human and material losses,” Kurram police official Yaqoob Khan told Arab News.
Attacks on aid convoys and crossfire between rival tribes have injured two senior administration officials and a number of security men as well as drivers of vehicles carrying supplies over the last two months.
“Khyber Pakhtunkhwa cabinet has taken strict notice of the attack on a convoy in Kurram,” KP government spokesman Muhammad Ali Saif said in a statement.
“Some miscreants are making nefarious attempts to disrupt peace. Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur has directed to take strict action against the miscreants.”
Authorities have also been evacuating the injured and ailing from Kurram to Peshawar via helicopters since last month.
“So far, 153 flights have been conducted by two provincial government helicopters to Kurram and around 4,000 people have been provided air transport facility through these flights,” officials told the provincial cabinet.
“To overcome the shortage of essential medicines, 19 thousand kilograms of medicines have been delivered to Kurram so far.”


Pride and excitement surge in Pakistan’s cricket fans ahead of Champions Trophy

Updated 17 February 2025
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Pride and excitement surge in Pakistan’s cricket fans ahead of Champions Trophy

  • Fans from participating countries expected to flock to Pakistan in large numbers
  • The partial absence of arch-rivals India means it’s not a full diplomatic success

Karachi, Lahore, Rawalpindi: Excitement mounted for Pakistani cricket fans as the South Asian country prepares to host its first major multi-country cricket tournament in nearly 30 years on Feb. 19. 

Pakistan is hoping hosting the tournament will help erase worries of instability in the country and restore confidence in it as a tourism and investment destination.

Street cricketers in Karachi and Lahore said they were excited about the tournament being held in their backyard.

The Champions Trophy will be the first major tournament to be held in Pakistan since 1996 and will feature the home side and teams from New Zealand, England, Australia, Afghanistan, South Africa, Bangladesh and India.

All have agreed to play in Pakistan except India, which will play its matches in Dubai, including its encounter with Pakistan, the latest in a storied rivalry.

Cricket is a national passion in the countries of South Asia and a major money-spinner in neighboring India.

With fans from the participating countries expected to flock to Pakistan in large numbers, the tournament promises to stabilize Pakistan’s shaky image. However, the partial absence of arch-rivals India means it’s not a full diplomatic success.

The countries have fought three wars since their bloody partition following independence from Britain in 1947.

Their intense rivalry has meant cricket matches between the two are among the most watched sporting contests in the world but they only play each other at multi-nation events.

Meanwhile, cricket fans throughout Pakistan have snatched up Champions Trophy T-shirts as they prepare to watch the tournament.

The Champions Trophy, which kicks off on February 19, comes to Pakistan as the country battles two insurgencies and a political crisis that has sent its former prime minister and greatest cricket hero, Imran Khan, to jail.

But the government and Pakistan’s cricket board believe the elite tournament of one-day games featuring the top eight teams in the world presents one of the most potent image-building opportunities in decades.

Pakistan hosted cricket’s one-day international World Cup as defending champions in 1996 during a period of optimism about sports in the country.

The national team had triumphed in the previous edition under the leadership of Khan, who is now behind bars on corruption charges after falling out with the powerful military, which denies interfering in politics. 


Revived Champions Trophy up for grabs with no clear favorite

Updated 17 February 2025
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Revived Champions Trophy up for grabs with no clear favorite

  • Reigning ODI world champions Australia are among several countries sending weakened contingents 
  • Pakistan are defending champions and hosts as they stage a first global tournament since 1996 World Cup

The sprinkling of stardust over the Champions Trophy may appear somewhat thin on its return to the calendar after eight years but fans can expect a wide open one-day international tournament in the absence of an overwhelming favorite.
The tournament featuring the top eight teams in the ODI format was discontinued by the International Cricket Committee (ICC) after the eighth edition in 2017, when Sarfaraz Ahmed’s Pakistan beat India in the final.
Pakistan are therefore holders as well as hosts as they stage a first global tournament since the 1996 World Cup, even if political tensions mean India will play all their matches, including the March 9 final should they make it, in Dubai.
Reigning ODI world champions Australia are among several countries sending weakened contingents with Steve Smith standing in as captain of a squad featuring a second-string pace attack.
Regular skipper Pat Cummins, fellow quick Josh Hazlewood and all-rounder Mitchell Marsh were all ruled out by injury, while left-arm quick Mitchell Starc withdrew for personal reasons and all-rounder Marcus Stoinis has quit ODIs altogether.
Sri Lanka did not make the cut for the Champions Trophy but nevertheless handed the Australians a humbling reality check in the run-up to the tournament with a 2-0 series drubbing.
Reigning Twenty20 world champions India have made the finals of the last three ICC events and Rohit Sharma’s team signaled their fine form by winning seven of eight limited-overs matches against England.
Runners-up in the 2023 ODI World Cup on home soil, India boast one of the world’s most destructive batting lineups but will be without pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah, who has been laid low by a back injury.
Seamer Mohammed Shami’s impressive return to action in the home series against England was a big relief for Rohit, who will also expect vital contributions from spin all-rounders Axar Patel and Ravindra Jadeja.

SOUTHEE BACKS NZ

New Zealand will also fancy their chances of claiming the title having won the tri-nation trophy in Pakistan, beating the hosts in the final of a warm-up tournament also featuring 1998 champions South Africa.
Mitchell Santner’s Black Caps side went through the tournament unbeaten and now have a fair idea of the kind of conditions they will face in the Champions Trophy.
“If you look at the track record of New Zealand in ICC events, they are always there or thereabouts,” former New Zealand pace spearhead Tim Southee told the ICC.
“In a tournament like the Champions Trophy, if you get on a bit of a roll, anything can happen. I’d love to see the Black Caps there and hopefully lifting the trophy at the end.”
England were unable to defend to defend the T20 or ODI World Cup under Jos Buttler and are now licking their wounds after a tour of India where they were blanked 3-0 in the 50-overs matches.
They have already lost the services of Jacob Bethell through a hamstring injury, while their bowling trio of Brydon Carse (toe), Jamie Overton (hamstring) and Jofra Archer (hand) are all nursing fitness issues.
Giant-killers Afghanistan will make their Champions Trophy debut following their sixth place finish in the ODI World Cup in 2023, when they beat former champions England, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.
Pakistan, who face New Zealand in the tournament opener in Karachi on Wednesday, are hoping a successful Champions Trophy will pave the way open for more such tournaments as the country battles perceptions that it is not safe for visitors.
The icing on the cake would be if Mohammad Rizwan, a stumper-batter like Sarfaraz, could guide Pakistan to a first global title since their Champions Trophy triumph in England eight years ago.