Editorial

Finally the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) has quantified and put a monetary value on what is already almost universally known; that numerous economic privileges are accorded to the powerful elite in Pakistan and they run up to an estimated $1.74 billion or about six percent of the national economy. It turns out, according to […]

The Lahore High Court (LHC) has granted bail to Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) President Mian Shahbaz Sharif in both assets-beyond-means and money laundering cases at a very crucial time for the opposition. The Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM), after huffing and puffing about divisions within its ranks, has finally found nothing better than to request PPP […]

While everybody’s been concerned about high prices, especially in a small basket of commodities considered essential, there has been a tendency not to notice the real trajectory of the economy. And as the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) disclosed just the other day, it considers that the country will record GDP growth to the tune […]

It is for legal experts to properly decipher the Lahore High Court’s (LHC) order which directed the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) to inform Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Vice President Maryam Nawaz 10 days prior to issuing arrest warrants for her in the Jati Umra land case. But considering how this impacts the overall sequence of […]

The rift between the one-time frontrunners of the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM), in particular PPP and PML-N, has deepened so much so quickly that their political differences are beginning to turn into personal ones. Surely there’s little else to make of PPP Chairperson Bilawal Bhutto’s gesture of tearing, quite publically, the show-cause notice sent to […]

The record inflow of remittances – clocking in at more than $2 billion for more than 10 months now – has everybody very happy in Islamabad, especially the prime minister. That is why it was no surprise to see him take to Twitter and thank overseas Pakistanis for the part they’ve played in shoring up […]

The much-discussed, albeit little-agreed-upon, chapter of the NA-75 re-election finally comes to an end. With PML-N’s Syeda Nosheen Iftikhar clinching the majority vote bank, the opposition party has finally thrown down the gauntlet. After all, the Sharif narrative rests heavily on the (much-touted) declaration about its popularity and relevance in Pakistan. The coming days will […]

Going back to the passionate yet pragmatic speeches of Quaid-e-Azam, one may safely conclude that the nation’s architect was well aware of the deleterious effects of provincialism. He had termed–as early as 1948–the disease as “a tool in the hands of enemies of Pakistan” to disrupt the state “by creating a split” within. While many […]

It is hard to dismiss the growing clout of power-broker Jahangir Tareen as he sets out for a crusade to clear his name. Flanked by around 22 Insafian MPAs and eight MNAs, former secretary-general of the ruling PTI called for a free and fair investigation; not one “mired in controversy” or operating “on someone’s phone […]

Pakistan is on the verge of receiving around $1 billion debt relief under the G20 plan. A much-needed good news for Economic Affairs Minister Khusro Bakhtyar. This loan suspension will, undoubtedly, provide fiscal space to our economy so that Islamabad can focus on the already-hardening battle against COVID. While indicators of a severe debt crisis […]