ScratchPad

Look, I am going to be straight with you, cause I believe that no one should be a scapegoat. I have spent the last ten years in procurement and I have seen things that would make you scratch your head like a circus monkey. The kind of things that keep you awake at 3 a.m. wondering if you are working with a real business or some elaborate Ponzi scheme juggler. So let me tell you what is actually happening on the construction sites, in factories and real estate offices in Pakistan, because somebody needs to say this aloud. If you talk to any local supplier who deals with any real estate developer or corporate buying house, you will hear stories of endless waiting, broken promises and severe financial stress. It is an open secret in our market that the entire supply chain is forced to act as an involuntary bank for big fat dogs. Companies demand months of credit, mistreat their vendors and refuse to provide any legal guarantees for timely payments. Even worse, this is not just bad busines...

   غزل   گردشِ وقت سے اب اور نہ پامال کرو   میری جوانی کے سترہ سال لوٹا دو   لوٹ آئیں گے مرے خواب، مری خوشیاں بھی   اک دفعہ پھر وہ عروج اور کمال لوٹا دو   لے لو یہ دنیا کی رونق، یہ آسودگی سب   مجھ کو بس میرا وہ معصوم خیال لوٹا دو   تھک گیا ہوں میں تمنّاؤں کے بوجھ تلے   مجھ کو ماضی کا وہ بے فکری کا حال لوٹا دو   اب تو ہر سانس ہے اک بارِ گراں زخمِ جگر   درد مٹ جائے گا، تم وہ مہ و سال لوٹا دو   نہ کوئی چاہ، نہ حسرت، نہ کوئی شکوہ رہے   مری آنکھوں کا وہ کھویا ہوا جلال لوٹا دو   زیست سے اب تو کوئی بھی تقاضا نہ رہا   جو بھی چھینا تھا، وہ جواب و سوال لوٹا دو   دل میں امید کے اب بھی ہیں دیئے روشن سب   میری جوانی کے سترہ سال لوٹا دو   घज़ल गर्दिशे-वक़्त से अब और न पामाल करो मेरी जवानी के सत्रह साल लुटा दो लूट आएंगे मेरे ख़्वाब, मरी ख़ुशियाँ भी अक दफ़ा फिर वह उरूज और कमाल लुटा दो ले लो ये दुनिया की रौनक़, ये आसूदगी सब मुझ को बस मेरा वह मासूम ख़्याल लुटा दो थक गया हूँ मैं तम्नाओं के बोझ तले मुझ को माज़ी क...

The problem confronting Pakistan runs far deeper than a standard emerging market downturn or a corporate sector stuck in a rut. The country is paralyzed because entire systems across every major sector have frozen in place simultaneously. From the informal neighborhood enterprises that employ the vast majority of the population to the high profile tech startups that briefly captured global venture capital, a profound resistance to structural change has become the defining national characteristic. The current economic stagnation is not just a temporary phase of the business cycle. It is the natural consequence of a society where leadership across public and private domains has systematically chosen institutional inertia over modernization, resulting in a severe drought of viable jobs and a massive flight of young talent. In the informal sector, which consists of small traders, artisans and family owned shops, businesses operate on a primal level of survival. These entrepreneurs practice...

In 2018, I wrote an article in Express, In which I argued that the Thar coalfields represented a strategic opportunity for Pakistan. At that time, the debate around Thar coal was largely economic. The country was importing expensive energy, while sitting on a massive domestic resource. Eight years later, the argument has become far more urgent. The earlier article can still be read here . Since then, the global energy environment has changed dramatically. Energy is no longer just a question of cost or development. It is now deeply connected with geopolitics, supply chains and national security. The recent escalation of tensions between Iran and Israel has once again highlighted how fragile global energy routes can be. The Strait of Hormuz, a narrow waterway connecting the Persian Gulf with the Gulf of Oman, carries a significant share of the world's oil shipments. Any disruption in this corridor immediately affects global oil markets.  For Pakistan, such disruptions are not distant...