Rationalizing priorities for federal and provincial budgets
For a country to be among the top ten countries in the world in terms of population, and with more than 60 percent of its population below 30 years of…
State of the economy
The previous week’s article had focused on the growth performance of the economy from July 2024 to March 2025. An assessment was made of the likely level of investment in…
On the path of stabilization
Pakistan’s economy, long buffeted by structural flaws, cyclical shocks and political instability, is presently showing signs of cautious revival following a period of extraordinary difficulty. The currency has regained marginal…
Carbon levy: A fail-safe?
Despite decades of ‘reforms’, Pakistan has tragically failed to establish a pro-growth, anti-cyclical, and sustainable economic paradigm. This is primarily due to the overreliance on fiscal austerity and a flawed…
Climate change, Resilience and Sustainability Facility, and beyond
On their webpage, titled ‘Resilience, environment, and climate change’ the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has indicated ‘As per the worldwide climate index, Pakistan ranks 8th most vulnerable country to…
IMF programme & our vulnerabilities
Pakistan’s economy has been perpetually struggling through recurrent turbulent phases, facing severe fiscal and external account challenges, exacerbated by outside shocks, weak governance, and inefficient financial management. The country has…
Till debt do us part
In Hamlet, Shakespeare’s character Polonius offers timeless advice to his son, Laertes, "Neither a borrower nor a lender be”, warning of the perils of debt and dependency. For Pakistan, this…
Existential threats and Neoliberalism—I
The climate change crisis is fast-unfolding, and unlike what was thought at the time of the ‘Paris Agreement’ on climate in 2015, according to which the world has up till…
Markets wrestle with Trump’s unconventional debt ideas
Investors are weighing whether Donald Trump might turn to unconventional ideas to try to bring the ballooning US debt under control, after the president insisted he won’t cut popular health…
False starts, faltering economy
BACK in December 2018, Finance Minister Asad Umar was telling almost everyone he met that the economy has turned the corner, that improvements have begun to materialise, that green shoots…
