Dr. Ikramul Haq[1] Pakistan, caught in a deadly debt trap, is struggling hard to get rid of external loans of 35 billion US$. There is no hope to come out of this crisis or to stop looking towards IMF, World Bank, Paris Club, London Club and ADB in near future. There are no signs yet...Read More

Huzaima Bukhari & Dr. Ikramul Haq In their respective budgets, the federal and provincial governments, by just enhancing the existing tax rates and imposing new regressive taxes have confirmed that they lack visions to fix the ailing economy where trade and industry are facing extreme hardships due to less demand, higher cost of doing business...Read More

Dr. Ikramul Haq It is not surprising that every budget of Pakistan, the latest one announced for fiscal year 2019-20 on June 11, 2019, has one common feature: burdening the common people, appeasing the mighty, extending benefits to the rich and toeing the line of the lenders/donors. Many experts emphasise that since beggars cannot be...Read More

Huzaima Bukhari When you are discontent, you always want more, more, more. Your desire can never be satisfied. But when you practice contentment, you can say to yourself, ‘Oh yes – I already have everything that I really need’—Dalai Lama Restlessness is an in-built feature in human beings. Barring a few exceptions, it is very...Read More

Dr. Ikramul Haq According to many experts, Dr. Abdul Hafeez Shaikh, Advisor to Prime Minister Imran Khan on Finance, Revenue and Economic Affairs, and his team, in the given circumstances, could not have any choice but to present yet another conventional budget to balance the books and meet many preconditions of the International Monetary Fund...Read More

Huzaima Bukhari & Dr. Ikramul Haq The first budget of coalition government of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) for fiscal year 2019-20, presented by the State Minister for Revenue on June 11, 2019 and prepared under the dictates of International Monetary Fund (IMF) by Dr. Abdul Hafeez Shaikh, Advisor to Prime Minister Imran Khan on Finance, Revenue...Read More

Huzaima Bukhari & Dr. Ikramul Haq The Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) that was formed to provide socio-economic justice to all and work for social mobility of less-privileged, in its first budget for fiscal year 2019-20, proved to be an utter disappointment on this front. Much has been written about numbers contained in the budget and tax...Read More

Dr. Ikramul Haq The Prime Minister of Pakistan, in his brief address to nation on June 10, 2019—a day before the announcement of budget for fiscal year 2019-20—asked the rich and mighty to declare their hidden and/or benami assets at home or abroad. Obviously the poor have no such assets. The Prime Minister once again...Read More

Huzaima Bukhari “If we want to make this great State of Pakistan happy and prosperous, we should wholly and solely concentrate on the well-being of the people, and especially of the masses and the poor”—Muhammad Ali Jinnah        The definition of prosperity for a nation is not confined to high gross domestic product or a high...Read More

Huzaima Bukhari & Dr. Ikramul Haq In 2016, we wrote an article, entitled, ‘Budget of trapped and enslaved’. In 2019 the situation is no different, rather worse. All the six budgets presented by the last government of Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) [PMLN] form 2013-2018 had the common characteristics: encouraging imports and destroying exports, crushing the...Read More