Industrial policy redefined
FOR decades, Pakistan has suffered from de-industrialisation, clinging to a dated model of picking winners through tariff protections and subsidies. This strategy has not only failed to deliver growth; it…
AI and human learning
EDUCATIONAL institutions are grappling with the impact of Large Language Models and AI chatbots the world over. The primary question is how does the advent of this particular technology change…
The new age of global disruption
The WEF (World Economic Forum) warns of weak growth and fragmentation. In short, the age of hyper-globalization appears to be ending. There are enough grounds to state that the global…
The taxation system needs reform
Our system today is in moral bankruptcy. Our tax system has become a tool of harassment for the weak, a shield for the elite and a mechanism of existence for…
BISP: a lifeline of hope
The Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) is one of the most transformative social protection initiatives in Pakistan’s history. It has not only reduced poverty but also reshaped the social and…
From tariffs to tokens
With America’s obsession to gain revenue by restricting trade through customs and tariffs, a historical similarity presents itself: mercantilism. The core similarity between today’s trade framework and then is the…
Floods: budget deficit and/or mini-budget
The flood damage is rising by the day – both in terms of fatalities and financial losses (private and state owned) with the last monsoon rains forecast to end this…
Agriculture under threat
Quoting official data for January-June 2025, the news flashed on the print media, stating that Pakistani farmers endured collective losses of over Rs1.26 trillion. Ironically, like all losses in the…
Why we need to shift from survival to scale
This article links directly to my article, ‘The real contest of growth’, published in these pages on September 11, where I argued that America invents while China executes. The US…
Our AI decade
It is the year 2035. In Punjab’s fields, AI-powered drones guide farmers on the exact day to plant and harvest. Driverless trucks move goods from Karachi’s port to markets without…
