Reviving Naran’s soul
Nestled along the banks of the Kunhar River in the heart of Kaghan Valley, the PTDC Motel in Naran has for decades stood as more than a set of huts…
The silent witness
In 2023, engineers at Samsung inadvertently uploaded confidential source code to ChatGPT. The aim was simple: debugging assistance. The outcome was catastrophic. Fragments of sensitive corporate code later appeared in…
When code replaces conscience
In the summer of 2013, Eric Loomis walked into a Wisconsin courtroom expecting to hear a judge’s reasoning, not the verdict of a secret algorithm. But that’s exactly what determined…
Pakistan’s tourism blindspot
In the grand theatre of global travel, Pakistan is a well-scripted yet poorly directed character, rich in cultural depth and natural beauty, but rarely making it to the centre stage.…
‘Unconstitutional’ windfall tax–I
Banks have regular windfall income from dealing in foreign currencies – oxymoronic treatment by SRO. 1588(I)/2023 dated 21.11.2023. In Pakistan, Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) is de facto legislature (sic)…
Tourism potential
AT a time when tourism has emerged as a major sector of the global economy, many nations have invested heavily in the industry to contribute to their GDP and also…
Section 7E: Constitutional validity
Taxing immoveable property and taxing income arising from immoveable property are two different concepts. The former is the burden on immovable property whereas the latter is the burden on the…
COP28: Pakistan’s narrative-Part – II
Pakistan's climate narrative is one of victimhood, shaped by the severe and disproportionate impact it faces, despite being a low emitter of greenhouse gases (GHG). The country ranks fifth in…
Tourism for peace
Being the chairperson of the task force on Gandhara tourism formed by the prime minister of Pakistan, I have decided to celebrate the birth anniversary of Gautama Buddha today (May…
Taxation of immovable property
The National Assembly through the Finance Act 2012 amended section 37(5) of the Income Tax Ordinance, 2001 [“the Ordinance”] and for the first time levied capital gains tax (CGT) on…
