Urgent action needed
Based on the current rate of progress in Asia and the Pacific, the Sustainable Development Goals will only be achieved by 2062 –a sobering reminder of how much work remains.…
‘Economic wars’ and national strength
The seventh annual edition of the ThinkFest literary event was held in Lahore this past weekend. Dr Yaqoob Bangash – whose day job as a historian makes him especially sensitive…
Sartaj Aziz 1929-2024
Jinnah’s Pakistan died last week. His name was Sartaj Aziz. Rather than using my own words to capture just how central a figure Sartaj Aziz was to the idea of…
FATF strategic initiatives & Pakistan
The fourth, three-day plenary session of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) concluded on October 27, 2023, with delegates from more than 200 jurisdictions that addressed prominent issues related to…
Clear message of no more business as usual—I
Change is taking place slowly and subtly. Recent Cabinet Committee on Economic Reforms’ (CCER’s) deliberations on Sept 25, 2023 highlight increasing interdependency, thereby necessitating a Planning Commission on the lines…
Gas tariffs and reforms—II
However, some increase in small and medium category tariff will have to be, willy-nilly, done to cover the costs. In Bangladesh, minimum monthly charge is PkRs 1380-1500 per MMBtu for…
This crisis is a moment; Part – III
The current business-as-usual model continues to delay deregulation by repeated extensions, issuance of new/amended refinery policies. It will one day improve competitiveness, reduce demurrages and build our strategic and commercial…
SOEs, fiscal discipline & reforms
Despite a wave of privatization in the last 3 decades, SOEs still contribute significantly to the economic growth of both developed and developing countries (Robinett 2006). For example, SOEs account…
Investment-friendly Pakistan?
The Pakistani ruling elite routinely makes tall claims about attracting massive investment that it believes can transform the country. Sections of media instantly jump on this narrative, spreading it on…
BRI: The road to progress – Part I
China and Pakistan’s iron-clad friendship and strategic partnership through thick and thin needs no introduction. In 1951, the two nations officially started diplomatic interactions. Over the subsequent 70 plus years,…
