Vision or illusion?
On August 11 the government released its Pakistan 2025 Vision document, which contains high-sounding slogans. In the words of the planning minister, who was the leader of the team that…
Physician, heal thyself!
The Afghan elections had looked so good – a study in contrast to the elections in Pakistan. During the first round the voter turn-out was extremely good, except for some…
Abdication as policy
Pakistan has a national crisis in education in dire need of a national response. But the responsibility to deal with this rests with the provinces after the 18th Constitutional Amendment.…
Budget: with an eye on IMF
Let us begin by acknowledging that the budget has a sprinkling of good measures. The most prominent of these is the effort to incentivise the documentation of the economy —…
Inequality is not inevitable
"One of the leading economic stories of our times is rising income inequality, and the dark shadows it casts across the global economy - many would argue that we should…
Our Afghanistan policy
Salutations and congratulations to both Ashraf Ghani and Abdullah Abdullah of Afghanistan. They are both winners. They have agreed on a total voter audit thereby placing Afghanistan’s interests above their…
No agitation, no reforms
There are few examples, anywhere in the world, where fundamental social, political or economic reforms have taken place without resort to street agitation. No one gives up economic or political…
Our long-term nightmare
According to the Economic Survey of Pakistan 2013-14, the GDP growth rate has crossed four percent, stated to be the highest in the last six years. Not only opposition parties…
Needless point-scoring
Having heard the news of escaped convict Adnan Rashid’s recapture, there was the obvious temptation to write him a letter listing the million and one reasons why the ideology he…
Search for efficient government
A lively international debate is underway about how to meet the challenge of governance in a more complex, changing world. Globalisation, diffusion of power and the rise of diverse new…
