Whither public service?
IN the past two decades that the country has been in the midst of various economic and service delivery crises, nearly all solutions proposed by economists, policy professionals, and even…
How not to turn to ‘welfare’
ABOUT a month ago, social media was swamped with news of a raid that turned up 48 million tablets of Panadol, a medicine experiencing severe shortages across Pakistan. Everyone seemed…
Budget neglect puts AJK’s public universities in jeopardy
The Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) government has yet to respond to an urgent SOS from the region’s six public-sector universities which are on the brink of collapse due to…
Income not consumption taxes: Applying a ‘national income tax’ for a welfare state
‘The fundamental injustice of consumption taxes, relative to income taxes, is that the well-off can postpone them by saving, while the poor pay cash on the nail. “Justice too long…
Social welfare for GB
VERY November, the people of Gilgit-Baltistan commemorate their freedom and accession to Pakistan. The Pakistani state actively promotes the region as the most beautiful part of the country, highlighting its…
The fight for welfare
The Lawyers Welfare and Protection Act, 2023 was passed by the National Assembly on March 29, 2023 – making waves across the country and capturing the attention of lawyers, jurists…
Survival of the republic
Even though ‘Cooperation in a Fragmented World’ was this year’s theme of the World Economic Forum’s Annual Meeting in Davos, there is little that can be put on paper in…
Hands off our public holiday, cry angry Danes
The Danish government’s plan to abolish a public holiday to help fund the defence budget amid the war in Ukraine is putting Denmark’s cherished welfare model at risk, the country’s…
What is the One Percent Republic?
Last week, Dr Miftah Ismail initiated an important debate by terming Pakistan a “One percent Republic” – a society that works for the few and reproduces elite privilege over time.…
Public justice
It is not often that one speech urging the creation of a national public interest law firm, driven by seasoned trial lawyers, would move from words to deeds, from oratory…
