In the corridors of power in Pakistan, a financial challenge lurks beneath the surface — an issue stemming from unnecessary expenditures and an abundance of nonproductive government employees. As politicians take pride in appointing their favourites to public sector roles, the burden ultimately falls on the taxpayer, who remains voiceless in the process. Yet no one looks at what the cost of thi
While national focus on removing macroeconomic imbalances is imperative, it is not enough to build a wide range of competitive industries and economies. Reforms are needed at the micro level, for which the caretaker government has taken some initiatives. Economic reforms at the national level bring only selective productivity gains at the micro level, says Dr Khakan Hassan Najeeb, a former fina
Ants truly are extraordinary creatures, with behaviour that is particularly remarkable in adversity. When faced with floods, they don’t falter; they float. Forming rafts with their bodies, they expertly navigate waters that would otherwise drown them. This ingenuity offers a valuable lesson in resourcefulness for Pakistan’s policymakers as they steer through the country’s tough economic landscape.
The World Bank has closed its locust emergency and food security (Leaf) project, for which it had approved $200 million, citing the performance of the project as highly unsatisfactory. The project was approved in July 2020 and it was meant to control the locust outbreak, restore livelihoods in locust-affected areas, and strengthen national food security and monitoring in the country. Infor
The caretaker government is rapidly advancing plans to restructure the country’s revenue machinery, with an ordinance aimed at reducing reliance on human discretion and enhancing the stagnant tax-to-GDP ratio likely to be promulgated within the next fortnight. Informed sources said the caretaker government and other key stakeholders, except the revenue staff, were determined about the restructu