GB law needs overhaul
The Gilgit-Baltistan (Empowerment and Self-Governance) Order 2009 resembles a very intricate sandcastle: elaborate in its design but devoid of structural and constitutional integrity. Even the slightest disturbance, as tiny as…
Urbanisation: the big picture
Anyone wanting to understand urbanisation needs to get past two major misunderstandings. First, urbanisation is not about individual cities — neither solving their problems nor enhancing their potential for growth.…
Who do our cities cater to?
Pakistan boasts a population that reached 241.5 million in 2023, a 16.3 per cent increase since 2017, with 93.8 million in urban areas – a near fourfold rise since 1981.…
Fully inclusive financial system
One of the mistakes multinational companies make is to look at countries as either 'developed' or 'developing', and then try to shoehorn a product or solution into that country that…
How to break a vicious cycle [Part – IV]
Medium-term agenda: First, devolve administrative and legal powers and financial resources to elected local governments for delivery of basic public goods and services responsive to the specific needs of the…
Fully inclusive financial system
One of the mistakes multinational companies make is to look at countries as either 'developed' or 'developing', and then try to shoehorn a product or solution into that country that…
Parched Sindh
SINDH comprises 18 per cent of Pakistan’s land mass and 16pc of its total cultivable area. While the agricultural sector is the lynchpin of the provincial economy, Sindh also contributes…
Protecting your own
We often read tragic stories regarding young children. Unfortunately, we live in a brutal society where the most vulnerable segment – children – are often not protected by their own…
The education cul-de-sac
Despite decades of reforms, Pakistan’s education system remains in a state of perma-crisis. In an era of rapid technological transformation, the nation continues to grapple with children not attending school,…
Massive funding plans
The Foreign Economic Assistance Monthly Report for November 2024 published by the Ministry of Economic Affairs, Government of Pakistan, provides an in-depth examination of financial disbursements made against budget estimates…
