The economy is facing tough times and this is not a hard news in our part of the world. In such bad times, the only hope for us is we are on track for small feasts. The Asian Development Bank (ADB) recently said Pakistan will grow only 2.5 percent this year. This makes Pakistan’s economy the slowest one in South Asia. That is even less than Afghanistan. Yes, you have heard it right that Afghanistan, a country with war and sanctions, is doing better from us. Three months ago, the ADB predicted Pakistan’s economic growth at 3 percent, but now they have lowered it. The question arises: when inflation, or rising prices, has dropped to 6 percent, which is good news, why it is not being translated into the economic growth. The bet lies in adopting a path of reforms. These changes, started with help from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in October 2024, should make things stable. But if we stop or change plans, problems like debt and a weak economy could return. For example, political fights or relaxing rules too soon might scare businesses away and stop growth. Even less rain could hurt crops and food, making things worse. Consistency in policies and reforms could be a gamechanger for Pakistan. The government claims it is fixing big issues such as taxes, energy costs and state companies. It seems we are in a long game, and short-term results may not be visible. We will have to stick to the hard path and hope for some better results in coming years. Lower inflation, more money from Pakistanis abroad and easier bank rules can help people spend and boost the economy. The ADB says our reserves might reach $13 billion by June 2025, but this money is only enough to pay for imports for nearly three months. And remember, of the $13bn, most of the bucks have been earned through rollback concessions. *