Current Account Deficit: a wake-up call
The optimism displayed by the Federal Finance Minister Ishaq Dar on his handling of the economy, based on not only the controversial data released by those entities that are under…
Understanding current account balance
There is a general perception among economic reporters and economic analysts in both print and electronic media that surplus in current account is highly desirable and a sign of economic…
Public Accounts Committee perturbed by HEC’s failure to recover Rs1.5bn from defaulters
The Auditor General’s office on Wednesday raised alarm over the Higher Education Commission’s failure to recover more than Rs1.5 billion from scholarship defaulters. Calling it a critical matter, the issue…
Holding the IMF to account
DESIGNED to be the international lender of last resort and help countries facing short-run balance-of-payments distress, the IMF has a rich history of being the quack physician that killed the…
Accountability rush
ASSETS have become a four-letter word in Pakistani politics. Let talk begin of the ‘assets’ of anyone well known, especially in politics, and chances are it will not end well…
IPPs: currents of discontent
With the recent increase in electricity tariffs, there is renewed debate over the rationality of capacity payment charges (CPC) to independent power producers (IPPs). Previously, only a few voices raised…
Budget 2025: beyond accounting
Fiscal policy is a key arm of macroeconomic policy, one under the direct control of the government of Pakistan. Fiscal policy works through changes in the amount and structure of…
Political stability critical to attaining sustainable external account stability
The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) has managed to maintain forex reserves despite facing substantial debt servicing payments. This indicates that the SBP has been actively purchasing dollars from the…
SOEs: performance & accountability
The World Bank’s recent report, titled ‘Pakistan Development Update, fiscal impact of Federal State-Owned Enterprises’, highlights a significant improvement in our economy, attributed mainly to enhanced and better management strategies,…
An accountant’s approach to NFC?
A lot has been written recently about the need to revisit and reduce the share of the provinces in the 7th National Finance Commission Award, but sadly most of it…
