Pakistan & ESG implementation
Huzaima Bukhari, Dr. Ikramul Haq and Abdul Rauf Shakoori Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) values act as the guiding principle for a corporate sector’s obligation to the environment and community. For the responsible investors, ESG criteria is a litmus test…
Reward for defrauding voters
Dr. Ikramul Haq Pakistan is a strange country where the elected members of Parliament pass self-serving laws for rewarding those who defraud the voters. What makes the situation more painful is the fact that such laws, enacted in utter violation…
Pakistan: Post-election Vulnerabilities
Dr. Ikramul Haq and Abdul Rauf Shakoori The delayed process of electing representatives through ballots in Pakistan finally concluded on February 8, 2024 when the nation voted for 265 National Assembly constituencies and 590 representatives for all the four provinces….
Row over FBR restructuring
Dr. Ikramul Haq & Abdul Rauf Shakoori This column has consistently argued for a single tax authority across all levels of government. The announcement of setting up the Pakistan Revenue Authority (PRA) should, therefore, have been an occasion to commend…
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…
Sporting Events And The Public
Huzaima Bukhari “Sometimes I wonder whether the world is being run by smart people who are putting us on or by imbeciles who really mean it”—Laurence J. Peter Sports are excellent for the physical and mental health of a nation….
Malice Towards None & All
Self-Governance & Fiscal Decentralisation Dr. Ikramul Haq Fiscal decentralisation necessarily involves the transfer of taxing and spending powers to sub-national levels of government—in our context, local governments that are still deprived of devolution of political, administrative and fiscal powers despite…
Pakistan: Time to apply FATF membership
Huzaima Bukhari, Dr. Ikramul Haq and Abdul Rauf Shakoori The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) concluded its 5th Plenary presided over by Singaporean President T. Raja Kumar. Delegates from over 200 jurisdictions and international organizations convened in Paris for three…
Streamlining the FBR in haste!
Huzaima Bukhari, Dr. Ikramul Haq and Abdul Rauf Shakoori We are fast approaching the general elections, scheduled for February 08, 2024. However, the post-election landscape poses daunting politico-economic challenges for the already troubled economy. Concerns about fairness of elections persist…