Us and them — an unequal landscape
Inequality in its numerous forms defines our country’s social fabric. This concept of inequality is based on entrenched disparities in health, education, rights, income and every sector of the country.…
Protecting public lands
If you ask people where greenhouse gases come from, they may say belching power plants, clogged expressways, fracking fields in Pennsylvania, petroleum refineries and petrochemical cancer alleys. There is another…
A tale of two islands
Hurricanes develop in the Atlantic Ocean and move across the cold water towards the warmer sea of the Caribbean. All that energy journeys, picking up steam, driving forward with immense…
After the IMF tranche
On December 16, 2021 at a Hamdard University seminar where Dr Miftah Ismail was another speaker, I had said that Pakistan as a state is no longer a ‘going concern’.…
Stuck in the middle
Clowns to the left of me, jokers to the right, here I am stuck in the middle with you. These are lines from a seminal song by Stealers Wheel, from…
Is investor’s fright an investment’s flight?
Pakistan is nestled in the southern part of Asia, sitting precariously between Afghanistan, India, Iran, and below China, with the Arabian sea lapping on its southern shores and the Himalayas…
Taxation of immovable property
The National Assembly through the Finance Act 2012 amended section 37(5) of the Income Tax Ordinance, 2001 [“the Ordinance”] and for the first time levied capital gains tax (CGT) on…
Wheat crisis
Agrarian economy of Pakistan employs a large workforce and considered vital from a social, livelihood and foreign exchange perspective. Agriculture’s share in total GDP in the fiscal year (FY) 2021-22,…
Pakistan’s beleaguered economy: KSA seems a reasonable solution
Pakistan offers a world of opportunities due to its geostrategic location, agricultural potential, and wealth of minerals and natural resources. Moreover, it has a burgeoning young population which is almost…
Floods, debt, and SDRs
Pakistan is facing unprecedented floods of a profoundly catastrophic nature. While 3 million livestock have died in the flood-hit areas, the other mainstay of peoples’ livelihood in the shape of…
