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Nov 22, 2024 اردو ► PRINT EDITION ► BR MARKETS ► Dollar to PKR ►

Shabir Ahmed

More Giddu Bandars, anyone?
Opinion

More Giddu Bandars, anyone?

December was full of surprises but not surprising. We have to wait for the denouement of play called 'Institutions'. Curious tales in the twist are sure to follow; twists that could well make our real estate Mogul's unexplained wealth (frozen by UK's NCA)
Updated 27 Dec, 2019 09:07am
Police in full view
Opinion

Police in full view

The Punjab Institute of Cardiology (PIC) rampage was more than a macabre act of certain insensitive specimens in black. It could be their idea of 'fun' that teetered over the bend, or a grotesque demonstration of 'one for all and all for one'. But it did
Updated 20 Dec, 2019 06:47am
Refunds delayed is justice denied
Opinion

Refunds delayed is justice denied

In Naya Pakistan you have to thank those who sit on your money and return it, in dribs and drabs, as and when it suits them. But lest you should forget, when you get your money back you have to make a public announcement of your gratitude by taking out an
Published 12 Dec, 2019 12:00am
Inequality: the gaping hole in IMF template
Opinion

Inequality: the gaping hole in IMF template

There is general consensus that the IMF programme is disruptive but necessary. Also, now that we are in it we should see it through. We need to fix our fiscal and external accounts before we can go for sustained growth. Growth driven by the politically ex
Updated 05 Dec, 2019 09:15am
There is room at the top
Opinion

There is room at the top

We have no idea what the Maulana came to Islamabad for and what he went back with. No dearth of theories there, but none that are granulated with good evidence or credible accounts.
Updated 28 Nov, 2019 11:18am
Karachi, the resilient city
Opinion

Karachi, the resilient city

Either Commissioner Karachi, the right honourable Iftikhar Shalwani, is grossly underworked, or is living on steroids. How else do you explain the enormous creativity, a child of hours of serious reflection, which goes into adorning Karachi with all those
Updated 21 Nov, 2019 06:42am
Outsourcing the Government
Opinion

Outsourcing the Government

Commerce is our most important Ministry; or should be. The case for Commerce's paramountcy in government's pantheon is self-evident. Trade balance, the Achilles' heel of our economy, depends on how Commerce acts or doesn't. Without a major breakthrough in
Updated 14 Nov, 2019 09:25am
Fixing Pakistan Steel: Trick or treat?
Opinion

Fixing Pakistan Steel: Trick or treat?

Was the Secretary Industries and Production in the Halloween mood when he informed the Senate Committee that the government proposed to revive the Steel Mills (PSM) by giving minority shares and management control to the private sector, "on the same patte
Updated 31 Oct, 2019 08:51am
We believe what's drummed into us
Opinion

We believe what's drummed into us

Why do we have such firmly held beliefs that a discussion becomes a fight? Conversation so easily degenerates into an argument - 'us versus them' kind - with little room for the other point of view. Of course, matters of faith are incontrovertible and nee
Updated 24 Oct, 2019 07:24am
Senior Civil Service: Uncooperative or poorly led?
Opinion

Senior Civil Service: Uncooperative or poorly led?

Government is looking increasingly more dysfunctional. Part of the reason, we hear, is that the senior civil service is not putting its weight behind the government. It is not perceived to be a willing partner.
Updated 17 Oct, 2019 06:05am
A glass half full?
Markets

A glass half full?

This seems to be the season of harvesting hopes. One after another, like manna from heaven - the food that God miraculously provided to the lost tribes wandering in the wilderness - good news is pouring in.
Updated 03 Oct, 2019 06:16am
Does the govt pay what it owes?
Print

Does the govt pay what it owes?

All levels of government tirelessly remind us of our duty to pay to the State what we owe. They should. We can't question either the legitimacy or the timeliness of their crusade against tax evaders and non-payers of various levies.
Updated 26 Sep, 2019 08:14am
The Constitution and its guardians
Print

The Constitution and its guardians

Chief Justice Khosa has a way to make his words memorable. Whether recalling Mario Puzoand upending Khalil Gibran, or articulating his vision on the occasion of farewell reference for his predecessor, his statements resonate; not just in the corridors of
Updated 19 Sep, 2019 07:34am
Desperately seeking good news
Markets

Desperately seeking good news

The Nation needs to get perked up. That is the 'advice' the government seems to have received. So into the mouth of despair rode the government horsemen with spears of optimism: economy is turning around, India got trounced in The Hague as well as New Yor
Published 05 Sep, 2019 12:00am
By Banigala I sat down and wept
Print

By Banigala I sat down and wept

Since the day we got Pakistan we have lived in the hope of Naya Pakistan. And there has been no dearth of messiahs. Ayub promised it, ZAB dazzled us, Zia sought to change the way we think and live, and for Musharraf hope resided in his 'second skin', the
Published 29 Aug, 2019 12:00am
State-Owned Enterprises: Hard to swallow, harder to spout
Print

State-Owned Enterprises: Hard to swallow, harder to spout

The prevalent view, informed or not, is that State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs) are bad news. They are perceived to be inefficient, anti-merit, and prone to cronyism and graft. They have a 'hemorrhaging effect' on the budget. 'Government has no business doing
Published 08 Aug, 2019 12:00am
Fixing the economy: high-stakes gamble?
Print

Fixing the economy: high-stakes gamble?

The government appears determined to go through the reform process, and it seems to have the blessings of the proverbial 'powers that be'. Some would say the Powers won't let the government deviate from the path (IMF Plus?) even if it wanted to. We say mo
Published 01 Aug, 2019 12:00am