Pakistonomy

Many people within and outside Pakistan often say that if only Pakistan had a stronger narrative, the country would do much better. But the reality is much, much different. In this discussion, Uzair Younus spoke to Ejaz Haider about his recently published article in The Friday Times, titled Selling the Narrative. Ejaz Haider is Executive Editor at Indus News and was the News Editor at The Friday T...

Uzair Younus has a wide-ranging conversation with Dr. Adil Najam about polarization, generational shifts in Pakistan, climate change, and much more. Dr Najam needs no introduction. He is the inaugural Dean of the Frederick S. Pardee School of Global Studies at Boston University which was founded in 2014 with a generous gift from BU alum Frederick S. Pardee. He is also a Professor of International...

The world is quickly moving towards renewable energy sources. In Pakistan, less than 5 percent of the country's energy comes from renewable energy (excluding hydro power). To talk about how the country can promote renewable energy and whether ending the grid as we know it is feasible, Uzair Younus spoke to Shazia Khan. Shazia Khan is the CEO of EcoEnergy, an environmental lawyer, and off-grid ener...

Karachi is already facing power shortages due to supply constraints of gas. Prime Minister Imran Khan has warned of another crisis in the winter months of this year and the next. And as expected, the issue has fallen victim to partisan politics. To talk about this issue from a non-partisan perspective, Uzair spoke to Samiullah Tariq, Head Of Research And Development - ‎Pakistan Kuwait Investment C...

We often hear about the unity of the ummah and how that drove progress. But this idea is poorly, if at all, understood by most people. The reasons given for the rise and fall of Muslim civilization often do not meet the test of history and rigorous analysis. In this episode, we are going to try to understand the causes of its dramatic rise and sustained decline. To help us understand this complex...

Understanding the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor Conversations around the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor in mainstream media end up in a “are you a patriot” or “are you a traitor” binary. There is no doubt about the fact that Pakistan has doubled down on its strategic relationship with China in recent years: Prime Minister Imran Khan recently saying in an interview that Pakistan’s future is ti...

Pakistan is facing a pension crisis which is straining the country’s fiscal resources. In a recently published article for Business Recorder, Ali Khizar wrote that pension spending has gone from “Rs 164 billion in FY 11” to “Rs988 billion in FY21.” To talk about this crisis, Uzair Younus spoke to Ali Khizar and discussed what is going on and why it is important that Pakistan prioritize pension ref...

Ethnic cleavages have created unique challenges for Pakistan's political economy since 1947. Since the passage of the 18th Amendment, the conversation has changed substantially. To talk about how these issues affect Pakistan's political system and its economy, Uzair Younus spoke with Dr. Farhan H. Siddiqi. Dr. Siddiqi is an Associate Professor at the Quaid-e-Azam University in Islamabad and has do...

Stocks Make a Comeback (Urdu) The KSE-100 has been rallying in recent weeks, increasing optimism among investors about the prospects of Pakistan's economy. While the stock market is not fully indicative of the real economy, it provides us with insights about where the economy is headed and the sentiment among investors. To talk about this ongoing rally, Uzair Younus spoke with Bilal Moon. They tal...

Renegotiating Power Contracts (Urdu) Uzair speaks with Ammar Khan about the government's successful negotiations with IPPs and what it means for Pakistani consumers. If you want to dive deeper into this topic, listen to the podcast Uzair hosted with Ammar on the power sector: https://soundcloud.com/tabadlab/pakistonomy-episode-15-pakistans-power-sector

Pakistan has been able to successfully flatten the COVID-19 curve and that has had a positive impact on the economy, with some key indicators turning positive over the last few weeks. Uzair Younus spoke with Ariba Shahid, a business journalist at Profit by Pakistan Today, about this nascent recovery. We also spoke about Karachi's governance challenges, Punjab's chief minister, and her predictions...

India’s Growth Story: Astute Planning or an Accident? Shankkar Aiyar is a political economy analyst, columnist, and the author of several books, including Accidental India: A History of the Nation's Passage Through Crisis and Change, which is a must-read for anyone who wants to fully understand what it took for India to push through transformative structural reforms. Uzair talked to him about Indi...

