Pakistonomy

Uzair talks to Ambareen Baig about the state of Pakistan's startup ecosystem based on the findings of Invest2Innovate's recently released Pakistan Startup Ecosystem Report 2021. Ambareen Baig is a research professional well acquainted with the startup ecosystem in Pakistan. After starting out her career as an educator, she moved on as a Fulbright scholar for a masters in Educational Psychology fro...

Uzair talks to Asanga Abeyagoonasekara about the ongoing political and economic crisis in Sri Lanka. Things have gone from bad to worse in the island nation, which is now suffering shortages of essential goods. Asanga explains how things spiralled out of control and the way out. Asanga Abeyagoonasekera is Senior Fellow at the Millennium Project and an international security analyst from Sri Lanka....

Uzair talks to Dr. Margarita Konaev about Russia's invasion of Ukraine, what prompted Putin to invade now, and the risks of urban warfare in the heart of Europe. Dr. Margarita Konaev is a Research Fellow at Georgetown’s Center for Security and Emerging Technology (CSET) interested in military applications of AI and Russian military innovation. Previously, she was a Non-Resident Fellow with the Mod...

Uzair speaks with Musadaq Zulqarnain, Chairman of Interloop Limited, the largest Textile on the Pakistan Stock Exchange. Musadaq also serves on the board of Karandaaz, a not for profit organization promoting financial inclusion, sponsored by DFID(UKAid) and Bill Melinda Gates Foundation. He is also the President of Interloop Welfare Trust and Lyallpur Literary council. An ardent supporter of quali...

Uzair talks to Dr. Asfandyar Mir about rising cases of terrorism in Pakistan, the emerging threat on the Afghan border, and what risks he is concerned about during this ongoing second war on terror. Dr. Asfandyar Mir is a senior expert in the Asia Center at USIP. Previously, Dr. Mir held various fellowships at the Center for International Security and Cooperation at Stanford University. His resear...

Uzair talks to Aiman Bashir about her startup and the emerging edtech ecosystem in Pakistan. Aiman is co-founder and CEO of the business and has worked at the World Bank, Nestle and Coca-Cola. In 2020. Out-Class is a world-class EdTech platform, whose instructors hail from the world’s best institutions and have a deep-rooted passion for educating the country’s youth. Aiman won the coveted Standard...

Uzair talks to Dr. Miftah Ismail, former finance minister and senior member of the PML-N, about the path ahead for Pakistan's economy. The conversation explores reform priorities, export promotion, and improving the fiscal and external sector outlook for the economy.

Uzair talks to Pramit Pal Chaudhuri about domestic and foreign policy developments in India. The conversation focuses on state elections in the country, Yogi's bid to become a national leader, India's relations with China and Russia, and Modi's outreach to Nawaz. Pramit Pal Chaudhuri is Foreign Editor of the Hindustan Times and a Distinguished Fellow, Ananta Aspen Centre, and Foreign Editor of the...

Uzair talks to Randy Bell about ongoing volatility in the energy markets, how countries like Saudi Arabia are preparing for the future, and ways in which energy importing countries like Pakistan should develop long-term strategies that enhance their energy security. Randy Bell is the senior director of the Atlantic Council’s Global Energy Center (GEC), where he oversees the center’s research and p...

Uzair talks to Dr. Vali Nasr about ongoing developments in the Middle East, where tensions between Iran and Gulf countries, especially the UAE and Saudi Arabia, continue to escalate. This podcast also touches on how the US should engage with the region and the ways in which Pakistan ought to navigate this quagmire. Vali Nasr is the Majid Khadduri Professor of International Affairs and Middle East...

In this Urdu discussion, Uzair talks to historian, activist, and author Ammar Ali Jan about the Left's assessment of Pakistan's economy, the State Bank autonomy bill, and the types of reforms he would like to see in Pakistan's economy. Ammar is author of the book Rule by Fear: Eight Theses on Authoritarianism in Pakistan, which is a must-read. Reading Recommendation: - 23 Things They Don't Tell Yo...

In this Urdu discussion, Uzair talks to Shahid Mehmood about a recent article he published which showed how major issues since at least the 1980s continue to plague the economy. The discussion focuses on key drivers of these issues, why policy does not change to deal with this reality, and includes updates on economic developments in the former FATA regions. Shahid Mehmood is an economist and rese...

