The dark side of Pakistan’s digital ‘masterplan’
The timing of the bill and the lack of data privacy legislation in Pakistan raises questions about the government’s intentions
Could the Airlink model be Pakistan’s Shining City on a Hill?
From its start as an importer, Airlink has been assembling laptops, tablets, and phones and significantly increasing their margins. What does it say about Pakistan’s economy?
KSE at 100,000: What does it mean for Pakistan?
At a time of political instability and a tentative economic recovery, the KSE-100 index has crossed a major milestone. What does the market's rally mean for Pakistan?
The case for the Ufone-Telenor merger
Why, counterintuitively, fewer competitors might mean better choices for mobile telecommunications consumers in Pakistan
The changing nature of Pakistan’s Establishment
We talk in Pakistan as though we have an unchanging establishment, dominated by the military. Reality is far more complex, and changing very rapidly, driven by a changing economy
Dear control-freak seth, welcome to the stock exchange
By introducing the dual-class shareholding structures, the Pakistan Stock Exchange – and the SECP – are hoping to attract the listing of companies whose owners want to retain tight control but do not mind sharing profits
The death of Pakistani feudalism
What was once the dominant force in Pakistan’s political economy is on its last legs. What comes next is not yet known
Drug price deregulation has come to Pakistan. What will this mean?
Companies can finally raise prices, which is likely to result in higher prices, but also likely to mean fewer shortages of essential drugs
The government of Pakistan’s word is worthless. What comes next for Pakistan’s energy sector?
If the entire energy supply chain is not privatized in short order, Pakistan will find its energy problems not going away any time soon
The TikTok economy
From a platform to dance on to a platform to grow one’s business on, the Chinese social media company has rapidly gained share as one of the biggest places for Pakistani small business owners to market their products and services
The free market comes to Pakistan’s wheat crop
The state has been procuring and subsidising wheat production since 1968, claiming it is for the good of small farmers. In reality, it benefits everyone but the growers
Tax fraud as a service
The FBR has alleges Rs11 billion worth of sales tax fraud through fake invoices for coal imported by cement manufacturers, but can only account for part of it with Power Cement; the companies in the tax fraud business appear to have many clients in the same industry
The death of Pakistani Basmati
Pakistan has a competitive advantage in premium Basmati Rice. The advantage, along with Pakistan's unique kind of premium rice, is set to die. How did we get here?
Can fintech help finally unlock financing for small businesses?
Despite all the State Bank and SECP’s attempts to help small businesses attract more financing, SME lending remains in the doldrums. Fintech could be part of the solution, but first everyone needs to admit that the problem is the FBR.
A plan to turn Punjab into a communist dictatorship has been foiled. For now.
Using inflation as an excuse, the chief minister wanted to introduce a parallel policing and judicial system with vaguely defined powers. How long can they be held off?