Hopium – II: How Pakistan needs to rethink its planning
Pakistan needs disruptive changes, a deregulated business environment, and SOE reform if its economy is to grow
Dollar brawler
Ever wondered why the rupee quotes at 108.20 or 110 and not at Rs120 or Rs125 to a dollar? It’s not much different from...
Russia, Ukraine, and Pakistan
On the economic front, Khan’s strategy has two core goals - providing relief and boosting popularity.
Nutritionally Challenged Pakistan?
It is said that we are what we eat, and data tells us that Pakistanis are not eating enough, and not eating right enough!...
The SIFC and the Dar problem
Pakistan has just had a close brush with Dar, but it seems that the worst is over. While Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has been...
Imports: necessary, and not evil
In a country whose government is as obsessed with the exchange rate, the current account deficit, and thus every single component that goes into...
Floods 2022: Early Assessment of Infrastructure Destruction
The great floods of 2022 have wreaked havoc across the length of the Indus river, wherein at a particular point, the river has essentially...
A Stanford academic, Twitter, and Pakistan’s exports
We need to increase Pakistan’s exports, and it doesn’t quite matter where we approach the problem from
Fiscal Federalism
Let me start with a question. What does the first article of the Constitution say? Is it about Islam, democracy or fundamental rights? It...
Time is of the essence
Rivers of gold. That's what media mogul Rupert Murdoch once said about the classifieds section in newspapers.
Now, though I am definitely no Pakistani Murdoch,...
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...
Rebuild Karachi
The city’s decline may have much to do with a lack of political ownership, but the situation cannot be allowed to continue. The way out is for the business community to step up with a common agenda
Dollar Doom Loop and Pakistan
The era of cheap money is over. The global financial crisis of 2008 led to an explosive growth in money supply with close-to-zero interest...
The business of investing
A disclaimer to start with; this article is not meant to be taken as investment advice and I am certainly not qualified to give...
Flipping the script
Devolving political and economic powers to local level can treat what ails Pakistan’s fledgling economy
