Empty nest syndrome
Huzaima Bukhari“People make a lot of jokes about the empty nest. Let me tell you it is no laughing matter. It is really hard”—Michelle PfeifferThe other day, a friend mentioned that both her children had settled abroad for good and…
Pakistan
Significant FATF MeetingDr. Ikramul Haq & Abdul Rauf ShakooriThe upcoming Plenary of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), scheduled for October 20-21, 2022, has significant importance as it would be the first meeting under its new President, T. Raja Kumar,…
Pakistan in deep debt trap
Huzaima Bukhari, Dr. Ikramul Haq & Abdul Rauf ShakooriPakistan’s precarious financial situation, persisting for the last many decades, has landed it into a deep debt trap where an overwhelming part of tax revenue is consumed in debt servicing alone. This…
So much for equality!
Huzaima Bukhari“The worst form of inequality is to try to make unequal things equal”—AristotleBefore daring to write upon this particular topic, my humble apology to advocates of feminism, for which I consider myself a strong proponent too but also agree…
Dar, Moody’s & economic revival
Dr. Ikramul Haq & Abdul Rauf ShakooriRecently Moody’s has scaled down the Government of Pakistan’s debt ratings to “Caa1” from “B3” and the outlook is kept at “negative”. Under “Caa” obligations are judged to be of poor standing and are…
FATF/Pakistan: Beyond Grey List
Huzaima Bukhari, Dr. Ikramul Haq & Abdul Rauf ShakooriPakistan’s trip on the list of Jurisdictions under increased monitoring maintained by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) is approaching an end. The recent consolidated assessment rating by the FATF and its…
Challenges before Ishaq Dar
Dr. Ikramul Haq & Abdul Rauf ShakooriThe Word Banks’ recent publication, World Bank Regional Economic Updates – October 2022 has noted that countries in South Asia are already coping with high commodity prices, supply bottlenecks, and vulnerabilities in financial sectors….
Blame game to audio leaks
Huzaima Bukhari“Our carefully constructed system of checks and balances is being negated by the rise of a fourth branch, an administrative state of sprawling departments and agencies that govern with increasing autonomy and decreasing transparency”—Jonathan TurleyMoving from simple to complex…
Food security & climate change challenges
Dr. Ikramul Haq & Abdul Rauf Shakoori“Why should there be hunger and deprivation in any land, in any city, at any table, when man has the resources and the scientific know-how to provide all mankind with the basic necessities of…