Misleading economic statements
The minister of finance and governor of a central bank are the two key leaders of a country’s economic management team. They are required to provide unadulterated factual information and…
Merit versus cheating
One senior teacher of a secondary school in a small town of Sindh has stayed in my mind. I could see that he was sincere to his vocation. A rare…
Courage for economic reforms
While the parliament dither and they take out petty scores the country is burning. The political parties are full of behaviour that cannot be condoned. Politics is about lifting yourselves…
The final push to end extreme poverty
The 2015 is the most important year for global development in recent memory. In July, world leaders will gather in Addis Ababa to discuss how to finance development priorities in…
Heat, death and poverty
Almost every aspect of the recent deadly heatwave in Karachi has been discussed in the media. Causes of this calamity: climate change, heat bubble, lack of water and power, incompetence…
The past is another country
Even an hour is a long time in national politics. There is every possibility that by the time this article appears in cold print a few more jaw-dropping events may…
Budget: a radical change
How is it that a country that has a population about a quarter that of Karachi and virtually no natural resources has per capita income that is about 18 times…
War on language
While visiting Balochistan, one becomes aware of just how removed that province is from mainstream Pakistan. And it’s not only the obvious things — such as the dire lack of…
Planning anew
AMONG many radical-seeming acts of Narendra Modi, the newly elected Indian prime minister, is his decision to disband the Indian Planning Commission. To most free-marketers and anti-statists, the Indian Planning…
Early lessons in rights
In recent days there have been a couple of observations by the Lahore High Court that raise hopes of some reform in the schools soon. Last Friday, the Lahore High…
