Budgets & elitist structures
Huzaima Bukhari Dr. Ikramul Haq All annual budgets of federal and provincial governments—civil or military—for the last four decades, especially tax proposals through Finance Bills, strengthen elitist structures. The year 2021 is no different when millions are in dire need…
Pakistan: Dissecting FATF Failure
Huzaima Bukhari, Dr. Ikramul Haq & Abdul Rauf Shakoori The incompetence and lack of understanding of the incumbent government has once again proven fatal as all their efforts to shift Pakistan from the list of jurisdictions with increased monitoring (grey…
Our society’s dilemma
Huzaima Bukhari “Where justice is denied, where poverty is enforced, where ignorance prevails, and where any one class is made to feel that society is an organized conspiracy to oppress, rob and degrade them, neither persons nor property will be…
Art: coarseness or culture?
Huzaima Bukhari “The true work of art is but a shadow of the divine perfection”—Michelangelo Although the biological needs of humans reduce them to the level of animals, there are some exceptional qualities which elevate them to the position of…
June 26 marks the International Day against drug abuse and illicit trafficking. The theme for 2021 is “Share facts on drugs, save lives”. The worldwide observance was decided by the United Nations General Assembly in 1987 to raise the level of awareness in the international community about the dangers of drug abuse, to prevent its spread and to encourage all efforts to combat the menace at international level.
Taliban, Americans, terrorism & drug-trade Huzaima Bukhari & Dr. Ikramul Haq Terrorism, drugs-for-arms and money laundering, intrinsically linked, still pose considerable threats to global peace and security besides destabilizing political and financial stability of many nation states. These menaces started…
Pakistan: Crucial FATF hearing
Huzaima Bukhari, Dr. Ikramul Haq & Abdul Rauf Shakoori The last meeting of the FATF in February 2021 concluded on a mix note for Pakistan. FATF acknowledged significant progress made by Pakistan on the entire action plan where Pakistan successfully…
Addiction & its treatment
Huzaima Bukhari “It is impossible to understand addiction without asking what relief the addict finds, or hopes to find, in the drug or the addictive behavior”—Gabor Mate, In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts: Close Encounters with Addiction The United Nations…
Finance Bill 2021
Denying right to justice to taxpayers Dr. Ikramul Haq In the Finance Bill, 2021, a highly lamentable and unconstitutional amendment is proposed to the effect that for availing right to appeal, the aggrieved taxpayer will have to deposit 100 percent…
Finance Bill 2021
Oppressive taxes, anti-people & anti-growth Huzaima Bukhari & Dr. Ikramul Haq Finance Bill 2021, presented on June 11, 2021 along with budget, by the fourth Finance Minister, Shaukat Fayaz Ahmed Tarin, of the coalition government of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) with…