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  ‘Reforms’ is perhaps one of the most resounding words in Pakistan these days. From drawing rooms to ‘chai-khanas’; from Islamabad to business hubs, this word is ringing bells everywhere -- with most participants passing the bucket to the government. The government, no doubt, is responsible for providing basic amenities for the populace. But it is increasingly becoming evident, in the words of certain officials, that social contract between the government and the governed is breaking down. “You don’t pay taxes because you don’t get government facilities, whereas the government can’t provide facilities because there aren’t enough taxes – it becomes a kind of a chicken and egg problem,” the official said, while referring to the vicious cycle. Understandably, the government should take some confidence building initiatives, perhaps by ensuring improved transparency and lower corruption and then making incremental changes. But at the same time, the role of private sector in bringing about the ...

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  After a hiatus 13 years, the government is finally undertaking the gigantic task of putting an official figure to the number of heads vying for the scant resources of Pakistan. The magnanimity of the task can be quite daunting. After all, many important policy decisions are based on this exercise until the next census takes place. Simple as it may seem, what hold particular importance vis-à-vis this exercise are the policy implications that the census embodies. From the allocation of fiscal resources, to the distribution of social services, many policy decisions are based on the findings of the census. “The census is important for many critical areas such as migration, education planning, distribution of public resources, etc. It provides a foundation for basing several policy decisions in the country, for example, the NFC Awards,” says Dr Asad Sayeed, Director at Collective for Social Science Research. However, the key to extracting the juice out of ...

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  Many might look at the $650 million and $125 million loans approved by the Asian Development Bank and World Bank through rose-tinted glasses. After all, they’re an extra brace on the crutches of fiscally-limped Pakistan. At least, so it seems. But the hitches and ‘ifs and buts’ attached to such loans is what makes one revisit the apparent idealism in such assistance. Reconstruction of roads, bridges, irrigation systems, etc. with the help of ADB loans may appear quite tempting, as do the cash grants provided by WB, but there is a question mark on whether these will be disbursed in due time. Even though Salman Shah, former Finance Minister, cautioned that the disbursement of loans from the World Bank will be undertaken after approval from the IMF, he was also hopeful of the situation. “Since these are special expenditures for a cause, I don’t think the IMF should object because this is a ...