Oil trickles up
If the price of oil in international markets has been going down since June, with decreases of 40pc in some prices, why has Pakistan’s oil import bill risen in the…
Costly economic fault lines
By May 2013, when the PML-N government assumed office, Pakistan’s economic problems had multiplied and become very complex due to the mismanagement of the economy over a long time. The…
A fundamentally flawed fiscal policy
The countries in the Far East, which were way behind us in economic and social developments up to the 1960s, have by now developed to a stage where they are…
Falling FDI inflows
Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) inflows into Pakistan have been drying up over the past few years. After hitting an all-time peak of $5.4 billion in 2007-08, net FDI sank to…
Muddling through in 2015
Official refrain touts four developments as government achievements — lower inflation rate, reduction in interest rates, a more controlled budget deficit and growing foreign exchange reserves. However, none of these…
The citizenship market
Borders exist only for the poor and wanting. Such is the conclusion that emerges from a new report issued by the Migration Policy Institute last month. Entitled Selling Visas and…
How to make the right policy choices
The PML-N government has repeatedly stated that it is committed to increasing the rate of economic growth, reducing the rate of inflation and creating balance of payments conditions favourable for…
‘Foreign-funded’
I read with interest a recent news story on NGO funding. In principle, I agree with the position taken in the story about the state being informed and able to…
Preventing deadlock
The seventh National Finance Commission (NFC) Award which became effective on July 1, 2010 managed to break the long-standing deadlock over distribution of national revenues among the provinces. The impasse…
Rebalancing move of China: Impact on developing economies
China has been experiencing fastest GDP growth rate (not less than 10%) for the last two decades, but global financial crisis emanating in 2007 has resulted in gradual reduction in…
