Editorial

The Imran Khan administration deserves credit for raising issues like the country’s unhealthy population growth rate, stunted children, malnutrition, etc, at the highest level. Addressing the Kissan Card distribution ceremony in Dera Ismael Khan the other day, Prime Minister Imran Khan once again warned of widespread hunger, even famine, if crop production in the country […]

The Modi administration in Delhi has lost almost all of its shine. First it lost a lot of domestic middle-class support with its controversial demonetisation idea, which turned out to be quite a catastrophe. Then, even before the pandemic, at least $45-50 billion in foreign direct and portfolio investment left India as outsiders lost faith […]

Pakistani authorities are not surprised at all that the email which allegedly led to the New Zealand cricket team pulling the plug on the Pakistan tour just minutes before the start of the first match came from India. As Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry disclosed the details in a press conference, it seemed that the time […]

It’s a great relief that reports that the European Union (EU) might end Pakistan’s GSP+ status upon expiry in about a year have not turned out to be true and the European Commission (EC) has, instead, extended the facility till 2024. That means the $1-1.5 billion in export revenue that this scheme has been getting […]

PM Imran Khan’s ominous warning, that Afghanistan risks descending into civil war if the Taliban are unable to form an inclusive government, ought to be taken seriously by all stakeholders because the honeymoon period is clearly over and decision time has come to the neighbouring country. So far neither the Taliban nor western countries have […]

Just when the government and the people had their hands full with the coronavirus pandemic, dengue fever is also staging an unwelcome comeback. There’s already been a major outbreak in KB, the Punjab health minister has had to issue a warning, and if experience has taught us anything other provinces would also not be far […]

One can only hope that Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan al Saud did his homework before offering the kingdom’s “good offices” to resolve outstanding issues between Pakistan and India; because it’s at this point that the latter’s bilateral relations with any country that makes such offers begin to suffer. Delhi’s reasoning for flatly rejecting […]

Two, they say in the world of statistics, is a trend. And now that two countries have cancelled their cricket tours to Pakistan over what are clearly very frivolous excuses, it can be safely said that there is now a clear trend of avoiding Pakistan; as if to teach it a lesson. The situation is […]

Nobody would’ve been really surprised, even if the business community was left a little disappointed, that SBP has raised the interest rate by 25 basis points to take it to 7.25pc. The market appeared to have priced in this increase, yet an interest rate hike is still equity negative, and the benchmark index ended more […]

There are two broad reasons for Pakistan being one of the only two countries in the world with active polio cases; the other country is Afghanistan. The first is that government after government has simply failed to offer a credible alternative to the extremist narrative doing the rounds in the periphery; that polio drops are […]