Planning around global tensions

For import-dependent Pakistan, already grappling with its worst crisis in recent history, another conflict in the neighbourhood is deeply alarming. Outside the Middle East, Pakistan may be among the countries hardest hit by the ongoing Iran-Israel war, facing significant economic and social repercussions. Any widening of the conflict would multiply Pakistan’s economic and diplomatic challenges many times over. An indirect reassurance, late last week, from President Donald Trump, promising not to directly target Iran for the next two weeks, has sparked hopes that a ceasefire and a peace deal, possibly brokered by concerned partners, may still be within reach. The timing of the war, breaking out just as Pakistan was finalising its budget, has compounded challenges.