Challenge of imbalances
Inflation is certainly a challenge today but then growth is a bigger challenge. With the latter are associated issues of employment, savings, investment, trade, external capital inflows and the overall…
Drowned, sinking deeper in debt
Pakistan, drowned deep in debt, is sinking deeper and deeper with each passing moment. The situation, if not remedied on a war footing, will eventually lead the country to an…
Fiscal sovereignty for Pakistan
If the starting point for analysis in the post Hakeemullah Mehsud world is that he was assassinated by the US with malign intent, (and clearly there is plenty of political…
Managing economic risk
Having entered its sixth month in office, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s government has to deal decisively with a number of urgent economic challenges even as it has taken the necessary…
Our problem more tangled than we think
We moan about symptoms and peripheral things. We are still not getting to the heart of the matter. Dunces cannot be Salahuddin Ayubis. Traders and bank-loan specialists, nurtured in the…
Local bodies
It is an established fact that education and participation of citizens in the processes of governance are fundamental to democracy. This participation can be exercised during elections for local to…
FBR’s lack of agility
The problem with incompetence is its inability to recognise itself - Orrin Woodward, L.I.F.E. Living Intentionally For Excellence Over the last two decades, Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has proved…
Harsh realities
Until October 16, the whole world (especially China and Japan - America's biggest creditors) feared a likely default by the US on its debt repayment commitments. The last-minute deal between…
Luck running out
On September 4, 2013, the Government of Pakistan signed its 19th Agreement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF). In 2011, it appeared that Pakistan had bid adieu to the IMF…
Rupee erosion and who benefits
The pace of the rupee erosion left Pakistanis bewildered with the vast majority of analysts terming it against national interest as well as against the interest of the common man…
