Budget & Health; Corona-virus Budget on June 30, 2020The federal budget has been announced and Rs 650 billion been allocated tothe Federal Public sector development program for this fiscal year. Minister of the state for revenue announced Rs 20 Billion only for the Health sector in wake of COVID-19 pandemic. As compared to the budgetary allocation of the year 2019-20 only 1.132 Billion […]
Budget and health in coronavirus-hit budget on June 28, 2020The federal budget has allocated Rs 650 billion for the Federal Public sector development program for this fiscal year, of which Rs 20 billion goes to the health sector in the wake of COVID-19 pandemic. As compared to the budgetary allocation of the year 2019-20, only 1.132 billion has been added to the health sector […]
The Indian “Gutka Terror” on June 4, 2020Classical terrorism has been defined, redefined, and left undefined by many scholars. Reaching a definitional frustration, some have even suggested the definition of terrorism to resemble the quest for the holy grail by King Arthur’s Knights of the Round Table, with enthusiasts embarking on a journey full of zeal, enthusiasm, energy, and self-(over)-confidence, to achieve […]
Taxing Naswar: segregating fact from fiction on September 4, 2019The budget 2019 has been tough on many fronts especially on the new taxes imposed on previously “unknown” items from the informal economy. One such item is Naswar, which is also commonly known as snuff of snus in the Western world. Naswar, like smokeless tobacco, is excessively used throughout Pakistan as a cheap alternative to […]
The tobacco control tug of war on May 16, 2019In a generic form, the process of governance entails enactment of laws and establishment of norms to rule an organised society in the given territorial bounds. To ensure normalcy in everyday life, it is essential to ensure the safety, security, health and economic well being of the citizens. To this end, states set up various […]
Pakistan’s tobacco control regime on May 6, 2019There is a plethora of laws in Pakistan targeting various aspects of tobacco control. These include taxation, graphic health warnings, restriction of smoking spaces and advertisement bans. Still, there is a broad agreement that the tobacco industry, with support from its international partners, has outflanked the legislative process. Pakistan has reasonably long experience of laws […]
Chaai Time in Pakistan!! Anyone?? on March 22, 2019My friend Greg Mortenson wrote a wonderful book about his experiences in Pakistan entitled “Three Cups of Tea”. His argued that any serious issue in Pakistan could possibly be solved in a span of drinking three cups of tea. Provided, of course, if both parties are willing to negotiate and are present over those three […]