In recent weeks, an unusual trend has quietly surfaced in local discussions and informal markets: some individuals in Pakistan are showing interest in buying the Iranian rial, not for trade or travel, but in the hope that its value may rise in the future. This curiosity is not random; it is rooted in expectations surrounding […]
Hormuz Blockade: The Cost to Pakistan’s Economy
Geopolitics and economics are no longer distant neighbours but have become deeply entangled, especially for countries like Pakistan whose economic fortunes are bound to global oil markets. The unfolding war involving Iran, the United States, and Israel – and the consequent de facto closure of the Strait of Hormuz – has not only sent shockwaves […]
Gold Prices and Marriages
In Pakistan, marriage – once a joyous occasion – is increasingly becoming an unattainable dream for many young men and women. With gold prices reaching historic highs and financial instability gripping the nation, marriage has become unaffordable for a large portion of the youth, pushing many to delay one of the most important milestones of […]
Agartala: Reviving the Conspiracy in 2024
The political journey of the daughter of Shiekh Mujib and the longest-serving Bangladeshi PM – Sheikh Hasina, took a sharp turn when she landed in India – the country that actively participated in the bifurcation of Pakistan in 1971; after she was forced to resign after days of violent student protests across the country. It […]
Reconstructing Narratives: A Critical Analysis of the Operation Swift Retort
On February 14, 2019, a convoy of Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel was targeted in Pulwama, Occupied Kashmir, resulting in the deaths of nearly 40 reserves. The aftermath of the attack witnessed a rapid escalation of tensions between India and Pakistan. Accusations were levelled, threats hurled, and that finally culminated in an airstrike in […]
Is Debt Restructuring a Panacea?
The world has experienced a progressive increase in foreign debt liabilities in the recent decade, with unforeseen consequences for certain borrowing countries. Among them include sluggish economic growth, grave debt issues, and stock market volatility, especially in low-income countries. Unsustainable debt is causing countries to default like Pakistan and Sri Lanka. The debt is easily […]
Can ChatGPT Replace Human Workers?
Artificial intelligence (AI) has been a topic of fascination for many years. The emergence of new technologies and machines with the ability to communicate and understand human language has paved the way for a new era of intelligent systems. One such AI tool that has been making waves in recent times is ChatGPT. But what […]
Pakistan and the IMF: An Enduring Relationship
Pakistan and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) have had a long and complicated relationship, spanning several decades. Since the country’s inception, Pakistan has had to repeatedly turn to the IMF for financial assistance to deal with various economic challenges. Since then, the country has received 23 loan programs from the IMF. However, the IMF’s interventions […]
The Accumulation of Capital is made of eight major portions with component chapters
The economic analysis began with Adam Smith’s “the nature and causes of the wealth of nation”, which run the world economy for up to a 100 years. Then Keynes’s General theory rescued economics from the infertility of the classical world. But economists were conscious of a more general theory that bring long-term changes in population, […]
Governing The Ungovernable — addressing core questions
When a person performs any task, some questions arise in his or her mind. That is why I am doing this job? And how am I going to do it? In the book, the author addresses some W-H questions. As a development economist, Dr Ishrat spent 20 years with the world bank. He began his […]