When a federal state tries to manage its economy using a centrist financial system the result would certainly be no better than what Pakistan had experienced during its first 63 years leading to 2010 when the 7th National Finance Commission (NFC) Award wa
Just as Covid-19 may have killed the tech backlash (as reported in The Economist), it may have also killed the IMF backlash (on-going since August'19) in this country. The politicians, media, gurus, businessman and speculators are heaving a sigh of relief
To reopen, or not to reopen with social distancing? That is the question haunting theatres and cinemas that were shuttered overnight by coronavirus lockdowns.
Pakistan has been able to get access recently to the IMF's Rapid Financing Facility in light of the adverse impact of the Covid-19 on the 'lives and livelihoods' of the people in the country. This quick support from the IMF must be appreciated. The amount
The great dilemma for all governments in the thick of the COVID-19 pandemic is how to balance lives versus livelihoods. This dilemma is particularly acute for countries such as Pakistan, where the absence of universal healthcare and a social security syst
Even thinking or talking of any remedies how to grapple with the spiraling and uncontrollable price hike is a very tough ask, what to talk of actually implementing fanciful ideas and solutions for the rocketing prices indeed! While inflation is round-the-
There was intense speculation on the government's ability to meet the budget deficit target of 7.2 percent for the current fiscal year, the same as projected for 2018-19, agreed with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) even before the rampage wrought on
"Human Kind" and "Gentlemen" had become obsolete words in Pre-Corona era. Human beings were neither kind nor men / women were gentle to each other or to their habitat. The consequences of this cruelty and unkindness have never been more exposed as in the
Swiss army conscripts are taking the fight to the coronavirus pandemic by field-testing a Bluetooth-based smartphone app aimed at stopping a resurgence of COVID-19. The rapidly-created app traces people who have inadvertently crossed paths with someone in
It's a known fact that banks in Pakistan are not doing their supposed financial intermediation business of routing savings of large pool to lending businesses and consumers. In the developed world, big corporates and governments do not really rely on bank
As of April 30th, 2020 the total cases affected with Covid-19 in South Asian region were 58,854 - a mere 1.8% of the global toll of 3,220,970 - despite the fact that South Asia has a 25% share in world's population. Infection fatality ratio of South Asia
Ten years after sinking into its worst economic crisis in living memory, Greece once again faces the spectre of a grave recession in the midst of a global coronavirus lockdown.
From his garden in South Africa's remote Limpopo province, Gilbert Phakola chuckled at a group of healthcare workers knocking on doors to test rural inhabitants for coronavirus.
The report on the conduct of IPPs has indeed triggered extensive criticism on the profits made by Independent Power Producers (IPPs) in the last four decades and witnessed an extensive media bashing of IPPs on their conduct with an equally-hyped condemnat
Ramazan Mubarak, Dear Readers. As the nation continues to battle it out with the coronavirus, the experts warn that the Virus War will be entering a critical phase by the time this article is published. May Allah SWT protect our nation and give strength a
On any given day, the U.S. aircraft carrier Harry S. Truman can be found off the Atlantic coast of the United States, probably somewhere between Virginia and Florida. Its crew would love to come home to their families. But they can't. They're just too val
From paid sick leave to protective gear for staff, the coronavirus crisis has pushed workers' rights up the list of priorities for companies and individuals looking to invest ethically, experts say.
Pakistan is facing the brunt of Coronavirus outbreak as the country is in a partial lock down. This has had a negative impact on businesses. Initial estimates show that the economy will witness sluggish growth in services, manufacturing and agriculture se
The multiple failings of neoliberal agenda since its beginnings in the late 1970s - manifested in economic policies, including those of structural adjustment programmes by multilateral institutions like International Monetary Fund (IMF) and backed by mani
Before the coronavirus, investors hungry for returns piled into risky corporate loans and bonds with precious little protection for creditors. Now they're frantically scouring the terms to see just what firms can get away with to survive the fallout.
Yet another scandal, and yet another burst of public outcry. Financial scams now seem to be part and parcel of our governance. However, the most surprising aspect about the recent revelations contained in the FIA report is that it's a surprise at all! The
Pakistan's economy which was already in the intensive care unit (ICU), has since February this year gone into a tailspin deepening further the on-going recession induced earlier by an IMF- driven austerity program launched in April last year.