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?
The state of solar energy in Pakistan
Distributed power generation is hitting the country’s grid, making the energy mix cleaner, but also making it harder to run the already unwieldy national grid
PIA debt restructuring: a surprisingly balanced deal
The government of Pakistan is generally terrible at negotiating complex transactions, but in the PIA debt restructuring, may have gotten itself an as-good-as-possible agreement that spreads the pain among the banks and the government relatively evenly
The Jazz IPO is finally coming. What does it mean for the PSX?
Nearly three decades after launching, Pakistan’s largest telecommunications company is about to list itself on the stock exchange. What is that likely to mean for investors?
Top City 1: The suburban real estate development that brought down former ISI chief Faiz Hameed
The retired lieutenant general is not the first high-ranking military official to be court martialed over financial dealings, but perhaps the first one about a real estate development that has nothing to do with the military
The bull case for Pakistan
Why, despite all the negativity, the fundamentals of the country's economy are about to hit a positive tipping point, followed most likely by a multi-decade boom
Education in Pakistan: Not good, but maybe good enough
Each successive generation is better educated than the one that came before it; democracy and the 18th Amendment help
The Big Three oligarchy in Pakistani automobiles is over
Having dominated the market since the 1980s, the three Japanese automakers face stiff competition from Korean and Chinese automakers, and their own lethargy in adjusting to consumer preferences
Pakistan no longer has a population problem
While the rest of the world struggles with low birth rates, Pakistan is entering the sweet spot of the double demographic dividend. We should abolish the Population Welfare Department to keep the demographic party going longer
The federal government might abolish five ministries. That’s just scratching the surface
Institutional reform in the federal government requires a gutting of the bureaucracy, the elimination of thousands of jobs, and strong political will