The economic cost of period-shaming
Let us talk about periods. No, not the punctuation mark. The one related to women’s menstrual cycles. The one that men –...
Shortsighted moves on trade
There is absolutely no scenario in which Pakistan evolves from being the low-income country it is today to becoming a high-income or...
Navigating the crisis
Pakistan is staring at yet another economic crisis. A coalition government is facing economic choices that will significantly erode its political capital...
The less travelled road to managing the external financing gapÂ
The global economy is passing through a perfect storm. The commodity super-cycle has led to record high prices of essential imports. On...
Finding cigar butts
Last week must have shaken the faint-hearted. KSE-100 Index declined by 4.4%, the Pakistan rupee depreciated to a record low of Rs131 (-5%)...
Provincial subjects and their discontents
For all of the good it has done, the 18th amendment has not been properly utilized and implemented by the provinces, particularly in the case of taxation and labour welfare
The case against sovereign default
Groundhog Day is now a preferred reference point for the economic cycle in Pakistan, with each crisis largely resembling the previous crisis,...
Climate check: can Pakistan add more cars without impacting the environment?
An influx of 350,000 cars is expected every five years: here’s what we can do about it
Editor’s Note: Time to test the energy policy
Long before he ever became finance minister, Asad Umar had begun formulating what would eventually become the energy policy of the Imran...
Cutting through red-tape with e-residency
Estonia is the first country in the world to establish ease of business through e-residency, and Pakistanis may benefit from it
Editor’s Note: There is more to the IMF than bailouts
It is not an often-appreciated fact, but politicians actually do try to keep most of their major campaign promises, at times regardless...
Editor’s Note: Fuel price populism
There is absolutely no subject over which the Pakistani media collectively loses its mind over more than fuel prices. No matter how...
Borrowing from the public
The sovereign remains the biggest borrower in the country, making up more than 70 percent of all banking assets, either borrowing directly,...
Competition is overrated
Not the silver bullet many argue it is
Editor’s Note: The cost of borrowing
In his first speech to his fellow citizens as the Prime Minister-elect of Pakistan, Imran Khan stated his desire to have Pakistan...