What is the critical question this year?
The critical question this year is not whether the budget 2016-17 is pro-poor and pro-development (a standard normal government claim) or pro-growth (proposed by economists and claimed as his objective…
Right to govern compromised
The Panama Leaks are now the topic of the day everywhere, and the revelations, particularly about politicians, are attracting public attention in countries with "democratic" dispensations. In the EU, worried…
Chasing after taxes
A Last-Minute month-long extension until end October for the deadline to file this year’s tax returns should hardly be surprising. It followed a repeated delay last year too, with the…
Budget gap of Rs 600 billion
The debate on the budget is ongoing in the parliament to get necessary approvals and this is the right time to critically analyse the targets and assumptions made in the…
Challenging the received wisdom – II
That our economic managers have been barking up the wrong tree in demonising inflation is obvious...a fact that has been staring us in the face for decades. To drive home…
Post-IMF or pre-IMF?
How is the economy shaping up in the wake of a recently concluded three-year IMF stabilisation programme that has been dubbed an outstanding success by the government? To answer this…
There is no magic in the market
There are a number of theories why global financial system went into a tail-spin following the sub-prime mortgage crisis of 2007-09 landing the world into an extended period of recession…
Challenges for General Bajwa
With many internal and external challenges confronting the nation, the new CoAS was plunged into a testing situation right from the word "go". Stepping up his drive to isolate Pakistan…
State of economy End of the debate?
The oracles have spoken. Emerging Markets has declared The Accountant South Asian Finance Minister of the year. Wathra's star has risen with Euromoney's Central Bank Governor of the year award.…
The mega rip-offs
In my earlier article The Gravy Trains of Pakistan (Business Recorder September 1, 2016) I had identified the Public Financial Management System (PFMS) of Pakistan as the fountain head of…
