July 2022

CSS Chronicles Volume 3 | Edition 1
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CSS Past Papers MCQs Compilation
Paper Attempting Strategies
Quick Facts
Essay of the Month & Much More!
Volume 03
July Edition
FACULTY
THAT YOU CAN TRUST
Kamil Mushtaq Saif Khattak

4th in KPK 4th Position PAS, CSS 2021
2
In Conversation with
Ammar Ali Ayub
and Muzammil Hassan
Co-founder Nearpeer, Ammar Ali Ayub
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podcast of thought behind things.
In conversation with Muzammil Hassan,

Ammar shared his insights and experi-
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everyone through online means.
In Conversation with Minister of Higher

Education Raja Yasir Hamayun
Our CEO (Ammar Ali Ayub), Head of Partnership (Izzat
Mallick), and Senior Journalist (Bilal Nadeem) in
conversation with Minister of higher education Raja
Yasir Hamayun. Ammar Ali Ayub is sharing his insights
about the importance of digital education and how it
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3
LIFE AT NEARPEER AND HIGHLIGHTS OF NEARPEER

FBISE X Nearpeer
With the big collaboration of the Federal
Board with Nearpeer. Nearpeer provided
scholarships to almost 1 million
intermediate students in form of FREE
education.
We are proud to announce our partnership

with the Federal Board of Education. This
day marks the milestone towards
Nearpeer.org and the Government
transforming education together in
Pakistan. We're thankful to Mr. Qaiser Alam,
Chairman FBISE, for being a change bearer.
Team Nearpeer attended Pakistan's Largest

Tech Conference & Expo Zindigi Future Fest
2022 in Islamabad.
Zindigi Future Fest 2022 event was an opportunity for the
Nearpeer team to explore different interesting collaborations as
well as opportunities with the hope of providing amazing courses
to the students in the future as well. The team behind Nearpeer
has been working very hard to create a viable alternative to
traditional educational institutions. With the rise in the number of
online courses, it's difficult for students to find courses that
actually provide a legitimate education, as opposed to simply
providing a certification. But with Nearpeer, you can be confident
that accredited institutions are at work to make sure students
get a real education. Explore the new courses here:
Ammar Ali Ayub

Skills Todo
and
Nearpeer
Join Hands
For a
Sharjeel Usmani
National
Education Crisis in Pakistan - Rollout of
Career Conversation Skills In
Every year, almost 14 lac students Click here to find interesting courses Demand
graduate. Out of those 14 lac, some 3 lac
students get employed. The remaining 11 Skills Todo and Nearpeer.org joined hands to serve the nation at
lac students end up having to opt for gap scale with digital, employability, and ICT skills. The purpose of this
year while they struggle to find collaboration is to make it easy for the youth and budding
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wasted, its 11 lac years of Pakistan wasted. a part of the emerging gig economy or be more employable.
LIFE AT NEARPEER AND HIGHLIGHTS OF NEARPEER

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5
CONTENT
Monthly round up 7
International 11
1. Looking at the world through the lens of geoenergy 12
2. War in Ukraine: Plight of Russian Gen-Z 16
3. Is China’s Economy Slowing Down? 20
4. Blasphemous India can Unite the Muslim Ummah 23
National 25
1. Decoding Pakistan’s perpetual cycle of history 26
2. Pakistan’s Post-Budget Economy 30
3. Future of CPEC and Pakistan 33
4. Exit from the FATF Grey List: What Does it Mean for Pakistan? 36
Monthly Press Review 38
Meet our CSPs 61
Essay Special 63
Literary Pearls 65
Screening Test Alert 66

1. English 67
2. General Science 68
3. General Ability 69
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6
MONTHLY
ROUND UP:
JUNE AT A GLANCE
Dates Events
1 Pakistan and Turkey vowed to enhance their strategic and economic relations and
agreed to take measures for eliminating terrorism.
2 With deteriorating external and fiscal indicators, Moody`s Investor Service downgraded
Pakistan`s outlook to negative from stable amid a delay in a deal with the International
Monetary Fund (IMF) for an economic bailout.
3 The prime minister officially tasked the country`s premier spy agency, Inter-Services
Intelligence (ISI), with the screening of civil servants before their induction, appointments
and postings, as well as promotions.
4 The Annual Plan Coordination Committee (APCC) finalised Rs800 billion worth of the
Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP) to achieve an economic growth rate of 5
per cent in 2022-23.
5 Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif called for a `grand dialogue` involving all stakeholders for
the sake of the country`s progress by keeping sectors like education, health and industries
above petty politics.
6 The Indian government sought to calm anger at home and abroad following derogatory
remarks by BJP members about the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him), as Pakistan and
other Islamic countries continued to put pressure on New Delhi to apologise for hurting
the sentiments of millions of Muslims around the world.
7 Asserting that Afghanistan was being taken to its downfall, visiting German Foreign
Minister Annalena Baerbock asked the international community to send `a loud and clear
message` to the Afghan Taliban that they were heading in the wrong direction.
8 Lawmakers passed 11 bills many of them dealing with issues of a serious nature, in a
non-serious environment without discussion and without even having quorum on a dull
private member`s day in the National Assembly.
9 Amidst an undeclared boycott by the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI), the joint session of
parliament passed three bills, including those related to electoral reforms and the
accountability law.
10 Amid ongoing negotiations to convince the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to release
bailout payments, the PML-N-led coalition government presented a federal budget with a
mix of real stabilisation measures sugar-coated with feel-good sentiment the revival of
petroleum levy with a bang, withdrawal of incentives for construction coupled with
taxation on real estate and candles for government employees, income tax payers,
industries and solar energy and additional taxes of Rs355 billion to be collected by the
Federal Board of Revenue (FBR).
8
Dates Events
11 The government proposed an allocation of Rs1.523 trillion for defence services for the
fiscal year 2022-23 an increase of 11.16 per cent over the initial allocation for the outgoing
year (2021-22), according to the budget documents tabled in the National Assembly.
12 Pakistan and China reaffirmed their strategic partnership in challenging times and
agreed to continue the regular exchange of perspectives on issues of mutual interest.
13 Russian forces fired cruise missiles to destroy a large depot containing US and European
weapons in western Ukraine`s Ternopil region, Interfax reported, as street fighting raged in
the eastern city of Sievierodonetsk.
14 Additional measures will be needed to bring Pakistan`s budget for the year 2022-23 in line
with the key objectives of its International Monetary Fund programme, the lender`s
resident representative in Islamabad said.
15 The UN rights chief slammed the Taliban`s `institutionalised systematic oppression` of

