After the budget
The budget has been passed. The applause has faded. Once again, Pakistan resumes its uneasy journey through economic difficulty this time, with a roadmap that feels more serious than in…
Budget 2025-26: takes two to tango
Budget 2025–26 signals fiscal restraint and modest climate intent but remains, at its core, an act of improvisation rather than coordinated choreography. Touted as contractionary, the budget sets ambitious targets:…
Budget 2025–26: Between recovery and reality
As the government tabled the federal budget for FY2025–26 on June 10, it did so against a backdrop of cautious optimism. The Pakistan Economic Survey 2024–25 painted a picture of…
Budgeting for survival
In the theatre of nations, budgets are more than numbers; they are constitutional manifestos. They reveal how a state sees its people, how it prioritises its future, and what kind…
Budgeting for survival
In the theatre of nations, budgets are more than numbers; they are constitutional manifestos. They reveal how a state sees its people, how it prioritises its future, and what kind…
An appraisal of provincial budgets
Provincial budgets for Punjab, Sindh, and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa for the fiscal year (FY) 2025–26 reflect a precarious balancing act between growth ambitions and fiscal realism, raising critical questions about their…
Budget 2025-26 from a climate lens
By any measure, Pakistan’s federal budget for FY2025-26 represents a notable evolution in the country's approach to climate change. For a country that has endured some of the most brutal…
Recycling budget revenues
Pakistan’s federal budget for FY2025–26 reveals more than just fiscal arithmetic. It reflects a shifting economic terrain shaped by IMF oversight, macroeconomic consolidation and the intensifying demands of climate resilience…
Budget: time for respite & reform
Pakistan has shown signs of overall stabilisation, supported by improved fiscal performance, strengthened external account, and receding inflation. Revenue Mobilization and restrained current spending have contributed to a narrower fiscal…
Fixing the budget oversight
Parliament’s constitutional ‘power of the purse’ is meant to anchor democratic control over public money, yet in Pakistan the reality rarely lives up to the principle. The constitution and the…
