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Dr. Muhammad Shahbaz

Dr. Muhammad Shahbaz

The writer is research fellow at University of Cambrdige, UK and Professor at Biejing Institue of Technlogy China.

Budget 2023-24 and Ignorance of Agriculture Sector

Budget for 2023-24 has several salient features that are aimed at benefiting the common people of the country. The budget has been designed to promote economic growth, improve social welfare, and provide relief to businesses and individuals. One of the

The 21st Century is for Asia Really?

Now economists are speculating that the 21st century is destined to become the “Asian Century”. Much of that growth can be attributed to the continent’s rising population of middle-class consumers. Asia, home to more than half of the world’s population,

Fixing blame for May 10 destruction

Politics will likely consume much of Pakistan’s time and attention in 2023, as it did in 2022. The country’s turn to political instability last spring did not end with a dramatic no-confidence vote in parliament last April, 2022 that ousted

A Rising Conflict between Russia and NATO

Ukraine has long played an important, yet sometimes overlooked, role in the global security order. Today, the country is on the front lines of a renewed great-power rivalry that many analysts say will dominate international relations in the decades ahead.

Future of Smart Agriculture in Pakistan

Pakistan is an agricultural country with a significant portion of its population engaged in farming. The agriculture sector is a crucial contributor to the country’s economy, accounting for around 20% of its GDP. However, the sector faces several challenges, including

Are elections solution to economic problems?

Politics will likely consume much of Pakistan’s time and attention in 2023, as it did in 2022. The country’s turn to political instability last spring did not end with a dramatic no-confidence vote in parliament last April that ousted then

Are elections solution to economic problems?

Politics will likely consume much of Pakistan’s time and attention in 2023, as it did in 2022. The country’s turn to political instability last spring did not end with a dramatic no-confidence vote in parliament last April that ousted then

Will IMF Re-sign Loan with Pakistan?

When a country borrows from the IMF, the government agrees to adjust its economic policies to overcome the problems that led it to seek financial assistance. These policy adjustments are conditions for IMF loans and help to ensure that the

Is Pakistan going to face food crisis?

In the past few years, Pakistan has attained the status of a food surplus country owing to its good agricultural policies which helped the country to become a major producer of wheat in the region. As an agrarian land, the

Failed Darconomics

Millions in Pakistan are feeling the pain of a deepening economic crisis. The working and lower middle classes in Pakistan and around the world have spent most of the year 2022 in a crisis like situation. The economic outlook for

Energy: The lifeblood of economy

Energy economics has drawn substantial attention from academicians in recent times. This issue is important because energy drives the wheels of economic growth since it is a key factor of production, along with capital, and labor. In addition, the higher

Global inflation and default of Pakistan

Pakistan’s economy is expected to grow by only 2% in the current fiscal year ending June 2023. Inflation, the slower growth will reflect damages and disruptions caused by catastrophic floods, a tight monetary stance, high inflation, and a less conducive

Pakistan’s Economic Failures in 2022

The 2022 Pakistan economic crisis is an ongoing economic crisis that has caused severe economic challenges for months due to which food, gas and oil prices have risen. Russia’s war in Ukraine has caused even more energy problems in the

Is Pakistan near default?

Pakistan is among the few countries today in deep financial trouble. The previous PTI-led indebted government spent money it didn’t have to shore up the tottering health system against the coronavirus pandemic, and to provide subsidies on petroleum products. Then

Mr Dar and Dollar

Pakistani politics have always been in the news since the country came into existence. Pakistan has seen many political characters that have created a significant amount of impact in Pakistan, be it negative or positive. Ishaq Dar, the ex-finance minister

COP27 and Environmental Efforts in Pakistan

Pakistan is weathering a furious political storm at home, along with an economic crisis. But at this year’s United Nations climate change conference in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt known as COP27, Pakistan currently chairs the G-77 group, comprised of 134 developing

How long march affects economic stability in Pakistan?

Over the past two decades, Pakistan has achieved significant poverty reduction, but human development outcomes have lagged while economic growth has remained volatile and slow. Expansion of off-farm economic opportunities, and the increase in migration and associated remittances allowed over

Politics of Economics-II

Political economists attempting to understand domestic macroeconomic policy often study the influence of political institutions (e.g. legislatures, executives, and judiciaries) and the implementation of public policy by bureaucratic agencies. The influence of political and societal actors (interest groups, political parties,

Politics of Economics-I

After decades apart, economics and politics have become inseparable once again. Growing numbers of voters are rejecting the long-held establishment consensus among economists that prosperity flows from broad free markets and free trade arrangements. Failing to secure political support for

Economic fallout of calamitous floods

The monsoon season, which began in early June, has lashed Pakistan with heavy rains this year and rescuers have struggled to evacuate thousands of stranded people from flood-hit areas. Rainfall nationwide is 2.87 times higher than the national 30-year average,

Inflation is really linked with dollar

Inflation is a measure of rising prices of goods and services in an economy. Inflation can occur as prices rise due to increases in production costs, such as raw materials and wages. A surge in demand for products and services

Politicized Dollarization

The term dollarization is shorthand for the use of any foreign currency by another country. Dollarization occurs when residents of a country extensively use foreign currency alongside or instead of domestic currency. Dollarization is a situation when the local currency

How Interest Rate Increase Increases Financial Risk in Pakistan?

Pakistan, with its heavy dependence on foreign capital flows and trade, stands particularly exposed. Stocks are likely to take an immediate battering, while the rupee-dollar exchange rate will inevitably slip further. The deterioration of exchange rate will, in turn, make

From Wheat Exporter to Wheat Importer

The agricultural sector is one of the largest contributors to the economy. While declining as a proportion of GDP, agriculture still contributes one-fifth of Pakistan’s wealth and almost half the population depends directly or indirectly on agriculture for their livelihoods.

Future of Investment in Pakistan

Pakistan is strategically located to become Asia’s premier trade, energy and transport corridor. It is also the gateway to the energy rich Central Asian States, the financially liquid Gulf States and the economically advanced Far Eastern tigers. This strategic advantage

Oil prices and Pakistan’s Economy

Pakistan’s political regime changed in April, with Shehbaz Sharif taking over as prime minister after Imran Khan lost a vote of no-confidence. Oil price shocks have raised serious concerns among policymakers around the world because of their adverse impacts on

IMF designed budget

For a nation to progress it must have a clear idea of its longer-term aspirations. Without this clarity, it will neither be able to prepare a coherent roadmap for action nor adopt and implement the policies that would lead towards

Russia-Ukraine crisis and world supply chain

After the dissolution of the Soviet Union (USSR) in 1991, Ukraine and Russia maintained close ties. In 1994, Ukraine agreed to accede to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons as a non-nuclear-weapon state. Former Soviet nuclear weapons in

Change of Governor and Current Monitory Policy

When the Covid-19 pandemic hit, countries around the world went into panic mode. Even advanced economies struggled to cope and deal with the virus. Considering Pakistan’s economic track record, citizens had prepared for the worst. And why wouldn’t they? The

Is young Pakistan on right track?

Any study of human development is incomplete without considering demographic transition; a phenomenon likely to have a profound impact on Pakistan’s future, given its young population. Pakistan is considered to be the fifth largest young country in the world. Around