Malik Muhammad Ashraf

The media reported on August 20 that President Alvi had given assent to Official Secrets Bill 2023 and the Pakistan Army (Amendment) Bill 2023 on Saturday, August 19, allowing the proposed legislation to become acts of parliament. Consequently, Iman Khan and Shah Mehmood Qureshi were arrested in the Cipher case. When the news broke out […]

Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) is a pivotal ingredient of every conceivable growth model in this modern era, a corollary to global interdependence and connectivity. The developing countries that are faced with financial constraints and lack of infrastructure necessary for nudging the process of economic development invariably look up to the multinational companies and foreign governments […]

It would be an understatement to say that Pakistan’s economy was in bad shape. The factual position is that it was almost on the verge of collapse with the prospect of impending default. Thank God that this spectacle was averted with the conclusion of a new staff-level agreement with IMF worth $ 3 billion for […]

On Tuesday 18 May, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Uzbekistan signed a trilateral protocol to link Termiz with Kurran via Mazar-i-Sharif by connecting the Uzbek rail link with Pakistan. The project envisages supporting passenger travel and freight services. The project as per the protocol is envisaged to be completed by the end of 2027. It is hoped […]

Though the staff-level agreement with IMF for $ 3 billion under a nine month Stand-by Arrangement (SBA) to avert default has been concluded and the Executive Board of the agency has accorded approval for it but as the Prime Minister rightly pointed out that it was not a matter for rejoicing but a moment for […]

Like the non-implementation of UN resolutions on the settlement of the Kashmir dispute, India also remains adamant to fulfil its obligations and commitments under the Indus Basin Water Treaty. It is building 330-MW Kishenganga and 850-MW hydropower projects on river Jhelum and Chenab respectively, whose designs are not in conformity with the prescribed provision of […]

Intellectuals in any society are a class of people who orchestrate its intellectual advancement that helps the nation to move in the right direction with regard to political, social, economic and cultural domains, provided that their discourses are premised on an honest appraisal of the obtaining situations, are free from partisan leanings and dedicated to […]

The joint statement issued at the end of Narendra Modi’s visit to the US while reiterating the expansion of ties between the two countries and reinforcing the strategic cooperation between them, did not miss the opportunity to take a swipe at Pakistan concerning terrorism. The portion of the joint statement relating to terrorism said, “The […]

There are no permanent friends or enemies in politics. It is the art of possible, which is why we see strange alliances and coalitions stitched together as dictated by the permeating situations. It also provides clues as to why such coalitions or alliances, which are formed for specific purposes, are never long-lasting. The coalition government […]

The most authentic and credible touchstone to understand the performance of any government is its success in promoting the well-being and economic profile of the masses as well as the strategies or growth model it adopts to put the country on the path of sustained economic development. If we apply the foregoing yardstick for evaluating […]