The fall of Pakistan’s textiles
The problems are well identified. But how did a once proud and strong industry come to its current state?
What the success of Pakistan Idol says about the country’s economic trajectory
The business model captures lessons from recent successes, and the contestants are capturing a hinge moment in Pakistan's economic trajectory
A quarter billion Pakistanis: a bigger demographic dividend
The population alarmists are wrong and the country’s demographic problems are behind it. What is required now is a balanced approach to population that does not see family size as a concern of the state
Can Pakistan’s snack giants make the best of our trade troubles?
The potato chips industry doesn’t appear to be slowing down anytime soon. The key players remain mainly the same, but the projected growth in the near future has implications for the future of local potato production
Pakistan’s premier bank has gone all in on agriculture
Over the past few years, the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) has encouraged banks to expand agri-financing. The banks have responded, surprisingly, with enthusiasm. What does it mean for the most important sector of Pakistan’s economy?
How urban is Pakistan?
A new World Bank study suggests that Pakistan may have been majority urban for decades now. How accurate is that assessment, and what does it say about the country?
Who is buying Lotte Chemicals?
The sale of Lotte marks the last vestiges of the Imperial Chemical Industries (ICI), and another multinational exit from Pakistan. But this one is a little different
Boycotts and border closures: How a stock market star lost its mojo
Pakistan Aluminium Beverage Cans has no competitors, but BDS boycotts and closures on the Afghanistan border have left the company adrift
Why Syed Babar Ali should not buy Akzo Nobel
The Packages Group is reportedly interested in buying AkzoNobel. For one of Pakistan’s cleanest and most professional conglomerates, entering the paint business might mean getting their hands dirty
Bringing biotech to Pakistan
Ferozsons, and now its subsidiary BF Biosciences, are betting that the Pakistani market is ready for cutting edge life sciences products. Are they right?
No, Gul Ahmed is not shutting down exports
A combination of lazy and innumerate financial journalism and the Pakistani penchant for pessimism resulted in people thinking this is a way more significant news story than it actually is
Why P&G is leaving Pakistan
The company’s presence in the country is an example of a global multinational creating a hard-fought market for itself from scratch. Its departure will leave a gaping hole
The fall of Al Shaheer
The company that practically invented Pakistan’s meat export industry is on life support as its new investors Sunridge work to bring the defunct meat manufacturer back to life
Could the Saudi-Pak Defence Pact force Modi and Islamabad to play nice?
India’s economy relies heavily on the Gulf for remittances, trade, and oil. As the US pressures Modi to abandon Russian crude, Pakistan’s new relationship with Saudi Arabia could force the Indians to rethink their strategy on Pakistan
The ‘stable’ Gulf is gone. What comes next?
Pax Americana is well and truly dead as far as the Middle East is concerned, which means that the Gulf’s much-vaunted stability is gone. What does that mean for Pakistan’s economy?
