External vulnerabilities
The liquid foreign exchange reserves of the State Bank of Pakistan stood at $3.19 billion during the week ending on December 20, 2013. The SBP’s forex reserves declined by $275…
In search of prudent economics
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif is a well-intentioned leader and seems to be genuinely interested in taking the economy out of its existing state of stagflation, which has made the economic…
The dictator’s shadow
Accusing someone of faking an illness is the surest way to come off as an insensitive fool. Pervez Musharraf is now 70 years old and must, at a minimum, be…
Enforce the law
The IMF in its report for the first review under the Extended Fund Facility (EFF) has correctly diagnosed that inflation cannot be controlled without complete operational autonomy of the State…
Musharraf and the constitution
My friend Babar Sattar, an eminent jurist and thinker, has penned a passionate article, arguing why it is important to punish former General Pervez Musharraf. Sattar believes that “Legally speaking…
Joyride or journey?
The Delhi Metro ferries millions from the farthest suburbs of India’s capital city to their places of work or study or amusement. In its many assignments, on the odd day,…
What’s the Latin for ‘panga lena’?
Of our current prime minister the wicked Husain Haqqani used to say that if an arrow was flying five metres above the ground, there was no stopping him from leaping…
The remaking of PPP
The interest a large section of society showed in Bilawal Bhutto Zardari’s speech of last Friday is understandable. The qualities of leadership he can display will be an important factor…
Preparing for scarcity
Barring its formative years, generations of Pakistani policymakers have comfortably operated with one `given` or constant: resource abundance. From vast tracts of fertile arable land to generous flows in its…
English at a cost
A Couple of years ago, the PML-N suddenly announced that the Punjab government was switching to English as the medium of instruction in all public schools. The switch was made,…
