On reading the budget
The concluding statement of the talks held in Doha between the government of Pakistan and the IMF Mission last month reads: “The [IMF] team emphasized the urgency of concrete policy…
A survivor’s budget
The budget for FY2022-23 is here. Given the current national and international situation, the budget-making was bound to be challenging. In this piece, I attempt to explain some of the…
Budget with a sanity deficit
At a time when Pakistan is going through some of the worst economic challenges in its chequered history, the federal government has come up with a budget that speaks volumes…
Budget FY23 and IMF’s programme
“Among the most difficult problems faced by developing countries is that of balancing a budget that is swollen by the cost of development. This problem is enhanced both by the…
FY23 budget: some new avenues
Pakistan is currently facing a series of challenges. The coalition government, led by Shehbaz Sharif, is trying to bridge the trade deficit, expected to be over Rs 5600 billion in…
The forthcoming budget
The Federal and Provincial Budgets for 2020-21 are expected to be announced in the month of June, starting with the presentation of the Federal Budget on the 5th of June.…
All is not well beyond budget numbers
The budget was a non-event. It was presented as a yearly routine. In the last decade or so, budget-making has increasingly become an exercise to plug in the revenues for…
Budget Speech 2020-21
Mr. Speaker, 1. I start my submissions with the name of Allah Almighty, the most gracious, the most merciful. It is a matter of great honour and pleasure for me…
Budgetary outcome in 1QFY21
The Ministry of Finance (MoF) has released the results of the fiscal operations for the first quarter of 2020-21. The consolidated fiscal deficit of the Federal and Provincial Governments is…
In defence of SBP bill
There is quite a stir in the media and policy circles on the proposed amendments in the SBP law. Journalists and economists jumped on the bandwagon and speculated on widely…
