Syed Bakhtiyar Kazmi

Admittedly, at first blush, the title appears to be a classic oxymoron; after all, when you are rich, money should be able to buy everything, dilemma included. And let’s not get sucked into the philosophical debate relating to money’s inability to buy true happiness; that particular idiot, not idiom, was invented by the rich to […]

“A democracy cannot exist as a permanent form of government. It can only exist until the voters discover that they can vote themselves largesse from the public treasury. From that moment on, the majority always votes for the candidates promising the most benefits from the public treasury with the result that a democracy always collapses […]

Having grown up during the time when Pakistan hockey team reigned supreme, when the likes of Islahuddin, Samiullah and Shahnaz Sheikh were terrifying for any opposing team’s defence, to say that the current state of affairs of hockey in the country is depressingly pathetic will be an understatement of the highest order. Much has already […]

I for one had always imagined that corruption in construction was a local phenomenon, or at least limited to developing nations. Hence, a not-so-recent article on corruption in construction globally was an eye-opener. Apparently, corruption and construction go hand in hand, the world over. And that knowledge also proves the view held for years that […]

Scenario analysis is a bit like science fiction, whereby probable future events are analysed to create multiple possible outcomes with the objective of preparing for and mitigating deemed impossible eventualities, resulting in actions that otherwise may have been considered unnecessary. And generally, as in the case of ancient prophecies from the times of the Oracles, […]

Living in a country where the populace relishes a new conspiracy every day, and media efficiently and regularly delivers, one would imagine to have heard them all; however, the conviction that a conspiracy could no more astonish or flabbergast was tested recently. In comparison, even the conspiracy that the Americans never landed on the moon, […]

Undeniably, Pakistan is an agricultural economy. The argument that agriculture is less than 20 percent of GDP, and hence takes a backstage to the services sector actually does not gel for two reasons. Firstly, according to the Economic Survey of Pakistan 2015-16, agriculture remains by far the largest employer absorbing 42.3 percent of the country’s […]

“The question will arise, and arise in your day, though perhaps not fully in mine, ‘Which shall rule — wealth or man; which shall lead — money or intellect; who shall fill public stations — educated and patriotic free men, or the feudal serfs of corporate capital,’” Edward G Ryan wrote in 1873. No point […]

Alright, the actual moniker is the Marshmallow Test, and not the Ras Malai Test. However, personally, I am not a fan of marshmallows and would have definitely passed the test with flying colours. On the other hand, a sweet, succulent and milky ras malai might be an irresistible temptation. The Marshmallow Test, as it came […]

In a nutshell, the government’s move to determine capital gains on sale of immovable property at market value is laudable, and definitely, undoubtedly, a step in the right direction. Irrespective of all the arguments against, and doomsday predictions pursuant to this decision being floated around by those severely impacted by this decision, the system should […]