Editorial

It was an incredible weekend in Pakistani politics only to end on an anticlimactic note. To see the entire ruling elite buzzing (some with excitement, others in opposition) in the power corridors for the whole of Sunday and Monday, eyeing the previously cornered JUI(F) President Maulana Fazlur Rehman and the entire media (both mainstream and […]

Just like men, some countries are more equal than others. Were it not so, the US must have thought twice before treading along the delicate albeit hypocritical path of selective sanctions in the name of the proliferation of missile technologies. Last week, for the sixth time in a row and within months of previous sanctions, […]

Blame either ill planning or financial constraints, the Diamer-Bhasha Dam project has become an epitome of setbacks. Back in 2020, when the then government initiated work on the project, it was estimated to cost Rs 479 billion. This rushed start, later affected by political uncertainties and poor planning, caused unexplained delays. Now, after four years, […]

The State Bank of Pakistan’s decision to cut the benchmark interest rate by 200 basis points (bps) on September 12 has not gone well with business people across Pakistan. With well-guarded expressions, they called the cut a step in the right direction, but in the same breath they called it too little to be effective […]

Just like other sightseeing places, our coastline in Karachi is in poor condition – a place suffering from severe pollution and littering. A clean beach would have not only improved environment but also promote potential tourism opportunities. The families going to coastal areas, especially those near Karachi, keep sharing the pictures of the beach places […]

They look like remedial measures but deserve full marks. The Punjab government, whose poor wheat procurement management in the last summer had broken the bone of farmers, has now launched a series of agricultural initiatives aimed at supporting farmers and boosting the agriculture sector. The delivery of 40,000 Kisan Cards to farmers through 136 agricultural […]

Better late than never. After weeks of dilly-dallying over whether to finalise a $7 billion bailout deal, we have finally heard from the International Monetary Fund as it confirmed a slot on the agenda of the executive board. An understandably relieved Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb seems busy rolling out confirmations of having resolved all matters […]

One step forward, two steps back and on goes the government’s tango dance to find sustainable momentum towards the ambitious goal of eradicating polio by 2026. Every single time it prepares itself for the last push, feeling confident in the gains made against the crippling virus, a more worrisome cluster emerges. This year again, a […]

Perhaps, Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif is an ardent believer in saying the mantra again and again to pound the message home. The last few months have seen him repeatedly pledge an “iron-clad” resolve to bring back 26 million out-of-school children back to school, declaring an education emergency. Back in May, he had claimed to handle […]

With every passing day, fears of withdrawn support from the IMF pushing the Pakistani economy towards the edge of the precipice become more concrete. The economic landscape of Pakistan has long been plagued by uncertainty and volatility, largely exacerbated by the looming shadow of insolvency. Considering how Pakistan has yet to appear on the Fund […]