women and girls in Afghanistan, warning they face a `critical` situation.
16 The government raised fuel prices by up to 29 per cent, removing fuel subsidies in an
attempt to trim the fiscal deficit and secure critical support from the International
Monetary Fund (IMF).
17 The head of UNHCR office in Quetta, Erwin Policar, said that contrary to expectations of the
UN, a large number of Afghan refugees have not come to Pakistan after the withdrawal of
US troops and formation of the Taliban government in Afghanistan.
18 China ramped up crude oil imports from Russia in May, customs data showed on Monday,
helping to offset losses from Western nations scaling back Russian energy purchases
over the invasion of Ukraine.
19 Covid-19 rears its ugly head again as the country has reported the highest number of
cases over the past around 80 days, with the positivity ratio in Karachi and Hyderabad
surpassing 10 per cent.
20 Finance Minister Miftah Ismail sounded confident about reaching an agreement with the
International Monetary Fund (IMF)in a day or so for the revival of the Extended Fund Facility
(EFF) and vowed to provide income tax relief to those with up to Rs1.2 million annual
earnings.
21 The Balochistan government presented a deficit budget for the next fiscal year on June 21,
2022 with a total outlay of Rs612.79 billion.
22 The military reassured the political leadership that no extra-constitutional concessions
9
Dates Events
would be given to the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) in the ongoing dialogue
and any deal made with the terrorist group would be subject to parliamentary approval.
23 The Ministry of Economic Affairs said that 43 per cent of about $35 billion worth of
foreign-funded projects were problematic either not progressing well or unable to deliver
the desired outcomes.
24 The coalition government announced new tax measures, including a 10 per cent `super
tax` on 13 large industries to raise an additional Rs465 billion in revenue, in an attempt to
trim the budget deficit to revive the stalled International Monetary Fund (IMF) loan
programme.
25 With a spiraling energy crisis brought on by the Russian invasion of Ukraine putting
pressure on global fuel reserves, a key member of the federal cabinet admitted that the
country simply could not compete with the buying power of European countries who were
also potential customers for the same reserves that Pakistan desperately needed.
26 India obstructed Pakistan`s participation in a conference hosted by China last week.
27 The federal cabinet approved the National Hazardous Waste Management Policy 2022
with consensus which will be passed on to provinces and implemented at the federal
level for international compliance.
28 Pakistan will have to take at least two more `prior actions` to secure two combined
tranches of about $1.85 billion from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) by the end of
July or early August.
29 The proscribed Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) categorically stated that the insurgent
group would not back down from its demand for the reversal of the merger of erstwhile
Fata with the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.
30 A five-judge Lahore High Court (LHC) bench ordered a recount of votes cast in the April 16
election for the Punjab chief minister after excluding 25 votes of defecting MPAs of the
Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI), and in case a candidate f ails to secure a majority, go for a
run-off poll where a contender requires a majority vote of the members present in the
house.
10
INTERNATIONAL
Looking at the world through the lens of geoenergy
War in Ukraine: Plight of Russian Gen-Z
Is China’s Economy Slowing Down?
Blasphemous India can Unite the Muslim Ummah
11
Looking at the world through the

lens of geoenergy
Saif Khattak | Published in The Japan Times
International relations have ics took center stage in a arena.

been viewed through a variety post-Cold War world. A state’s
of lenses, introduced over the geographic location became a One such policy currently being
past century as a way to ana- significant determinant of its pursued is decarbonization of
lyze and explain contemporary economic potential and the the global economy and adop-
events. idea of geoeconomics was tion of renewable energy to
popularized. make future growth sustain-
In 1899, Swedish political scien- able.
tist Rudolf Kjellen coined the With a globalized world facili-
term geopolitics to describe the tating rapid technological Until now, apart from economic
activities of hyperactive Euro- advancements, changes in the and political constraints,
pean states who frequently international system have energy has been universally
found themselves competing been drastically catalyzed. accessible around the globe.
with each other for territorial Newer threats like climate States in one continent import
gains. change, pandemics and fossil fuels from states in
cyberwarfare have pushed another over land and sea
Almost a century later, com- states to adopt policies that routes.
mercial competition replaced increasingly shape their
territorial contests as econom- behaviors in the international However, the adoption of
12
renewable energy tends to its ability to generate functional

upend this arrangement. energy from them and its geo-
graphical proximity to energy
Unlike fossil fuels, which can be exporting states. While the con-
transported over long distanc- cept can be crudely applied to
es in chemical form, renewable traditional energy, it gains
energy is static. The electricity greater importance in a world
produced from it cannot be that has transitioned into the
efficiently converted into use of renewable resources.
chemical energy, meaning that
renewable energy will have to At present, there are numerous
be transported in electric form. instances around the globe
that can be analyzed through a
As electric lines replace oil and geoenergic lens. In the case of
gas pipelines, geographic loca- fossil fuels, the dispute between
tion will significantly impact a Turkey and Greece in the East-
state’s ability to access energy ern Mediterranean can be spe-
— electric lines face greater cifically studied in terms of
energy losses over long geoenergy.
distances.
The contention over geograph-
Traditional approaches to ic boundaries of their respec-
energy have often viewed it as tive exclusive economic zones
one of many factors that influ- have direct effects on each
ence geopolitics: how a state state’s access to energy
uses its control over energy resources. Another example is
resources to exert influence that of the Arctic “cold rush,”
abroad. However, as the where littoral states are com-
dynamics of global energy peting with each other to
distribution change, a new access buried oil reserves. Sim-
approach is required that con- ilarly, China’s recent oil invest-
siders energy access as an ment deal with Iran can also be
endpoint rather than means to viewed as an attempt to
an end. improve Beijing’s geoenergic
standing.
Geoenergy tends to fill that gap.
Simply put, geoenergy is the When it comes to renewables,
analysis of the effects of a geoenergic conflicts mainly
state’s geographical location exist over hydroelectric
on its access to energy and resources at present. The
energy resources. This access dispute between India and
can be based on a state’s con- Pakistan over the Indus River
trol over raw energy resources, and its tributaries has been
13
observed from a geopolitical have access to such resources, immense geopolitical, geoeco-
lens for decades. While there meaning that this aspect nomic and geoenergic advan-
are security threats associated would not be the primary tages.
with it, the dispute can also be differentiating factor between
analyzed in geoenergic terms renewable energy exporters With the combination of these
since India’s hydropower proj- and importers. factors, electrostates are
ects on these rivers inhibit Paki- predicted to play a more cen-
stan’s ability to generate elec- Second, a state would require tral role in international rela-
tricity from them. The issue of advanced technological capa- tions than current petrostates.
the Grand Ethiopian Renais- bilities that enable it to Given that the electricity pro-
sance Dam between Egypt and efficiently convert renewable duced from renewable
Ethiopia also exhibits a similar energies into electricity. resources cannot be efficiently
dynamic. Efficient energy conversion transmitted over long distanc-
would enable states to not only es, energy distribution in the
As states transition from tradi- meet their own energy future is likely to be regionalized
tional energy to renewable demands but also export elec- around electrostates.
energy, emerging electrostates tricity to others. China, Germa-
are likely to replace present ny and Denmark are among Electrostates will act as energy
petrostates. However, unlike the current global leaders in hubs that produce and export
petrostates — which are based the development of clean electricity to geographically
on control over fossil fuel energy technologies. proximate countries connected
reserves, electrostates would through electric lines. These
have to meet certain criteria Third, a state would need regional electricity grids will
before they truly dominate access to critical minerals used promote economic and securi-
energy production in the future. to manufacture renewable ty integration, translating the
energy technologies. At pres- effects of geoenergy into geo-
First, a state would have to be ent, China and Russia control economics and geopolitics.
geographically located in a the majority of known reserves
region that naturally has a high of rare earth minerals. These In the context of geoenergy, the
quantity of renewable resourc- depletable mineral resources adoption of renewable energy
es like wind, solar, bio, or hydro- are likely to replace oil as a provides significant leverage to
electric energy. Apart from a premium global commodity, transit states. Taking a longer
few exceptions, most states providing such states with route to circumvent them
14
would have grave implications

