Legislators, declarations & accountability
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…
Dealing with traders—I
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,…
2020: Year of Prosperity—debate & discourse
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…
Rejoinder to ‘unconstitutional taxation by provinces’
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…
‘Hot Money’: lower tax on higher yield!
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…
Hats off to circumspect housewives!
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…
Breaking ‘Debt Prison’
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…
The choice of a life companion
Huzaima Bukhari “Inna akramakum inda-Allahi anqakum (Verily the most honourable among you with Allah is that believer who is pious).”―Al Quran, Al Hujaraat (49:13) A few days back, a dear friend expressed anxiety over a very serious issue—deciding on the…
When closeness breeds distance!
Huzaima Bukhari “We are now living in a post–Roosevelt, post-Reagan universe. What comes next will not be post-partisan, because faction is an intrinsic human impulse”―Jon Meacham (writers, reviewer and presidential biographer) A cursory glance around the globe would reveal some…