International law & foreign policy
The recently released Chilcot Report of the Iraq Inquiry has created quite a stir in international law and politics. Crucially, its bruising fallout for the UK and US also offers…
Unwarranted austerity policy
As another monetary policy statement is about to be released, as the writer contributes this article, it is time to indicate why it is very important that it is over-due…
A sudden change of heart and policy
The issue of refugees is not new in Pakistan. Since its inception, the country has faced challenges in accommodating refugees from across the borders and even from faraway countries such…
World Bank needs to revisit its policy and lending focus
In its recently released report ‘Pakistan development update October 2023: restoring fiscal sustainability’ the World Bank (WB), just like the International Monetary Fund (IMF) policy thinking, including as highlighted in…
Reforming the forex policy
When Great Britain ruled British India, policy was made to serve the purpose of London. Objectives were elaborated there, based on the geopolitical/strategic circumstances of the time. Many British laws…
Need for greater discretionary economic policy
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has pushed for pro-cyclical, austerity-based policies in its Stand-By Arrangement (SBA) programme with Pakistan in line with its usual bread-and-butter policy prescription generally meted out…
Economic policy by the interim govt
Given Pakistan is facing very difficult economic challenge, mainly in the shape of bringing debt sustainability, on one hand, and on the other controlling inflation, while also providing as much…
‘Heat economic policy’
It is, indeed, important that Pakistan should continue to deal with its macroeconomic and growth challenges of the traditional nature, reducing twin deficits, avoiding stagflation, reforming state-owned enterprises, and fixing…
A mission-oriented industrial policy
‘While it is generally true that mainstream economists have responded to industrial policy with knee-jerk hostility since at least the 1970s, things have been changing fast, owing to new academic…
Internationalizing a university
I recently had the opportunity to visit Incheon in South Korea’s greater Seoul area. I spent time at the Incheon Global Campus, a global education hub hosting overseas campuses of…