in terms of energy losses,
making diverted projects
impractical.
Given that future electrostates
are likely to emerge in Western
Europe and East Asia, transit
states in Eastern Europe, Cen-
tral Asia and South Asia would
have an ideal opportunity of
converting their geoenergic
potential into geopolitical
gain.
Energy is predicted to become

a central element in interna-
tional discourse of the coming
decades. On one hand, the
emergence of electrostates
will intensify the geopolitics of
energy. On the other, it will
make geography all the more
relevant in determining
access to energy by states.
With the advent of globaliza-

tion in the late 20th century,
policymakers turned their
attention to economics and
saw the world from a geoeco-
nomic perspective. As the
world transitions into the use Click Here
of renewable energy, scholars
and professionals would need
to take a similar approach and
explore the idea of geoenergy.
15
War in Ukraine: Plight of

Russian Gen-Z
Sania Saleem
Since late February the Rus- The emphasis on Gen-Z isn’t Simultaneously, with the
sian-led Ukraine war is the accidental, it essentially increase in hostilities and
one-to-one war of its kind that reflects the Kremlin that the drone attacks by the Russian
Gen Z has come across as a tech-savvy generation-Z is forces, the Kremlin has accel-
mature and opinionated adult. more resistant to state-spon- erated the efforts to inculcate
To unfold the perspectives of sored propagandizing and has Russian Gen-Z to unify the
Gen Z is extremely crucial pres- cognizance to access cen- pro-war consensus in the
ently since they are going to be sored information online. Con- domestic sector for genera-
the leaders of tomorrow. They temporarily, Ukrainian forces tions to come.
will indulge, provoke, fight, or are abruptly repudiating the
end wars via negotiations. The attempts of Russian forces to Switching across news chan-
state of affairs pre-war, during capture Kyiv with unceasing nels during prime-time leaves
the war, and post-war are efforts to compel the Russian people in a predicament. It is
going to leave an everlasting forces to withdraw their forces perplexing to decide who
impact not only on scholars of from the north of the country. should they be mad at and for
international relations but also Nonetheless, there remains no whom they should show sym-
on the persona of people end under one’s nose to the pathy. Videos and Photographs
around the world, and Gen Z in abundant hostilities with plenti- are presently all over the coun-
particular. ful evidence in support of Mos- try of Gen-Z showing their
cow’s long-lasting campaign. solidarity with the invasion of
16
Ukraine. The pro-war content features many children and teenag-

ers being displayed showing their support by multifarious means,
the symbol ‘Z’ being the most prominent of them. The symbol, ‘Z’ is
personified emblematical to the war followed by its adoption as a
marker by the Russian forces. First, the symbol was seen on tanks
however, it made its way to streets, across social media, and from
being printed on ordinary cars to being sprayed on bus stops and
even on advertisement boards for promotion as a sign of national-
ism. The Russian defense ministry posted on their social media, on
3rd March that the symbol, “Z” is an abbreviation of the phrase, ‘for
victory’.
The kremlin has uplifted the Russians to throw weight behind

fostering the flag by portraying the one-to-one war as an existen-
tial struggle. On the other hand, anti-war protests have been
lauded as unpatriotic and against the state. Russia’s invasion of
Ukraine has become a “war of town” and is selling like a hot cake in
the international arena due to its global impacts. The predicament
of Russian Gen-Z is the most intricate as the generation is facing,
and has to face for decades to come, various adverse impacts.
The multifarious adverse impacts include,
• Sociopolitical impacts,
• Impacts on physical and psychological health,
• Educational impacts,
• Broken minds and warped personalities,
• Effect on the Russian music industry,
•Trust deficit in leadership,
• Impacts on business and financial transactions, and
• Joblessness and the downside in the employment rate.
17
To be precise, Russia’s invasion lum to justify aggression

of Ukraine has far-reaching against Ukraine and the “an-
consequences. It has affected ti-Russian path” of Ukraine is
millions of children and young also included as evidence to
people on both sides of the the alleged claim that Ukraine
conflict and beyond. With the is a Nazi-friendly country con-
escalating threat of political trolled by the West. All the
violence and the stern eco- efforts of the Kremlin are prov-
nomic impacts, people of Rus- ing effective as the children
sian Gen-Z are fleeing the and teens are being inculcated
country or have already left slowly with the propagandized
including the independent information as a part of their
journalists and professionals daily learning. For instance,
from the technological sector. children of one school in Russia
learned a new patriotic song
The Kremlin has increased its remodifying Russia’s borders
long manoeuver to give the featuring the lyrics, “from
gen-Z a, ‘patriotic education’ in Donetsk to the Kremlin, from
a bid to secure their loyalty and Lugansk to the Kremlin, from
support in the long run as well. Alaska to the Kremlin, this is my
In the like manner, as Vladimir motherland.”
Putin did almost 10 years ago
by requiring historians to Politicizing the schools and
develop a curriculum free from curriculums will be resulting in
internal ambiguities and loop- intense impacts on the children
holes. Efforts were escalated of Gen-Z in near future. Chil-
after the invasion of Ukraine to dren are the most vulnerable to
bring education in line with this kind of indoctrination
Kremlin thinking. Materials are because of their typical narrow
recently added to the curricu- social circle and limited under-
18
standing. Experts and critics higher. Ease of doing business art for instance, by releasing
fear that the public demon- is also affected whereby the songs like Ne strelyaite (Don’t
strations of pro-war militarism young entrepreneurs are highly Shoot).
may radicalize a new genera- discouraged due to losses in
tion of Russians leading to the the financial market and To conclude, the Rus-
kind of extremism witnessed threats associated to busi- sia-Ukraine war has undoubt-
during the darkest days of the nesses owing to the political edly created an intense and
Soviet era, where campaigns instability. alarming situation for the
used to encourage children to whole world and Russian Gen-Z
condemn and incriminate their Russian Gen-Z, looking forward in particular. The war has
own parents. Additionally, there to entering the job market and far-reaching consequences for
exists a real danger that this pursuing higher education are various generations. War isn’t
wave of fanaticism will create said to be on a ‘rough ride’. and can never be a solution as
the Gen-Z radicalized, who will Since the Russian invasion of in the words of Neville Cham-
enthusiastically embrace mili- Ukraine, various multinational berlain, “In war, whichever side
tarism in the name of national- companies have left Russia, may call itself the victor, there
ism as inculcated by the Krem- meanwhile, the sanctions from are no winners, but all are
lin. This will add fuel to the fire, major world economies are losers.” The earlier the world
prolonging the confrontation escalating. The “Putin Genera- understands, the better it is for
between Russia and the West tion” i.e., between 17 and 25 our generations to come.
for many generations to come. years of age are witnessing a
different Russia than the one
Moreover, with the sustainable they grew up in. The generation
losses in financial asset prices, grew up eating at McDonald’s,
the economy of Russia is likely watching Hollywood and
to remain at the threat of finan- Disney, using Instagram and
cial turmoil. Russia’s actions iPhone, and wearing Nike, all of
and the response of other which —owing to Russia’s inva-
countries have increased the sion of Ukraine— is no longer in
level of geopolitical risk. The fall Russia. Furthermore, events like
in the value of the ruble, selling laying off hundreds of employ-
of ruble-denominated assets, ees, the majority hailing from
hard currency leaving the generation Z, in Russia by the
country, bans on exports, and American tech giants IBM and
withdrawal of many foreign Microsoft are making a difficult
enterprises from Russia are situation worse for the Russian
various factors behind making Gen-Z. The Russian music
the country face threat of industry hasn’t even been
financial collapse. All these exempted from experiencing
factors are affecting the whole setbacks. An influx of musicians
world and Gen-Z in particular. is canceling their tours and
The Russian Gen-Z is also entertainment operations in
facing the brunt of the actions Russia. Some singers have
of the Kremlin like anyone else used their social media
in the world. Russian Gen-Z is accounts to take a stand
facing various psychological against the war in Ukraine, call-
and physical health disorders. ing for Putin to end the war. Few
With the rise in inflation, the risk have deliberately highlighted
of poverty and inequality is also what is ongoing through their
19
Is China’s Economy Slowing

