KARACHI – Pakistani Stock market responded by sharply scaling back expectations of near-term policy easing. Panic selling ripped through Pakistan Stock Exchange as intensifying geopolitical tensions and a fresh surge in oil prices triggered a brutal market rout, wiping more than 6,100 points off the benchmark KSE-100 Index in early trade. Automobile assemblers, cement producers, commercial banks, fertiliser companies, oil and gas explorers, power generation firms, and refineries were all hammered. The deteriorating global backdrop reinforced fears that interest rate cuts will be delayed, as policymakers struggle to navigate growing uncertainty. The selective buying in energy, power generation, and banking stocks helped KSE-100 Index inch up by 177.53 points, or 0.09%, to close at 188,380.39, despite lingering volatility and weak market breadth.