Published in: June 2020

Desperate times call for desperate measures yet the budget unveiled by the government on 12th June, 2020 lacked creativity and showed no sense of the emergency at hand. The economic activity generating sector including the business and industrial community is now sandwiched between anti-business policies crafted under the IMF and economic consequences of government’s weak handling of covid-19.

Published in: February 2020

Pakistan’s inaccurate perception of being a security risk is being challenged worldwide and a lot of it has to do with tourism. The country’s scenic beauty in particular has gained it recognition from international forums including Forbes, which included Pakistan in its list of ‘best under-the-radar places to visit in 2020’. Even though the recent rise in popularity should be followed by a much needed financial influx for the ailing economy through tourism, there are two main intertwined impediments limiting the domestic sector from tapping into what could be a multi-billion dollar market for Pakistan. These obstructions include a lack of infrastructural maintenance of tourism worthy sites across Pakistan and that tourist activities are largely limited to the northern region of the country whereas potential goldmines like Karachi are overlooked.

Published in: December 2019

Pakistan is currently under the affect of a tsunami of inflation triggered by Budget FY20, with its epicenter found with the IMF. It is hurting everyone, from the effluent businessman to the poorest consumer, wave after wave showing no signs of reprieve. The tsunami has been caused by the govt., under IMF guidelines, allowing virtual free float of the exchange rate, incessantly raising old taxes and imposing new ones, increased burden of documentation on the economy and giving energy regulators (NEPRA, OGRA) and gas distribution companies a virtual free hand to raise prices in order to keep their respective account books favorably balanced.

Published in: April 2019

Pakistan has long been in a quest to transform its economy into a dominant position where it could be counted as a true Asian Tiger: a vibrant and technologically advanced country having a trade surplus with its trading partners, ample foreign exchange reserves to fund its imports, and where its citizens have greater job opportunities with better incomes and higher standards of living. To progress in this quest, the government has outlined an economic vision which also entails creation of 10Mn jobs in 5 years. To realize this vision, the govt. needs to look no further than the e-commerce sector; if there is one such industry which could be developed to achieve the government’s target, it would be safe to say that e-commerce is that industry, as it tends to take along many other industries in stride.