Is land reform off the menu – I?
In a recent TV interview, Imran Khan, Chairman TI, has revealed that a great debate has been going on in his party regarding land reforms. However, the arguments and proponents…
The legacy of the PPP government
The Pakistan People’s Party got a monumental mansion built in Lahore for its supreme leader towards the close of its tenure (2008-2013), which, if doesn’t outdo, by all accounts matches…
Technocratic turncoats
Turncoat or ‘lota’ is a familiar word for the people of Pakistan. It is a pejorative commonly used for our politicians who change parties frequently at the altar of ‘national…
Pipeline economics
A G00d deal of excellent comment has appeared recently on the geopolitics of the Iran-Pakistan (IP) natural gas pipeline. But what about the economics of it? Contrary to most expectations,…
Tax the rich
The Human Development Report 2013 just released by the United Nations Development Programme highlights the rise of the Global South, comprising 130 developing countries, as the main drivers of the…
Musharraf’s mirage
The Pakistan, general is back, and this time not on horseback. Since he has offered to take us back to the Pakistan that he left behind, perhaps it’s a good…
Long haul ahead for Britain’s struggling economy
When the financial crisis began to spread five years ago, British coffee machine-maker Fracino raced to get ahead of it. From the firm's base in Birmingham, it carved out new…
The office of denial
There is a difference between a good and a bad finance minister: the former keeps his nation informed about the true state of the economy and prepares public opinion for…
Financial tsunami
Political tsunami, as popularised by Imran Khan, is now well-known in Pakistan. What is not known is ‘financial tsunami’, which has struck Pakistani shores in the last two weeks. This…
Foreign investment
Four features of Finance Minister P Chidambaram’s budget stand out. First, thanks to its obsession with reducing the fiscal deficit, the budget fails to raise social-sector expenditure – just when…
