Painfully Deja Vu

The tradition of the annual budget speech is rapidly becoming meaningless. Every year, the finance minister delivers a barely audible speech while...

Growth on paper, stagnation on ground

Pakistan’s economic survey reveals more spin than spark

Bitter squeeze on the juice industry

A 20% excise duty meant to boost revenue is crushing the formal juice industry, hurting farmers, empowering unsafe informal players, and shrinking the tax base.

Reminder: Maryam Nawaz’s crusade to turn Punjab into a dictatorship continues

The appearance of billboards stuck in the middle of Liberty Chowk in Lahore proudly advertising the Punjab Enforcement and Regulatory Authority (PERA)...

The Chashma-Jhelum Link Canal Question

While the Indus Water Treaty is under threat, we must focus on implementing its spirit domestically

Govts are initiating AI projects. Can Sovereign AI be a national utility?

The adoption of AI is accelerating globally, revolutionizing companies and governments with an emerging “super intelligence” making decisions faster and allocating resources...

The miracle called the HBL PSL

The HBL PSL rose from unlikely beginnings to become a mainstay of the international franchise cricket calendar. In many ways it is a miracle that comes from belief. It must be emulated.

A Farmer’s Journey Through Pakistan’s Barrages

This is an urgent call: Pakistan is in desperate need of clean water reforms

A national effort is needed for a sustainable future

Pakistan is transforming its energy sector by emphasizing renewable energy to promote sustainability, enhance energy security, and provide economic relief. The government...

Punjab’s changing urban reality requires empowered local governments

Changing demographics mean the Punjab is transforming into a new iteration of the province. Its governance must be left to the hands of local representatives

Local governments could be game-changers in countering extremism

Pakistan’s counter-terrorism strategy cannot rely solely on military operations. Part of the solution is service delivery and a strong relationship between the electorate and local government representatives.

The real problem isn’t Cholistan —It’s Pakistan’s shrinking water supply

The Cholistan Canal controversy is not simply about Punjab versus Sindh. It is a symptom of Pakistan’s chronic failure to expand its water infrastructure to meet growing demand

Rescuing Protein-istan?

There is simply one poor policy decision that caused destruction to everything around the dairy ecosystem in the last few decades, and that is the government's obsession to control milk prices, rather than milk quality

What surprises lay in wait for Pakistan’s Auto Market in 2025?

Each sale fuels a broader ecosystem, supporting component makers, service centers, logistics providers, and skilled workers reliant on a stable market

A blueprint for Pakistan’s public sector companies beyond privatisation exists 

Loss-making Public Sector Enterprises (PSE) and privatisation have been a national obsession for the last three decades. Successive governments, military and civil,...