Regulation, Pakistani style
GETTING the government to be an enabler rather than a disabler is the real challenge. The weaknesses of our economic system(s) can be traced to a deficiency of governance at…
Consequences of economic indoctrination
Pakistani students of economics are indoctrinated by the teachings that they have acquired in the west. This has a peculiar effect on the thought process. Any one who is indoctrinated…
PTI’s indecisiveness
When the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) wrested away power from the Awami National Party (ANP) in KP in general elections last year, it had been hoped that the politics of expediency…
Bourses a barometer?
On Thursday this week past Reuters published a story which reported an ongoing investigation after whistleblowers accused senior stock market staff of benefiting for years if not decades through unauthorised…
The economy at the end of 2013
The PML-N government has completed six months. The IMF, on December 19, 2013, concluded the first quarterly review of the economy under the Extended Fund facility (EFF). The IMF has…
Begging bowl, inflation and Ishaq Dar! – I-
The PML-N manifesto promises have clearly taken a back seat to Federal Finance Minister Ishaq Dar's economic policies on two counts: the begging bowl is not only out and strengthened…
Healthcare
Few newspaper readers are unaware of the political fallout of Obamacare with many maintaining that it may well be the final straw on Obama's rising unpopularity graph. The question is…
Statistical issues
Statistics speak all languages, affect all policies and touch all aspects of people’s lives. The significance of critical statistics for policymakers cannot be overemphasised. In recent years, significant changes have…
Partly Facetious: China’s ‘soft power’ image
"China has sent fighter planes to ensure that its newly declared air space over islands that are currently held by Japan is not violated by the US, Japan and Korea."…
Saviour to victim
We are a strange people. We welcomed Musharraf as a saviour in 1999. He did what most rulers do: focused solely on self-aggrandisement. He got us riled up enough by…
