The smog will worsen. It doesn’t have to
We are not condemned to live in this hell forever. Measures can and must be taken
A primer on refinery margins
To a casual observer, refining is a boring and largely commoditized business often exposed to volatility in commodity prices. During the last few months,...
The start-up culture is causing Pakistanis (& Wapistanis) to dream
Rising inflation, declining foreign reserves, energy shortages, political instability – These headlines make a grim reading for any investor. But in all the negativity...
Trouble at the power plants
In the last few weeks, there have been a slew of reports about plant failures and power assets going offline one after the other...
The bitter aftertaste of FED on Pakistan’s juice industry
In face of the need to broaden our tax net, the government imposed a flat 20% Federal Excise Duty (FED) on fruit juices beverages...
Why isn’t the PTA worried about the data of Pakistani citizens being misused?
As Pakistanis’ digital footprint grows, so do the threats to the confidential details of its citizens. Without data protection laws in place, bad actors in India may be able to misuse Pakistani citizens’ private data that they should not even have access to
If equity injection is a drug, Microfinance Banks are an addict
Sponsors step in as MFBs grapple with capitalization crunch
Here’s how we fix Pakistan’s SOE problem
Privatization or legislation, we must address the root of the problem
Let’s take a hard look at Net Metering
The Government of Pakistan had to face tremendous backlash lately regarding imposing a fixed tax on solar panels. On its part, the Government’s intention...
Import tariffs as implicit (and powerful) export taxes
If you thought import duties were taxes on imports, you’re only half right. They are also, implicitly, and powerfully, taxes on exports.
In 1936, the...
Millions of homes have been destroyed. Could we rebuild them with solar rooftops?
As of September 8, 2022, a total of 1.74 million homes have either been partially or fully destroyed across Pakistan during the ongoing floods...
A policy abyss
Pakistan is stuck in a low-growth trap. The population is growing at a rate of 2.5 percent per annum, while economic growth remains sluggish,...
Stocktaking of power sector challenges in NEPRA State of Industry Report
NEPRA released its State of Industry Report 2022 (SIR) on 30th September, 2022. This year's addition is particularly significant due to multiple key events...
Chicken and affordable protein
The price of broiler chicken has increased to more than Rs 400 per kg lately, largely due to supply chain constraints, and a complete...
There is an IMF standby agreement, but what next?
Solving our balance of payments challenge