Down?
Abdul Samad
A cursory look into the docu- the end of WW2 just to the dev- others.
mented accounts of history astation inflicted upon the
unmasks the fact that the rise European economies. However, The Chinese economic down-
of a thing may meet its fall if the later on, the same Soviet Union sizing has and is being reported
supportive environment ceases was dashed into pieces by dint perpetually by leading mone-
to exist. Stretching this very of its downsizing economy tary research outfits of elec-
point further ahead to let it unlikely its key cold war rival the tronic and print media along
spread over the economic Communist bloc led the US. with the leading international
milieu, it unequivocally makes it Now this factual side of a coin is monetary giants like IMF and
clear that the booming of an largely applicable to China WB among others. The manag-
economy is permanent only if it whose economy seems report- ing director of IMF, Kristina
is backed defended by a strong ed to be down sliding since the Georgia has indicated the
supportive back which let it beginning of this year caused naked down sliding in China’s
afloat. Usually, the fall of things by a plethora of crisis-driven economy as unable to achieve
is brought by the same factors factors like the zero-covid-19 the targeted 5.5% GDP growth
which have contributed to its policy, Russia-Ukraine standoff, for the recent year. Bloomberg,
rise. The former USSR emerged increasing western opposition, dealing with economic mat-
as one of the two global and growing uncertainty in ters, has also found the econo-
powers, the other one, the US, at international market among my of China slowing down.
20
China’s economy. The sector is

also a major source of labor
work especially daily wages.
Currently, the sector has been
affected by the heavy landing
and widespread speculation
dragging the booming eco-
nomic growth down.
The governmental machinery

largely consists of three
tiers—federal or central, provin-
cial and local—in several coun-
tries across the world. The key
purpose of the third tier is to
solve the local problems and
carry out the local administra-
tion and management in a
Such a vivid retreat can be seen economic growth. In China, better way. The Chinese local
in various sectors of the econo- private companies are the government largely relays on
my performing poorly. backbone of its economy as the revenues collected by land
they contribute three-fifths to sales. According to IMF, this
The zero-covid-19 policy has the total output and four-fifths revenue makes up 7% of the
phenomenally contributed to of urban employment. The country’s economy per year.
the current slowing down. It has mounting rise in the prices of The zero-covid-19 policy
locked almost the whole coun- raw materials has made their among other key factors has
try, especially the major eco- availability difficult which in disrupted this source of reve-
nomic hubs. Almost all of the turn affects the supply chains nue generation as the develop-
key commercial points, units, as the forecasted rise in ers have curtailed land pur-
and cities have been forced to demand can be felt around the chases. By virtue of such poor
shut down their doors for com- corner. Similarly, the pandemic revenue generation, China’s
mercial activities. Such a wide- has prompted people to stay at Local Government has halted
spread and strict lockdown has home which has put a halt to hiring, and cut bonuses and
squeezed the trade and com- commercial, trade, and busi- benefits for civil servants which
merce of the country. People ness activities among others. have further aggravated the
have been taken to their administrative and govern-
restricted areas. Amongst all, Likewise, the economically mental operations.
the supply chains have been constructive role of the con-
badly hit by this zero-covid-19 struction sector in economic Externally, the Russia-Ukraine
policy increasing the demands development and growth can crisis has soared the down-
not only for raw materials but hardly be turned down as in the grading of the international
also for finished goods. Locking case of Pakistan during the market, especially the prices of
or limiting the country’s daily covid_19-driven smart lock- oil and the availability of agri-
life does not spare the eco- down under which the sector cultural goods. This phenome-
nomic sector too unaffected., was provided with a consider- non has encouraged consum-
and the result is the ongoing able number of incidents to let ers to stay off daily businesses
downturn in China’s economy. it afloat. Building and repairing substantially as inflation has
old houses under the broad become an international phe-
The private sector of any coun- spectrum of construction nomenon. The harsh reaction
try has a monumental role in its departments add a quarter to by the West against alleged
21
aggressive Russia after the the G7 countries have made with a plethora of discouraging
latter inflicted a severe fight on this time to counter the grow- factors that have put per se on
Ukraine in the form of coercive ing Chinese economic pres- bringing its economic growth
economic measures has ence not only in Europe but also down and halting Beijing’s eco-
discouraged and even scared in other continents. In the wake nomic prosperity. Among these
investors in the case of China. of all this, Beijing will have to be factors, the severest ones in
flexed its muscles to maintain terms of inflection are the
Similarly, the international its once most celebrated eco- Zero-covid-19, the Rus-
counterparts and rivals of nomic growth. sia-Ukraine conflict, the strict
China are making alternatives regulation regime, and the fall
to the Chinese products and Squeezing the above discus- of the private sector among
goods in the international sion in a bottle, it is made others. All this shows a tough
market. The Build Back Better unequivocally clear that the time ahead for China.
World initiative and the vows Chinese economy is struggling
22
Blasphemous India can Unite the

