Barter trade: Why it’s a bad idea in this day and age, especially for Pakistan
The recent agreement with Iran, Afghanistan and Russia to engage in barter trade might be great marketing for an economically struggling government, but remains impractical
Who is Shaheryar Chishty and what does he want with K-Electric?
Shaheryar Chishty has gone from the owner of Daewoo to being one of the most influential men in Pakistan’s energy sector. Can he turn KE around?
A tale of two defaults
The word default has spread through the country like a fever. Does anyone really understand what it means?
The OGDCL’s $80 million bid saga in Uch
The bid for a compression plant in Uch has become a bone of contention with current and former officials of the company lobbying for different groups
Track-and-Trace troubles
Track and trace is one way to counter our tax collection problem. But it only scratches the surface
Political patronage and victimisation: Medialogic and the TV ratings story
With the ban on Medialogic, advertisers and broadcasters now have no access to any television ratings. But why was the company banned in the first place?
What does it mean to ‘Reimagine’ Pakistan?
The ideas behind the platform are neither new nor radical. But they are still important
Pretty outside, ugly inside: How Pakistani banks window dressed their books to avoid new taxes
Government orders banks to either start lending to the private sector or pay higher taxes. Banks do neither, in the process set many new records, and yet get away with it
How and why the census has far reaching implications on policy making and politics itself
While the 2023 census has not yet concluded , it is set to redefine the demographics of the country, and will be more meaningful than previous ones
Has the ‘Peoples’ Bus Service fallen prey to the people’s representatives?
Why would management of a provincial public transport project be given to a federal company responsible for producing telecommunications equipment?
The year of the landa bazar
One trader’s loss is another’s profit
How a bad economy derailed a move towards apartment living
Inflation has wreaked havoc on commodity prices making highrise building projects almost unsellable
Uncompetitive and short in supply. The tragic and avoidable undoing of Pakistan’s cotton crop
As output falls with each passing year, the industry faces a bleak future
The Return of the King
An unseasonably cool March has put Pakistan’s prized mangoes back on the map this year. But at what cost?
The fool’s fuel plan?
In another world, in a country not so close to the brink, and with a lot more time the fuel cross-subsidy may have had a shot. Right now it is a case of bad timing and bad planning