LAHORE, April 11: The pre-tax profit of PICIC rose by 153 per cent to Rs296 million in FY2001 from Rs117 million in FY2000, says its managing director Mohammad Ali Khoja.

Speaking at the Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry here on Thursday, Khoja said the deposits increased during the year by 79 per cent to Rs59.619 billion from Rs5.371 billion the previous year.

Similarly, the advances went up by 28 per cent to Rs6.559 billion from Rs5.137 billion. Its trade business saw an increase of 47 per cent during the year while classified portfolio declined by 45 per cent.

Khoja said the EPS rose by 96 per cent to Rs2.23 per share from the previous Rs1.14 per share and the break-up value of share rose to Rs18.98 from Rs13.32.