Turning challenges into opportunities on August 3, 2018Poised to become the Prime Minister (PM). Imran Khan, Chairman of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) will soon lead a new coalition government. Among the acute challenges will be severe economic stress. Foreign exchange reserves have depleted due to widening of the current account deficit and repayment of previous loans. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) may be […]
150 hours to a new dawn? on July 20, 2018Though the usual feudal modus operandi for obtaining votes, particularly in the rural areas, is through outright coercion and/or intimidation, it also depends upon who counts the vote, and even more importantly, who gets to collate it. With rigging/tampering with ballot and ballot boxes fairly widespread in 2008 and 2013, the Election Commission of Pakistan […]
Is a change coming? on July 18, 2018According to the Zodiac, July 25 is a day of strong intellectual energies and a powerful time to be born in. Given the feudal tendency to coerce and intimidate voters in the rural areas, even if Pakistanis vote rationally, the country is unlikely to go through an immediate transformation. Given the importance of charisma in […]
A looter’s democracy on July 12, 2018Billions of ill-gotten dollars are laundered through financial institutions every year globally. Illegally acquired money can also be laundered without the assistance of the financial sector. The nature of the services and products offered by the financial services industry (namely managing, controlling and possessing money and property belonging to others) means that it is vulnerable […]
Is NAB becoming effective again? on July 6, 2018The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) came into existence on 16 Nov 1999. Simultaneously the Special Investigation Wings (SIWs) was created from within the ISI to assist NAB in collecting relevant information about their cases. FIA and ACE directors of all four provinces were placed under direct command with investigation officers and allied staff for conduct […]
Clearing the air around CPEC on June 30, 2018The One Belt One Road (OBOR) Initiative launched by China’s Xi Jinping aims to recreate the legendary Silk Road. A flagship project of OBOR, the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) envisions connecting Kashgar city Xinjiang Province with Pakistan’s Gwadar deep sea port through a network of highways, railways and pipelines. An international interchange for Eurasian land […]
Never give in on June 23, 2018The last few months have been quite difficult for the Dubai-based Abraaj Group. At the beginning of the year there were reports saying something was amiss at the premier investment firm, which has specialised in private equity investments in the MENSA region. A torrent of revelations followed in February, relating to allegations of poor corporate […]
The caretaker regime’s duties on June 1, 2018Headed by former Chief Justice (CJ) Nasirul Mulk, the caretaker regime taking office today is tasked with running the government in accordance with the Constitution and providing the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) with administrative and operational back-up. Not only must the caretaker regime be neutral and impartial, they must also be seen to be […]
PSL must remain in Pakistan on March 25, 2018Attracting some of the best international cricketers, an auction will encourage each team to make an extra effort to get the best players. Big names in the teams will give cricket lovers an even greater incentive to go to stadiums and see their favourite stars in action. However, Rameez Raja’s other suggestion on how to […]
The Calibri font on March 11, 2018Adverse media focus propagating perceptions quite contrary to reality about the ‘Calibri font’ is meant to discredit the allegations of alleged forgery pertaining to trust deeds in which Maryam Nawaz figures prominently. This concerted ‘whitewash’ campaign implies that Robert Radley, the forensic expert who analysed the trust deeds, accepted in cross-examination that while the font […]