Party time again?…Memo from the US
Out with the old-three life-size portraits hanging centrepiece on the wall of the presidency with the president surrounded by his slain wife and late father-in-law; in with the new –…
Civil society’s failures
Economists know about what they call ‘market failure’ as well as ‘government failure’ in a situation where neither institution as a whole, for a number of well-recognised reasons, has been…
How the NSC should operate
The just reconstituted Defence Committee of the Cabinet (DCC) as Cabinet Committee on National Security (CCNS) is an exercise in futility because it is not structured and empowered to carry…
Hoodwinking Dar – I
The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has managed to hoodwink the government of Nawaz Sharif by including in the Finance Act 2013 a number of unconstitutional provisions - in many…
Past present: Independence for whom?
Every year we celebrate Independence Day with fervour and official ceremonies including military parade and state banquet. Titles and awards are bestowed upon military and civilian persons for their meritorious…
Give beast a chance
It is surprising when so many people ask, ‘what is ailing Pakistan and what can be done about it?’ The answer is right there, but perhaps it is not to…
The making of an Asian tiger
The remarkable economic success of the ‘Asian Tigers’ (South Korea, Taiwan, Singapore and Hong Kong) has long fascinated the world, Asia in particular. The Asian Tigers resurfaced during the May…
Diaspora sukuks: Attracting investments from overseas Pakistanis
Against the drop scene of a huge plunge in Pakistani rupee against the US dollar in the last few days (leaving USD-PKR parity to 1:105 to 1:108, according to the…
FBR: new chairman, old challenges
Of all the federal government institutions, Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) is, rightly or wrongly, considered as the most incompetent, inefficient and corrupt. Even if it is merely a perception…
Three cheers for democracy!
A year ago, when former Justice Fakhruddin G. Ebrahim agreed to take over as the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC), many of his well wishers had advised him not to do…
