By 3pm, the index stood at 157,542.03, reflecting an increase of 1,364.22 points, or 0.87%.

Strong buying interest was seen across key sectors, including automobile assemblers, cement, commercial banks, oil and gas exploration companies, oil marketing companies, refineries, and power generation.

Major stocks such as HUBCO, ARL, MARI, OGDC, POL, PPL, PSO, SSGC, HBL, MEBL, MCB, and UBL all traded in positive territory.

In contrast, Wednesday’s trading session was characterized by active yet cautious participation, with the KSE-100 Index closing nearly flat, down just 3.12 points at 156,177.82.