Muslim Ummah
Iram Abbas
The already tumultuous situa- the animosity grew further. The graphical or political unit, it
tion of Muslims in India was arrival of the British and their becomes exceedingly difficult
dealt a heavy blow by the blas- favor of Hindus after the war of to argue that its dismember-
phemous remarks of BJP‘s independence in 1857 furthered ment was justified or needed”.
spokesperson Nupur Sharma. It the gap. Hindus envisioned Hindus tried to stop the parti-
made one thing crystal clear: their salvation only through a tion by hook or by crook but
no amount of civil awards from united India in which Muslims when all else failed, they
Gulf countries could convince would repay the sins of their grabbed Kashmir through con-
Modi’s regime towards better ancestors. nivance. This not only became
treatment of Muslims, rather it a bone of contention between
allows them a free hand to Then came the partition of the India and Pakistan but Indian
galvanize their torturing strate- subcontinent which initiated brutality in Kashmir raised eye-
gies. But, one must contem- another series of Hue & Cries brows across the globe.
plate that this brutality has a among the Hindus. I.H Qureshi Since its independence, India
history. The rivalry between in his book ‘The Struggle for has spent a great deal of time
Muslims and Hindus is as old as Pakistan’ rightly puts the senti- and money to conquer the
Islam itself. The conquest of the ments of Hindus when he Muslim world and its ties with
subcontinent by Muslim invad- states that “when the world many Muslim countries is a
ers added insult to injury and gets accustomed to a geo- proof of that. According to a
23
look for a Messiah before their

lands are depleted of men and
any sign of life. When their foes
have proven time and again
that they are punished for their
religious beliefs, the Ummah
can unite and fight on a single
front rather than indulging in
proxy wars and killing men of
their faith.
The organisation of the Islamic
Council (OIC), more like Oh I
See, is always far behind in
fighting the animosity which
serves the purpose of its
report, the total amount of restaurants were closed in creation. Rather, it has been
Indian exports to the Muslim various places, rallies were overcome by a group of bullies
world is more than $280 billion. organised and leaders of who suppress the poor from
India is a strategic ally of the almost all Muslim countries their clan. This is the ultimatum
US, who can exert control on issued statements against this for OIC to take a firm stand and
Gulf states, which means abuse of freedom of speech. fight for the integrity of the
animosity with India could In ancient times, trade followed Prophet whose religion gave it
trigger American wrath. Anoth- the flag but in modern times the raison detre.
er omen is the recent pursual of flag follows the trade. Any The caricatures of Prophet
relations between Israel and country could be brought to its PBUH by a French artist had
UAE after the Abraham knees by cutting off economic somewhat similar reactions
Accords. Egypt and Jordan ties with it. The time is ripe for a but all were drowned by the
already play neutrals, and European Union equivalent for raining dollars and euros. Rest
Kuwait and Bahrain are in line the Muslim world which would assured that if anything can
to betray the Ummah for their support and prioritize the trade unite the Ummah, it's their love
personal and political gains. of their Muslim brethren, a for their Prophet PBUH He is the
trend similar to the west where only Messiah who saved men
In times like these, when the black people support black from darkness 1400 years ago
Ummah is swimming in dan- businesses. For instance, the and only his teachings can
gerous waters, one wonders if mineral resources recently save us now.
this blasphemous act has discovered in Afghanistan are
come as a blessing in disguise? a source of attraction for China
Because the integrity of our and Russia but if any Muslim
beloved Prophet PBUH is dear- country invests in Afghanistan,
est to all Muslims more than it will not only eliminate poverty
their lives. The blasphemous and humanitarian crisis in
words of Sharma took the Afghanistan but would also
Muslim world by storm and clear the air of animosity that
liberal countries like the UAE has risen after Taliban’s take-
also demanded an apology over of Afghanistan.
from the fascist regime of Modi.
Many super stores across the The war-stricken and forsaken
world removed Indian products lands of Muslims like Palestine,
from their shelves, Indian Syria, Yemen, Libya, Iraq, etc
24
NATIONAL
Decoding Pakistan’s perpetual cycle of history
Pakistan’s Post-Budget Economy
Future of CPEC and Pakistan
Exit from the FATF Grey List: What Does it Mean for Pakistan?
25
Decoding Pakistan’s perpetual

cycle of history
Saif Khattak | Published in The Express Tribune
The nature of history has societies undergo the same origin of the country itself.
been a contested topic experiences over and over Like many postcolonial
among philosophers for again due to some inherent states, Pakistan had the
centuries. Western thinkers factors distinct to each civil- odds stacked against it
like Georg Hegel and Karl isation or society itself. upon its inception in August
Marx believe it to be a linear 1947. A lacking infrastructure,
path with a beginning, While the former view has meagre resources, and
middle and an end. Accord- remained dominant in the incoming migrants necessi-
ing to them, society continu- age of neoliberal capitalism, tated an immediate
ously evolves to achieve the recent political turmoil in response from the nascent
what they call the 'End of Islamabad shows that histo- government under Gover-
History' – a point in time with ry does indeed repeat itself, nor-General Muhammad Ali
varying intellectual and ma- at least in the case of Paki- Jinnah.
terial interpretations. In con- stan – a country stuck in its
trast, others, like the Muslim own perpetual cycle of As the head of state, Jinnah
philosopher Ibn-e-Khaldun, history. was granted immense
postulate that history is powers by the cabinet on
repetitive in nature. They The beginning of this cycle account of his enormous
believe that civilisations and can be traced back to the leadership stature, over-
26
becomes harmful to politi-

cal interests. Politics is not
devolved to the grass-root
level – only the elite remain
empowered. Political parties
continue to be provincial,
personalised and dynastic –
their sustainable develop-
ment is overlooked. State
institutions are called on to
aid the elected government
whenever its political stand-
ing becomes precarious,
paving way for their
extra-constitutional inter-
ferences.
These neglected flaws

undermine the democratic
system over time. Demo-
shadowing the remaining stan was orphaned in its crats turn into demagogues
political leadership of the infancy. This untimely loss at as governments start abus-
country. With a democratic the state’s genesis con- ing their power. The opposi-
polity still in the develop- demned Pakistan to enter a tion begins agitation, con-
ment phase, Jinnah gov- cycle that has since repeat- spiracy theories emerge,
erned through the vice-regal ed itself every few decades. political polarisation
system which provided increases, and the law and
greater influence to provin- There are four phases that order situation deteriorates.
cial governors and state mark the completion of this What had once been a
institutions compared to the cycle: promising democra- promising democracy ends
relatively muted role of the cy, political instability, inter- up in a state of political
legislature. vening autocracy, and instability. The military inter-
rebooting crisis. venes and imposes martial
While this system was meant law on the pretext of ensur-
to serve as a temporary The first phase is always the ing stability and maintaining
emergency measure until country’s promising em- law and order. Once the
the formation of a stable brace of a democratic autocratic regime quells the
political apparatus, tragedy system. Political consensus turmoil, its dictator desig-
struck when Jinnah suc- is built around the rules of nates himself as president,
cumbed to tuberculosis in the game, democracy is claiming it to be a tempo-
September 1948 – just 13 pitched as a panacea for rary measure until democ-
months after Pakistan’s the country’s problems, and racy is fully restored. Mo-
independence. Unlike com- widely-supported laws are mentary stability coupled
parable states such as India promulgated to strengthen with incoming foreign aid
and Turkey where figures like democratic tradition. paves way for economic
Jawaharlal Nehru and Mus- growth. The progress em-
tafa Kemal Ataturk respec- Unfortunately, the consen- boldens the dictator to seek
tively oversaw nation-build- sus remains surface-level – legitimacy from the public
ing in the early years, Paki- to be discarded when it through democratic means,
27
ending up as the winner

