Is de-dollarisation on the move?
This is the second of a two-part series on de-dollarisation. President Richard Nixon’s treasury secretary John Connally sent shock waves around the world in 1971 when he told a group…
IMF programme, debt re-profiling, and debt restructuring
Pakistan is facing a huge challenge in terms of debt distress. Secondly, the country is stuck in a low economic growth equilibrium, and requires increase in consumption expenditure, and investment…
Is this a democracy in decline?
The US is in crisis – not one but many. In case you are wondering, Trump did not create these crises; they were already there. He merely exploited them to…
Drawing in the diaspora
It has been estimated that our diaspora, numbering over 10 million, has a combined earning per annum comparable to Pakistan’s GDP of $340 billion. Given the vastly superior income level,…
A low growth trap: assessing challenges
Over the past two years, the Pakistani economy has weathered a highly turbulent period. Inflation reached unprecedented levels, marking a historical peak, while real economic growth plunged into negative territory…
Who should be the finance minister?
Asking the wrong question is one of the most prominent qualities of the Pakistani public discourse. ‘Who should be the finance minister?’ is the wrong question. Whoever is made finance…
Reinventing Brand Pakistan
In a previous piece on the subject (‘Where is Brand Pakistan?’ January 22, 2024), I had highlighted how country brands are becoming as important as corporate or product brands, given…
Rethinking natural gas allocation and pricing: challenges and path to sustainable solutions
The allocation and pricing of natural gas have been contentious issues in Pakistan, with the government historically granting top priority to domestic consumers, often at the expense of other economically…
IMF’s SBF
The IMF Stand-By Facility (SBF) of $3 billion has been in operation for two weeks now. Already, there is a big increase in external inflows. Foreign exchange reserves now stand…
Towards industrial policy 2.0 -Part – II
The foreign exchange earnings from jute exports which originated from former East Pakistan were pre-empted for allocation to industrialists in what was then West Pakistan. A number of observers have…
