Dr. Ikramul Haq The world’s 2,153 billionaires have more wealth than the 4.6 billion people who make up 60 percent of the planet’s population—Oxfam’s report, ‘Time to Care’, published on 20 January 2020. In Pakistan, the average net worth of a parliamentarian is $900,000, yet few of them pay taxes. Instead, elites in parliament exploit...Read More

Huzaima Bukhari & Dr. Ikramul Haq “….the raison d’être of establishing special tribunals has been to dispense better quality of justice where people, better trained in particular fields and disciplines could provide quality decisions and resolution of disputes…. Appointing members to these tribunals on political basis or who are otherwise incompetent or have doubtful integrity...Read More

Huzaima Bukhari & Dr. Ikramul Haq This second concluding part of previous article discusses outcome of meeting between Prime Minister and the business community on January 20, 2020, history of tax defiance by the powerful wholesale/retail sector and what should be done in the future. Details of the meeting were published widely in print media...Read More

Huzaima Bukhari & Dr. Ikramul Haq The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on January 15, 2020 suspended the memberships of 318 lawmakers of the provincial assemblies, National Assembly and Senate, including Minister for Science and Technology Fawad Chaudhry, Law Minister Farogh Naseem and Minister for Religious Affairs Noorul Haq Qadri for failing to submit the...Read More

Huzaima Bukhari & Dr. Ikramul Haq “I will not give in to unreasonable pressure of the business community….I will not step back after countrywide strikes by the business and trading fraternity….”—PM vows not to bow to traders’ pressure, July 17, 2019.  “…although there are gaps in the taxation system but that cannot be made the...Read More

State, elitism & poverty alleviation Huzaima Bukhari & Dr. Ikramul Haq “The State shall ensure the elimination of all forms of exploitation and the gradual fulfilment of the fundamental principle, from each according to his ability to each according to his work”—Article 3, 1973 Constitution of Islamic Republic of Pakistan “Man is born free, and...Read More

Huzaima Bukhari & Dr. Ikramul Haq In response to our article [Unconstitutional taxation by provinces, Business Recorder, January 3, 2020], a letter was published on January 9, 2020 titled ‘Unconstitutional’ taxation by provinces: SRB’s response’that raised some questions and made a few observations that need clarification, elaboration and further debate on vital constitutional provisions involved....Read More

Dr. Ikramul Haq It is unfortunate that contrary to all tall claims of getting rid of loans, especially the costly ones, the coalition Government of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) in pursuit of ‘hot money’ from foreign entities is not only increasing the quantum of already monstrous debt and its servicing, but also causing loss to national...Read More

Huzaima Bukhari “For thousands of years, until about 1850, you see humans accumulating more and more power by the invention of new technologies and by new systems of organization in the economy and in politics, but you don’t see any real improvement in the well-being of the average person”—Yuval Noah Harari, historian and professor. A...Read More

Dr. Ikramul Haq “The central government’s debt increased at a double-digit pace to Rs. 32.1 trillion by the end of November [2019], an addition of a whopping Rs. 5.7 trillion in just one year, as the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government failed to adequately enhance revenues to meet expenditures”—Shahbaz Rana, Public debt rises to Rs. 32.1tr...Read More