amid allegations of electoral
fraud.
The cycle comes to an end

with a crisis that creates a
vacuum at the top, subse-
quently filled by a demo-
cratically-elected leader
and beginning the entire
cycle once again.
The first cycle in Pakistan’s and the Pakistan National The removal of a dictator
history started in 1948 with Alliance – a coalition of nine through democratic means
Prime Minister Liaquat Ali political parties. The turmoil created hope that perhaps
Khan taking up the leader- caused by the face-off set- Pakistan had finally exited its
ship role left vacant by tled down when General cycle of history.
Jinnah’s departure and Ziaul Haq imposed martial
ensuring the adoption of the law and returned Pakistan In the previous decade and
Objectives Resolution to set back to another decade of a half, Pakistan has made
the country on the path of autocracy. His regime came great strides to preserve its
democracy. In the period to an end with his own death democracy. The 18th
following Liaquat’s assassi- in an airplane crash in 1988. Amendment revived
nation, the democratic Jinnah’s federalist vision. For
system turned highly vola- The cycle began a third time the first time in Pakistan’s
tile, and the country with the election of Prime history, a democratical-
remained politically unsta- Minister Benazir Bhutto – the ly-elected government
ble. Pakistan had seven first female head of govern- completed its full five-year
different prime ministers ment in the Muslim world. term, peacefully transferring
between 1951 and 1958. Gen- Political instability soon power to its successor. The
eral Ayub Khan’s military followed as Benazir Bhutto emergence of the Pakistan
coup ended this volatility by and Nawaz Sharif alternately Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) as a
introducing an autocratic switched premiership ten- formidable political force
system, only coming to an ures with neither of them upended the political
end with a crisis: the completing their full duopoly that existed under
dismemberment of Pakistan five-year term. The rotation the traditional two-party
in 1971. ended with yet another mili- system.
tary intervention – this time
As democracy resumed with General Pervez While these have been wel-
under Prime Minister Zulfiqar Musharraf imposing the come changes, they remain
Ali Bhutto, a second cycle third martial law in the insufficient for the disruption
began. The promulgation of country’s history. Unlike pre- of Pakistan’s cycle. Politics is
the Constitution of Pakistan vious cycles, General still dominated by elitist
in 1973 raised many hopes Musharraf’s exit was rela- interests. Political parties still
regarding the future of tively peaceful, coming operate around individuals
democracy in the country, through a resignation in and dynasties. State institu-
only to be let down by the 2008 as a result of an tions are still expected to act
intense confrontation impeachment proceeding as arbitrators between polit-
between Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto initiated against him. ical actors. Such deep-seat-
28
ed flaws in Pakistan’s demo- ation of a grand multi-party extractive nature of Paki-

cratic system have ensured alliance, an incomplete gov- stan’s political institutions
that the country keeps ernment tenure, widespread means that progress made
repeating the mistakes of its conspiracy theories, and an by the country will remain
past to this very day. emerging narrative against compromised, to be reset
state institutions. The politi- with each and every cycle.
In the wider context of the cal polarisation resulting
country’s history, the recent from populist rhetoric is also It is high time that Pakistan
political turmoil – leading to not a new phenomenon but addresses the issues that
and resulting from former one that has manifested have set its political system
Prime Minister Imran Khan’s itself in the same phase of up to fail. The cycle must
exit – is not a unique occur- the previous cycles. end. And the first step
rence. It merely represents toward ending the cycle is to
the country’s transition from Pakistan keeps repeating its acknowledge that a cycle
one phase of the cycle to cycle of history as a result of exists.
another. fundamental flaws in the
country’s democratic
As in the past, this phase of system, neglected for
political instability has decades by those who ben-
already witnessed the cre- efit from them. The
29
Pakistan’s Post-Budget
Economy
QAISER RIZWAN ABBASI
Pakistan’s economic crisis Considering the worrisome earning up to Rs100,000 per

reveals deep-rooted structur- challenges confronting month. In an attempt to pro-
al challenges which need to Pakistan’s economy, Finance vide much-needed relief to
be addressed for the econo- Minister of Pakistan, Miftah the agriculturists and farm-
my to achieve sustainable Ismail, unveiled a federal ers to uplift the agriculture
growth. Inconsistent and budget with an outlay of sector, Finance Minister pro-
flawed economic policies on Rs.9.5 trillion. Let’s highlight posed subsidies on wheat
the part of successive gov- some of the major highlight- flour and sugar. On the other
ernments have led to multidi- ers in the budget that was hand, taxes have been
mensional crises: double-dig- designed to provide some increased on cars over
it inflation, growing unem- relief to the general public 1,600cc which will generate
ployment, burgeoning debts, along with scrapping some additional taxes for the gov-
bleeding State-Owned Enter- of the subsidies causing the ernment in this fiscal year.
prises (SOEs), rising budget, loss of billions of rupees for What appears to be a good
and current account deficit. the national exchequer. step for the pensioners is the
But what has turned out to fact that pensioner tax has
become chronic pain points In the budget, salaries of the been reduced to 5 pc from
for the general public is the government employees the 10pc.
rising oil prices and food infla- have increased to 15 pc with
tion. no tax on the personnel The Finance Minister further
30
Budget at Glance
Non-Tax
PSDP
revenues Other Rs. 727bn
Rs. 2tr Rs. 3.22tr
Net Lending
Rs. 81bn
Gross Federal Total
revenue Expenditure
Rs. 9tr Rs. 9.5tr Defence
Rs. 1.52tr
FBR
revenues Debt Servicing
Rs. 7tr Rs. 3.95tr
Transfer to Provinces: Rs. 4.1 tr

Development Expenditure
Provincial Surplus: Rs. 800 Bn
ʷ˘Є˜˖˧ʭ4.9 PC of GDP ʷ˘Є˜˖˧ʭ˅˦ʡʦʡʫ˧˥ Current Expenditure
added that advance with- crisis particularly, electricity increase more taxes and
holding tax will likely be col- load shedding. As far as the reduce expenditure in order
lected on the amount sent Tax-to-GDP ratio is con- to convince the IMF to pro-
by those living abroad under cerned, the federal govern- vide a tranche of loans
the umbrella of remittances. ment has set the target at needed on the part of Paki-
As far as the banking sector 9.2pc as this will help miti- stan. IMF has called for a
is concerned, the budget gate the ever-rising budget wide range of stabilization
has increased the taxes to deficit. For that to be real- measures that are aimed at
42pc. This step is expected to ized, FBR, the federal govern- reducing budget and cur-
increase the tax receipts in ment tax-collecting body, rent account deficit.
the fiscal year 2022-2023. In has been given the target of
what is considered to be a Rs7 trillion. But, this may The federal government has
pro-poor step designed to prove to be a difficult task for revived the petroleum levy
provide additional support the FBR if reforms are not together with withdrawing
to the poor and vulnerable undertaken in this fiscal incentives for construction
segment of the population, year. and more taxes on real
the federal government has estate. This will enable FBR to
decided to provide Rs2,000 On the other hand, targeted collect an additional Rs355
to families having income subsidies in the new fiscal
levels below Rs40,000. year have been given
amounting to Rs699, which
He further added that those may add an additional
households that are using burden on the national
less than 200 units of elec- exchequer. Along with this, 2
tricity will be provided loans pc additional tax has been
in easy installments in an levied on the people earning
attempt to enable them to Rs30 million annually. But,
buy solar panels. This move negotiations with the IMF are
is taken keeping in view of going on that may compel
the power shortages and the federal government to
31
billion in this fiscal year. The government is seeking to