Uzair talks to Ovais Zuberi, founder of Shazday Foods, about Pakistan's agriculture sector, why it is in a state of perpetual crisis, and how we can learn from the rich agricultural history of this region to reform the sector. The conversation also touches on important market access and development reforms that are needed, including farm-to-market infrastructure in the country.

Welcome to Season 3 of Pakistonomy. 2022 will be a year where politics will dominate the discourse, and rightfully so. In the first episode of this season Amber Rahim Shamsi helps us understand key things we all should keep an eye on, and how they will affect the economy moving forward. Amber is Head of Communications at Tabadlab. She is also an award-winning multi-media journalist, with wide-rang...

Uzair talks to regular guest Ariba Shahid about key events in 2021 and the outlook for 2022. This is our last episode of the year. We hope you have a safe and enjoyable holiday season with your family and friends. If you've enjoyed our podcast over the year, please rate it, share it, and spread the word. See you in 2022!

In this Urdu discussion, Uzair talks to Dr. Kamran Bokhari about his recently-published essay titled "The Long Shadow of Deobandism in South Asia." This essay is a must-read as it provides a long history about the rise of political Islam in the subcontinent and how it has shaped Pakistan. Dr. Kamran Bokhari is Director of Analytical Development at the Newlines Institute. Dr. Bokhari is also a nati...

Uzair talks to Dr. Rosita Armytage about her book Big Capital in an Unequal World: The Micropolitics of Wealth in Pakistan. We talked about factions within Pakistan's elites, their worldview, morals, and perspectives about Pakistan and its political economy. The book is highly recommended if you want to learn more about this fascinating subject. Reading Recommendations: - Politics, Landlords and I...

Uzair talks to Khurram Husain, incoming editor at Profit, about the latest economic developments in Pakistan. The conversation focused on the current government's economic vision, whether or not the COVID-19 stimulus was overdone, and the underlying causes behind inflation in the country. Khurram also shared his thoughts on the State Bank's change of decision making processes and his priorities at...

Uzair talks to Mosharraf Zaidi, founder of Tabadlab, about his latest opinion column, why he is not optimistic about a change in elite behavior, and ways in which the state should deal with groups like the TLP and PTM. Reading Recommendations are all books written by Mariana Mazzucato: - Mission Economy: A Moonshot Guide to Changing Capitalism - The Value of Everything: Makers and Takers in the Gl...

Uzair talks to Dr. Tanvi Madan about her research paper which looks at the role of major power rivalries in the broader South Asian region. The emerging US-China rivalry and growing tensions between India and China are already having an impact on the geopolitics of the region. As this rivalry sharpens, countries in the region will have to strategize and find ways to effectively balance against the...

Uzair talks to Jahangir Piracha, Chief Executive Office of Engro Polymer & Chemicals, about the company's business, how its products are helping transform Pakistan's construction industry, and why a petrochemicals policy is needed to attract increased investments in Pakistan. Jahangir Piracha is the Chief Executive Officer for Engro Polymer & Chemicals Limited. In his most recent role, Jahangir wa...

Uzair talks to Dr. Ammar A. Malik about his team's recent report on China's Belt and Road Initiative. The report titled "Banking on the Belt and Road: Insights from a new global dataset of 13,427 Chinese development projects" is currently the most in-depth analytical look at BRI projects around the world and is a must-read. Dr. Malik is Senior Research Scientist at AidData, where he leads the Trac...

Uzair talks to Abdul Moiz Jaferii, a lawyer and host of a popular TV show on Samaa, about the legal system in Pakistan, what ails it, and why is it that justice for elites is different than justice for less privileged segments of society. This episode also covers the impact of the lawyers' movement and ways in which the judicial system in the country can be improved. Abdul Moiz Jaferii tweets at @...

Uzair talks to Dr. Sanval Nasim about research that he has conducted with other academics about ways in which information may or may not build citizen trust in the state. The working paper is available online at this link -https://openknowledge.worldbank.org/handle/10986/34736 Dr. Nasim is is Assistant Professor of Economics at the Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS). His primary resea...

Uzair talks to the co-founders of Tazah Technologies, a startup in the agriculture space that recently raised $2 million in pre-seed round. The B2B marketplace is based in Lahore and is seeking to disrupt the country's agriculture sector, which represents 24 percent of GDP. Abrar is part of the famous "Careem Mafia", where he led operations for and executed the financial and operational turnaround...