Challenge of GDP growth
Lacklustre economic growth and large fiscal and external imbalances (with declining rates of growth also contributing to poor growth in revenues) have made macro-economic management a challenging task. Still-high inflation…
Combating financing of terrorism – II
Appraisal of global and domestic initiatives: Since the tragic event of September 11, 2001, the United States and its allies have been engaged in what they call 'war on terror'…
The myth of May 11
Some commentators, who are perfectly rational and do not believe in such esoteric things as numerology or the relevance of dates, have – nevertheless – observed that May 11 has…
PPP or PML-N?
There’s a severe balance of payment crisis; the SBP is running out of dollars. As a consequence, international investor sentiment is negative. Fiscal indiscipline – the difference between government revenue…
Predatory elites
Pakistan is ruled and controlled by predatory elites in whose hands power and wealth are concentrated. The ruling elites - comprising indomitable military-civil-judicial complex, unscrupulous politicians, mighty religious party leaders,…
Elections: the Uncertainties
The incumbent regime is busy doing what it thinks will endear it to the voters; it displays no worries over its re-election prospects because, despite loud claims about empowerment of…
Mandviwalla vs Sheikh
Serious charges are surfacing against the newly appointed Finance Minister Saleem H. Mandviwalla and lately the three-year reign of Dr Hafeez Sheikh marked by unsustainable reliance on domestic borrowing, poorly…
Towards TARP-II?
In the beginning it was tax evasion, and then became rampant corruption and eventually mafias took over, making the FBR irrelevant in most of the sectors-Ali Arshad Hakeem, Chairman FBR.…
Conclusions and policy recommendations: Privatisation paradigm
Privatisation should not be pursued as an ideology, as in modern economic theory and policy there is no room for dogmatism. After the Great Recession of 2008, the neo-liberal school…
Agenda for the nation 2013 and beyond-III
Over the past five years, extremely bad governance wrought with corruption and compromise in the name of continuity of democracy has brought the country to a disastrous point. This has…
