Regional political upheavals
NEPAL is in the midst of significant political upheaval. Mass protests, overwhelmingly populated by young people, have led to the ouster of the government, after initial retaliation by security forces…
A year of misrule
AS the PML-N set-up marks one year in power today, I review its outcomes via a detailed framework that I have used for several past set-ups. It says the quality…
Both welfare and growth
LAST week on these pages, Khurram Husain wrote about the rapidly diminishing viability of Pakistan’s bailout-dependent economic strategy. Global political realignments under the new Trump administration may very well usher…
Who bears the cost?
THERE is growing acknowledgment of macroeconomic stabilisation in recent months. Inflation is down, the current account has posted surpluses for four consecutive months on the back of rising remittances, foreign exchange reserves are growing, and export growth, while…
Stay off the Irsa minefield
AFTER the Feb 8 elections and the events preceding it left Pakistan badly divided, unwelcome developments are taking place which could severely strain the federation’s unity. It is incumbent on…
Why rumours of poll delay?
A FEW weeks after the ECP announced the date for general elections in the country — settling the issue, one would have thought — speculation has again gripped the imagination of many…
A malignant settlement
LAST week, on these pages, Khurram Husain published an insightful and timely piece on Nawaz Sharif’s return and its implications for the management of Pakistan’s economy. Dubbing state-financed, consumption-dependent growth as the…
Against monetary dogma
“We’re captive on the carousel of time,” sang Joni Mitchell, “and go round and round and round/In the circle game.” The circle game is Pakistan’s dependence on stand-by credit, this…
NFC: call for fiscal reforms
In an analysis of the 7th NFC Award (‘Fiscal realities: A case for NFC reform’, March 20), published on these pages, I showed that provincial governments collect a small fraction…
Pain is coming
Pakistan’s most important decision-makers are now facing a dire and extreme choice. They can either choose to inflict some long overdue pain on elite rent seekers, or they can choose…