Careem has transformed mobility in Pakistan and around the world and Junaid Iqbal played a key role in making that possible. In this episode, Uzair Younus talks to Careem's former MD about how the startup was able to succeed, his views on Pakistan's digital payments ecosystem, and a whole lot more. If you liked this episode, please share it on your social media and with your friends and family! Do...

A Conversation with Shuja Nawaz Shuja Nawaz is author of The Battle for Pakistan: The Bitter US Friendship and a Tough Neighbourhood. This book is a fascinating account of Pakistan's troubled relationship with the United States and is based on detailed interviews with key US and South Asian leaders, access to secret documents and operations, and the author's personal relationships and deep knowled...

Airlift recently raised $10m in a funding round and has set its sights on transforming Pakistan’s mobility landscape. By provided affordable, safe, and comfortable rides to its users in major cities, the startup is making a big impact. It has also entered the grocery business and its promise to deliver goods to households within 45 minutes is going to fundamentally disrupt e-commerce in the countr...

Rethinking Humanity, published by the think-tank RethinkX is a fascinating read that talks about how major technological shifts in key sectors such as agriculture and energy are about to usher in a new age for humanity. The authors of the book argue that humanity is at a crossroads, but not for reasons most would assume. Based on historical analysis, they predict that this is not another Industria...

The Pakistan International Airlines has found itself in the news yet again, starting with the tragic crash of the flight 8303 in Karachi. Since then, issues about fake pilots, the sale of the Roosevelt hotel owned by the PIA in New York, and systemic issues plaguing the airline have been the talk of town. To talk about the reasons for PIA’s decline and how the airline could be reformed and restruc...

Many of us have a surface-level understanding of rural Sindh and its political economy. Feudalism, lack of land reforms, and elite capture are often bandied out as catch-all issues that plague not only Sindh, but many parts of rural Pakistan. But the reality is far more complex and the foundational issue in the political economy of rural Sindh, and rural Pakistan in general, is the lack of propert...

Distance learning became the norm after COVID-19 shutdown schools all over the world. In Pakistan, where access to quality education is challenging for millions of households, edtech startups are beginning to change the status quo. Edkasa is one such startup and it has embarked on a mission is to provide easy access to quality education to Pakistan's youth to enable them to take full advantage of...

The 2020-21 Budget comes at a time when Pakistan is reeling from the coronavirus pandemic. The last year saw the economy enter a recession, with growth coming in at -0.38 percent. For the coming year, the government is projecting the economy to grow by about 2 percent and expects revenues to grow by a significant amount. To talk about the budget and what it means, we decided to reverse roles for t...

Many people view the informal sector as corrupt, illegal, and detrimental to the country’s economic well-being. The reality, of course, is more complex. In fact, some argue that the informal sector is the backbone of Pakistan’s economy. In this episode, Uzair Younus talks to Dr. Ali Kemal about Pakistan's informal sector and its implications on the country's economy. Dr. Kemal is an Economic Polic...

Dr. Erum Khalid Sattar talks to us about Pakistan's colonial past and its impact on the water economy, why mega-dams will not solve the country's water, and the need to strengthen the institutional software governing the country.

Pakistan's civilian institutions have been in decline since independence. In this episode, we talk to Dr. Ilhan Niaz, Associate Professor of History at the Quaid-e-Azam University, about the impact of this decline on Pakistan's political economy.

The Reko Diq case has been a long, drawn out saga where Pakistan faced penalties of almost $5.9 billion. To talk about this case, the overall role of international arbitration, and the path forward for Pakistan, Uzair spoke to Marike Paulsson. Marike is one of the foremost experts in the field of international arbitration and is Vice President of the Global Legal Institute for Peace and Conflict R...

Cricket is perhaps the greatest unifying force in Pakistan and in its early years, the Pakistan Super League has had a transformative effect on the cricketing landscape in the country. In this episode, Uzair talks to Shoaib Naveed, Project Executive of the Pakistan Super League, about the PSL's business model, the path to profitability for franchises, and what's in store for the future.