Unshackling debt shackles
It is now officially admitted that the coalition Government of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) secured over $13 billion in foreign loans in the fiscal year 2019-20 alone! It was the second…
Options for 2021
One big lesson from the political and economic history of Pakistan is that ad-hoc and inorganic political arrangements are destined to fail sooner or later. The latest example is the…
Failure to launch
Imran Khan’s admission that he and his party were unprepared for the rigours of governance in 2018 would not have left anyone – except those who cheer them on –…
The sugar scam
The recent release of the FIA report on the sugar and wheat crises has once again exposed the lack of competence and capacity of the present government. The report is…
Beyond stabilisation: challenges and opportunities
The IMF board has finally approved a $7 billion package, with the first tranche already disbursed. Economic stabilization appears to be secured. However, this is neither the first IMF programme…
Tick tock
ALMOST five months since one of the most manipulated general elections in our checkered history, there is an ominous quiet before yet another impending storm. What form it takes is…
New politics at last
“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; it’s the only thing that ever has.” — Margaret Mead. EVERY issue in Pakistan is linked…
AJK and GB movements
AMID a grave economic crisis and the recent Dubai leaks embarrassment, the situation in what people generally believe are ‘peripheral’ areas of Pakistan has drawn the attention of the authorities. Be it…
A false start?
As Pakistan’s rulers claim victory for overseeing stability on multiple fronts, the country is in danger of witnessing just a false start. This week’s passage of the controversial 26th Amendment…
Neglected region
AFTER weeks of peaceful protests and sit-ins across Gilgit-Baltistan, two major demands of the demonstrators were finally accepted. The Pakistan government reluctantly restored the wheat subsidy and suspended the infamous…
