Privatisation or the sale of the century?
The regressive fiscal measures taken by the PML-N government in its first nine months in power make it abundantly clear that PM Sharif’s ‘most experienced’ team has no interest in…
The illusionists
Like a doctor examining a seriously sick patient, the IMF staff is supposed to evaluate the underlying conditions of the health of the economies of its member countries. While providing…
Governance in 2014
Part-II Corruption is not just a cost; it is a curse that deeply affects individuals as well as the state system. It is the single most important obstacle to economic…
Positive signs, are they?
Recent developments suggest that global political leadership has finally accepted the economic disparities that now engulf this planet. Frustrated by legislators' inaction throughout 2013 over the rising income disparity all…
Historical burden
The phrase ‘abject surrender’ has been a recurrent feature of recent discussions on the Pakistani state. Not only has it come up in conversations concerning the state’s general inability to…
The solution to power woes
Pakistan's current energy crisis remains one of the country's most pressing - and immediate concerns. Citizens suffer from continuous power cuts and inflated electricity bills - and there is little…
RIP Meekal Ahmed
Whether discussing the pitfalls of the 1990s’ foreign currency deposit scheme or the government’s growing recourse to printing money to pay its bills in present times, few have been more…
Effective fiscal management
The people have to understand that the tax money stolen by the corrupt rich of the country represent the good schools, colleges, hospitals, roads and many other projects of welfare…
Price of isolation
THERE is an agenda for economic renewal that is now so well known, so oft repeated, that it risks being entombed in that temple where all good ideas go to…
The briefing
On January 1, the minister for finance, revenue, economic affairs, statistics and privatisation gave a two-hour presentation to the PM, cabinet members and the media. The good news is that…
