Investor sentiment turned sharply bearish following blasts in India and Islamabad, which unnerved traders and sparked heavy selling across sectors, according to a market report by Topline Securities.

The index swung wildly during the session, hitting an intraday high of 161,516 before dropping to a low of 157,765.

Major heavyweight stocks — ENGRO, OGDC, HUBC, FFC, and LUCK — were among the top drags, collectively erasing around 999 points from the benchmark.

Despite the negative trend, market activity remained strong, with trading volumes surging to 836 million shares and total turnover reaching Rs38 billion.

However, market capitalisation slipped to Rs18.08 trillion, down from Rs18.47 trillion a day earlier.

Out of 484 active companies, 79 advanced, 364 declined, and 41 remained unchanged.

In the futures market, 13 stocks gained while 305 fell out of 318 traded.

Top turnover counters included F. National Equities (77.17m shares at Rs22.61), K-Electric Ltd (66.86m shares), and WorldCall Telecom (46.80m shares).

Among major gainers, PIA Holding Company Ltd B jumped Rs821.44 to close at Rs24,201.62, while ZIL Ltd rose Rs44.00 to finish at Rs484.00.

On the downside, Unilever Pakistan Foods slumped Rs299.99 to Rs28,700.00, and Rafhan Maize Products fell Rs80.00 to Rs9,432.00.

In futures trading, heavy activity was seen in BOP-NOV, PIAHCLA-NOV, and PACE-NOV contracts, with BOP-NOV recording the highest turnover.