Cover Story

Pakistani policymakers must consider strengthening the linkages between exports and imports to ensure that the producers produce their goods more efficiently and produce goods that the global consumers need.

For decades, the prevailing political mindset has been the root cause of the economy’s precipice—the prime reason for applying for IMF loans despite harsh conditions.

Pakistan needs to work systematically to enhance its capacity to generate additional net foreign exchange earnings compared to the current levels.

As a step in the right direction, the IMF program provides a framework to strengthen our governance, improve the fiscal system, and build capacity to implement reforms for long-term economic stability.

The solution to the country’s fiscal and economic challenges is embedded in the sincerity or effectiveness of implementing the stipulated reforms while rising above political and vested interest considerations.

New signs are on the horizon in Pakistan. A five-year plan is on the table, and the PIA, insurance companies, utility stores, and state-owned engineering and industrial units are under the hammer. However, will the privatization spree see the light of day?

The issue with Pakistan does not lie in its inability to progress due to outside forces but instead in its inconsistency to become an honest nation.

The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) in Islamabad provides Pakistan with a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to showcase its relevance regionally and globally.

The Shanghai Cooperation allows the Global South to mingle and communicate without the need or presence of the Western world, something that has always been imposed on this region since decades of colonial rule.

Policymakers in Pakistan need to pay more attention to what is happening in the country related to climate change.

As long as Pakistan’s leading issues remain unaddressed, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) cannot be the gateway to glory for the country.

Sheikh Hasina was the state. There was no institution and no faction of the government that was not directly controlled by her and for her and, by extension, her family and coterie, with the complete backing and support of India.

The students’ decision to ask Professor Muhammad Yunus to lead an interim administration reflects their desire to break from a political past dominated by the Awami League or the BNP.

With the expulsion of Hasina Wajid, it is now evident that Sheikh Mujib’s memory, along with anti-Pakistan rhetoric, has no place in contemporary Bangladeshi politics.

There are many parallels between what has happened in Bangladesh and Pakistan. However, Pakistan is not a country that easily learns any lessons, whether from its history or events and conditions in other countries.

Bangladesh is at a crossroads following the removal of Sheikh Hasina’s government from power and her craven escape to India.

Bangladesh’s ability to mobilize a grand movement, not once but twice in the nation’s short history, should be admirable and inspirational for Pakistan.

As the slow and painful fire engulfs the near-dead nation, Nero plays the flute and plans for yet another IMF loan.

The 60 per cent plus non-BJP voters are the hope for a future India that neither threatens itself nor its neighbours.

The pressing concern for Pakistan is whether Narendra Modi, in his third term as Prime Minister, will be any different or continue to keep the relations on hold.

The world will likely see a more humbled and compromising Modi in his governance style, as he will have to accommodate the two partners seemingly supportive of Muslims.