Pakistan on Discord Leaks on May 2, 2023Russia attacked Ukraine at an unfortunate time when Pakistan was grappling with a domestic economic slump. On 24 February 2022, Russia invaded and occupied parts of Ukraine. Contrary to its foreign policy principle of anti-aggression, Pakistan decided to stay neutral. Pakistan intended to seek the supply of cheap oil from Russia. To elaborate, the war […]
Racism in Glasgow on March 28, 2023Racism and hate crime are lasting and entrenched features of Scotland, of which Glasgow is the main city, whereas Edinburgh is the capital. On July 2, 2013, this writer wrote (Daily Times, “Pakistani students and Glasgow: a case study in racism”) to raise the issue of lying hidden from the public eye. The piece identified […]
Restructure the Economy on March 15, 2023Whereas Pakistan’s Foreign Minister, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, is frustrated over the dilly-dallying of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in concluding the staff-level agreement on releasing the last tranche of $1.2 billion loan, March establishes itself as the decisive month for Pakistan’s economic future. Pakistan has yet to complete the ninth review of the IMF’s Extended […]
The Vicious Debt Cycle on March 7, 2023On February 28, Moody’s Investors Service downgraded the Government of Pakistan’s debt obligations ratings from Caa1 to Caa3, which indicated poor standing subject to very high credit risk. That is, if any lending agency is ready to advance money, it is highly likely that Pakistan will not service the loan. The decision to downgrade the […]
Do More on the Economy on March 5, 2023Last week, the virtual meeting of Pakistan’s economic team and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) failed to deliver in Pakistan’s favour. Pakistan urgently requires the tranche of $1.2 billion, which is part of a $6 billion package agreed upon in 2019. Currently, the IMF is unwilling to enter into a staff-level agreement with Pakistan because […]
No Debt Restructuring on February 22, 2023Bad habits die hard. One of them is to restructure debt. However, on February 18, on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference, the managing director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Kristalina Georgieva said unequivocally that “there is no debt restructuring for Pakistan.” Georgieva, a Bulgarian economist serving the IMF, made it clear that […]
IMF Takes on Pakistan on February 8, 2023Pakistan’s current account deficit lies exposed: the country earns less and spends more. The double-whammy is that domestic expenditure is higher than domestic earnings and that the import bill is higher than export earnings. The current account deficit is now a perennial problem to reckon with. On January 31, the mission of the International Monetary […]
What 2022 Taught Pakistan? on February 2, 2023Though Pakistan is a good learner, learning itself is an arduous process. Nevertheless, the year 2022 became able to teach Pakistan several lessons. One of the major lessons was that the economy had to become the mainstay of Pakistan’s recognition and vitality. Recognition, because Pakistan’s name was equated to a begging bowl: Pakistan knocked at […]
Who killed Naqeebullah Mehsud? on January 27, 2023On January 23, an Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) in Karachi acquitted all accused, including Senior Superintendent of Police Rao Anwar, of the murder of Naqeebullah Mehsud. Five years ago, in a fake police encounter, the Karachi police killed Mehsud along with three other young men (Muhammad Sabir, Muhammad Ishaq, and Nazir Jan) on the suspicion of […]
Research at Civil Services Academy on January 20, 2023Not many people realize the significance and relevance of research, especially before taking a decision. The same is becoming true for government officers. In Pakistan, most people think that research is academic and not administrative. That is, research can be learned and applied to earn an academic degree and not to achieve an administrative feat. […]