Budget 2021-22 and erratic taxation By: Huzaima Bukhari and Dr Ikramul Haq on June 12, 2021The federal budget for fiscal year (FY) 2021-22, third of the coalition Government of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) [hereinafter “the PTI Government”] and first of its fourth Finance Minister, Shaukat Fayaz Ahmed Tarin, announced on June 11, 2019 along with Finance Act, 2021 was a routine and ritual exercise with no innovation at all to make […]
What you should know if you’re planning to get admission to college abroad By: Shanza N. Khan on June 12, 2021As college applicants for the Fall of 2022 roll up their sleeves, the all-encompassing question clouding most minds is – should I or should I not give the SAT/ACT? Covid has ensured that students are grappling with unchartered territory both in their own schools as well as the colleges that they will be applying to. […]
A QUEST FOR CSS REFORMS By: Wafa Sheraz on June 9, 2021The Central Superior Service (CSS) exam can either be categorized as a reward for a continuous and tenacious effort by those who succeed or a haunting failure for those who fall prey to the inconsistencies present in the system that delivers the final result. Each season, thousands of individuals gear up to embark on the […]
Beyond Evil By: Ashraf Jehangir Qazi on June 8, 2021The worst form of colonialism is settler colonialism, unless it occurs on empty and unclaimed land. But then it would not be colonialism. Settler colonialism requires other weaker people to be contacted, deceived, infiltrated, invaded, conquered, displaced, controlled, discriminated against, hated, and “non people.” Histories and narratives need to be constructed or warped in order […]
Budget, jobs, taxes and growth By: Huzaima Bukhari and Dr Ikramul Haq on June 7, 2021 “The Laffer Curve, by the way, was not invented by me; it has its origins way back in time. For example, the Muslim philosopher Ibn Khaldun wrote in his fourteenth-century work The Muqaddimah: It should be known that at the beginning of the dynasty, taxation yields a large revenue from small assessments. At the […]
Why is Iran’s upcoming election so important and what to expect? By: Behzad Taimur on June 6, 2021In less than two weeks, our neighbor to the west – Iran – will be holding its thirteenth presidential election. While Iran is often overlooked by the general Pakistani mind, there is reason for us to be keeping eye on in for the upcoming election. Foremost amongst these is the on-going US pull-out from Afghanistan. […]
Revolutionary political thought of Islam By: Zafarullah Khan on June 6, 2021At the advent of Islam in the Arabian Peninsula, the political system that prevailed in Arabia was semi-tribal and semi-monarchical, whereas in the neighbouring areas, it was based on hereditary and despotic monarchies. In that setting common’ people had no civil or political rights in the affairs of the state. The Prophet Mohammed (PBUH) laid […]
Politicians – suffering and sacrifice, generation after generation By: Samar Haroon Bilour on June 5, 2021Last Sunday, on a blistering summer day I had an encounter with the very suave Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, when a highly powered PPP delegation came to Walibagh Charsadda, to condole veteran politician Begum Naseem Wali Khan’s demise. There in the tree dappled lawns and ancient veranda of Wali Bagh, an epiphany downed on me; here […]
Pakistan: Reclaiming its space on FATF whitelist By: Abdul Rauf Shakoori on June 5, 2021The money laundering and financing of terrorism have evolved as a transnational challenge. It is difficult to investigate and prosecute the offenders of Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing who are operating through complex series of transactions having access to various jurisdictions. Pakistan due to deficiencies in its Anti- Money Laundering and Combating Financing of Terrorism […]
Significance of digitization for Pakistan’s economy By: Dr Qais Aslam on June 4, 2021Since the advent of the internet, the computer and mobile technologies as well as the powerful tools like Google, Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp etc. also with initiation of digital e-businesses like Amazon and Ali Baba, the face of world economics has changed. This change is more visible in this era of COVID-19 when countries have […]