100 160 Finance minister was undertake tough decisions
25 quoted as saying: “Econom- that will surely impact its
ic stability is our foremost political capital. But this is
479 priority…we have to set what is required from the
682
strong foundations of eco- PML-N-led government in
3,060
nomic development that is this critical time.
based on sustainable
1,168 growth”. He further added The minister admitted the
that economic development fact that the government
this year would likely be had no other option but to
1,370 achieved with the help of increase the prices of the
480
export-based growth, fuel and energy prices
boosting of agriculture, owing to the mismanage-
information technology, and ment and governance fail-
Interest Payments
most importantly, industrial ures caused by the PTI-led
Pensions products. government and most
importantly, an increase in
Defence Services IMF compelled the federal international commodity
government to reduce the prices.
Grants
power sector subsidies.
Subsidies Non-tax revenue target is To conclude, it can be said
valued at Rs750 billion that that the budget is aimed at
Running of civil Govt. would come from the petro- increasing the additional
leum development levy taxes while at the same
Prov. for Contigncies
(PDL), marked an increase of time, providing relief to the
Prov. for Pay & Pension 455pc from the collection of general public in the form of
about Rs135 billion. The subsidies and cash alloca-
Prov. for Disaster finance minister categori- tions to help them make
cally mentioned that the ends meet.
32
Future of CPEC
and Pakistan
Bakhtawar Narejo
China Pakistan Economic defeating persistent power and local information, and
Corridor is a venture toward deficiencies and prompted culture, the action of the
monetary regionalization in the redesigning, and devel- higher volume of stream of
the globalized world. It opment of infrastructure. exchange and organiza-
established harmony, China-Pakistan Economic tions, creating, and moving
improvement, and a shared Corridor is a structure of energy to have more ideal
benefit model for every regional networks. CPEC organizations, and improve-
party involved. In the year won't just help China and ment of co-activity by
2016, the connection Pakistan yet will emphati- mutual benefit model will
between Pakistan and China cally affect Iran, Afghani- bring about very much
went through an essential stan, and the Central Asian associated, incorporated
change with the initiation of Republic. The upgrade of area of shared predetermi-
the China-Pakistan Eco- geological linkages has nation, agreement, and
nomic Corridor (CPEC), further developed rail, road, advancement. CPEC proj-
which supported the gener- and air transportation ects have likewise been
ally solid ties between the frameworks with successive, related with a burden on
two nations. Introductory and free trades of develop- both the financial and cur-
ventures under the CPEC ment. Acting on improving rent records, hauling down
flag assisted Pakistan with out through scholar, social the speed of improvement
33
during 2018. Albeit the ongo- by Chinese firms and banks mined to change it into an
ing Pakistani government under the formwork move exchange center point. On
looks for a more noteworthy model, while street projects the two counts, specifically,
accentuation on modern have been helped out the SEZs, execution is proba-
cooperation, we expect the through a mix of reciprocal bly going to be slow.
first system of the CPEC to credits from the Chinese
remain generally in government and financial Slower Development
salvageable shape, with a costs from Pakistan. Despite the longing to
solid spotlight on the actual smooth out the focal point of
framework. The PTI-driven government the CPEC towards more pro-
has demonstrated its aim to found modern improvement
CPEC Projects move the focal point of the on the Pakistani side, the
As per the actual meaning CPEC more towards indus- CPEC portfolio is probably
of the program, which was trialisation and financial turn going to stay slanted
commonly concurred by of events. Specifically, it towards the energy area in
Pakistan and China, the needs to begin actuating 2019-20, with six continuous
CPEC depends on the the nine unique financial power projects assessed to
alleged 1+4 system, which zones (SEZs) that were add a joined 6,910 MW of
focuses on Gwadar port, initially arranged under the power to the public lattice
energy, transport frame- CPEC, with the expectation once finished. Close to
work, and modern coopera- that Chinese enterprises will energy, the transport foun-
tion. Up until this point, prac- move or set up joint dation will keep on contain-
tically the finished and pro- endeavors with neighbor- ing a sizable piece of the
gressing projects as a whole hood parties in these zones. drive, with the biggest ven-
— with combined specula- The Pakistani government is ture being the overhaul of
tion adding up to around likewise quick to speed up the Karachi-Peshawar prin-
US$19bn — have been in the the improvement of Gwadar cipal railroad line ("ML-1"), at
power and transport areas. port, on the Arabian Sea in an expected expense of
The power projects have Balochistan territory, deter- US$8.2bn.
been generally supported
34
Then again, progress in 2016, and the full purchase vote-based and political
advancing industrialisation out of Pakistan's driving trustworthiness, which is
in Pakistan under the CPEC web-based retailer, Daraz, heaven for the United State
through the arranged SEZs is by a Chinese online busi- to mediate in the interior
probably going to be ness monster, Alibaba, in undertakings, which hauled
restricted. Albeit the public May 2018. Pakistan into the soil. Ameri-
authority has guaranteed cans with their predomi-
decreased formality and CPEC Trouble nance of the dollar and the
expense concessions, a A terrible rule of peace and media authority, basically
comprehensively trouble- law circumstance in the folkway cash in the public
some business climate will provinces is one more eye, put a ton of negative
keep on stopping financial impediment to the smooth data about CPEC. Gwadar
backers. Send out arranged working of the project, the port has turned into a key
Chinese firms confronting absence of a framework is transportation terminal. The
rising work costs at home the mountain of the test global power, the United
could consider moving to itself. A mutual consensus of States, can't overlook the
the SEZs in Pakistan, where provinces is required for the pearl of Gwadar port. Col-
wages are a lot lower. Not- construction of corridors, not laboration and advance-
withstanding, the absence being interfered with by ment of Gwadar are direct-
of essential abilities and external factors; such as ed to the Ocean, and Ameri-
supply linkages in the terrorist attacks on con- ca doesn't need to be
nearby market is probably struction sites in the prov- observed by China. In this
going to introduce an issue, ince of Balochistan. Russia way, the United States will
especially for better quality needs the status concerning attempt to make boundar-
assembling sections like as the development of new ies.
gadgets. Different business pipelines in the Caspian
sectors, particularly in locale is concerned. It has Word of Conclusion
Southeast Asia (like Viet- restraining infrastructure For Pakistan, regardless of
nam), are probably going to over the current course from certain hesitations around
stay considerably more seri- Caspian to Europe, and then obligation commitments
ous in drawing in Chinese some. The development of related to the CPEC, China
assembling. new pipelines will challenge stays the biggest wellspring
its restraining infrastructure. of unfamiliar ventures, as
In general, China's predomi- Russia will attempt to halt well as a critical vital part-
nant job in Pakistan's econo- the development of China ner. Sino-Pakistani coopera-
my will keep on developing Pakistan Economic Corridor tion has developed past the
during the estimated time level best. The hallway like- financial circle to incorpo-
frame, regardless of whether wise brought alerts up in rate guards and security. In
the CPEC unfurls at a slower India, the US, and Europe as this specific situation, the
speed from this point it will empower China to sat- Gwadar port — as one of the
forward. The monetary area isfy its essential advantages four prongs of the CPEC —
specifically is probably in the Indian Ocean which could act as a possible
going to get further specu- will be effectively accessible future maritime base for
lation. Key ongoing instanc- after the finishing of pas- China. The CPEC will stay the
es of this incorporate the sage. Since China Pakistan support around which the
40% procurement of the Economic hallway is so two nations are set to
Pakistan Stock Exchange by significant so the United upgrade co-operation
a consortium of three Chi- States won't sit inactively. before very long.
nese bourses in December Pakistan has a low degree of
35
Exit from the FATF Grey List:

What Does it Mean for Pakistan?
Farah Gul Rahuja
Pakistan first entered the list the upcoming FATF session

in 2008 and exited in 2010. which will be held in October What is the Implication of
The country was placed 2022. If Pakistan is taken out being on the grey list?
again on the list from 2012 to of the list, then it would have Pakistan’s economy is
2015. In 2018, it was once a positive outcome for Paki- dependent on international
again placed on the FATF stan. Economically, it will investors. If the country
Grey List after the FATF found attract investors, FDI, and remains on FATF’s grey list, it
many strategic anti-money tourism, and would increase will continue to impact its
laundering (AML)/combat- exports which will be a boost imports, exports, and remit-
ing the financing of terrorism for Pakistan during a serious tances and limit its access
(CFT) deficiencies in the economic crisis. Politically, it to international loans. On
country's system. Pakistan, will increase Pakistan's getting grey listed the coun-
being a responsible state, image on the international try’s rating gets downgrad-
had worked hard tirelessly level, and strengthen its ed by global bodies and
by fulfilling all FATF voice in United Nation and thus this impacts the bond
demands; and maybe finally other Global Institutions. market of the country. The
taken out of the list, if the Thus, exit from the FATF grey economy starts shrinking
onsite visit finds that its list would be a win-win situ- due to a lack of investment
actions are sustainable in ation for Pakistan. opportunities and this takes
36
a toll on the financial needs it would give confidence to used its economic might
of the country. The borrow- international investors and and political propaganda to
ing capacity of the country creditors to invest in Paki- spread fake news about
gets affected due to sever- stan, which as result would Pakistan’s involvement in
ing ties with other bodies like increase the flow of Foreign ‘Terror Financing’ to keep
the UN, IMF, etc. The trade Direct Investment (FDI). Sim- Pakistan on the grey list. On
opportunity with other coun- ilarly, it would increase Paki- the other hand, China, an
tries also suffers a blow and stan’s export, decrease the all-weather friend, and other
other countries look over trade deficit, increase remit- friendly countries have tried
grey-listed countries with a tances, and would boost their best to take out Paki-
lot of speculation. The coun- Pakistan's Foreign reserves stan from the grey list which
try is deemed as a high-risk which are currently very low. as a result have succeeded
country which also affects in removing Pakistan from
the tourism sector. Politically, Second, it will revive Paki- the Grey List. Thus diplomati-
it will weaken Pakistan's stan's image internationally, cally, it will give Pakistan
position on the international which as a result would confidence to safeguard
forum and give a setback to revive Pakistan's tourism and promote its interests in
its national interests. Diplo- industry. Pakistan's Tourism the future.
matically, it will give India industry is badly affected
the upper hand in the inter- due to its weak international Lastly, by fulfilling FATF
national forum to sideline image. Investors and tourists demands Pakistan has
and isolate Pakistan Diplo- are afraid to come to Paki- strengthened its financial
matically. So, to overcome stan to explore and do busi- security by making strict
these hurdles Pakistan must ness here. This as a result rules and mechanisms
come out of the FATF grey has hampered Pakistan's against money laundering,
list. economic progress and has etc. Due to weak financial
increased unemployment mechanisms, it was easy for
If Pakistan is taken out of the and poverty. Pakistan’s get- terrorists and other money
grey list then it would ting out of the grey list will launders to have access to
improve Pakistan's image revive its international financial assets for terrorist
Globally to secure and pro- image and attract Foreign- activities and money laun-
tect its socio-political, eco- ers to visit and invest in the dering, respectively. Now, it’s
nomic, and geo-strategic country. difficult for them to run their
interests. illicit activities and harm
Third, it will revive Pakistan's Pakistan's image on the
First, it will bring economic image internationally and international level. Similarly,
prosperity and enhance takeout Pakistan from diplo- it would also help Pakistan to
economic growth. Pakistan matic isolation. India, strengthen its internal secu-
is facing a serious Economic arch-rival of Pakistan, is rity by destroying the finan-
crisis currently. If Pakistan is trying its best to isolate Paki- cial networks of Terrorists.
taken out of the FATF grey list stan diplomatically. It has
Pakistan’s
FATF
History
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37
MONTHLY
PRESS REVIEW
38
The tricky of globalisation is about

security, not efficiency: it
bilised financial markets.
Many blue-collar workers in
restructuring of prioritises doing business rich countries lost out.
global supply with people you can rely on,
in countries your govern-
Recently, two other worries
have loomed large. First,
chains ment is friendly with. It could some lean supply chains are
descend into protectionism, not as good value as they
Published in The Economist big government and wors- appear: mostly they keep
ening inflation. Alternatively, costs low, but when they
Three years ago The Econo- if firms and politicians show break, the bill can be crip-
mist used the term “slowbal- restraint, it could change the pling. Today’s bottlenecks
isation” to describe the frag- world economy for the have reduced global gdp by
ile state of international better, keeping the benefits at least 1%. Shareholders
trade and commerce. After of openness while improving have been hit as well as
the go-go 1990s and 2000s resilience. consumers: as chip shortag-
the pace of economic inte- es have stalled car produc-
gration stalled in the 2010s, After the Berlin Wall fell in tion, carmakers’ cashflows
as firms grappled with the 1989, the lodestar of globali- have dropped by 80% year
aftershocks of a financial sation was efficiency. Com- on year. Tim Cook, the sup-
crisis, a populist revolt panies located production ply-chain guru who runs
against open borders and where costs were lowest, Apple, reckons such snafus
President Donald Trump’s while investors deployed could reduce sales by up to
trade war. The flow of goods capital where returns were $8bn, or 10%, this quarter.
and capital stagnated. highest. Governments Covid-19 was a shock, but
Many bosses postponed big aspired to treat firms equal- wars, extreme weather or
decisions on investing ly, regardless of their nation- another virus could easily
abroad: just-in-time gave ality, and to strike trade disrupt supply chains in the
way to wait-and-see. No deals with democracies and next decade.
one knew if globalisation autocracies alike. Over two
faced a blip or extinction. decades this gave rise to The second problem is that
dazzlingly sophisticated the single-minded pursuit of
Now the waiting is over, as value chains that account cost advantage has led to a
the pandemic and war in for half of all trade: your car dependency on autocracies
Ukraine have triggered a and phone contain compo- that abuse human rights
once-in-a-generation nents that are better trav- and use trade as a means of
reimagining of global capi- elled than Phileas Fogg. All coercion. Hopes that eco-
talism in boardrooms and this kept prices low for con- nomic integration would
governments. Everywhere sumers and helped lift 1bn lead to reform—what the
you look, supply chains are people out of extreme pov- Germans call “change
being transformed, from the erty as the emerging world, through trade”—have been
$9trn in inventories, stock- including China, industri- dashed: autocracies
piled as insurance against alised. account for a third of world
shortages and inflation, to gdp. Vladimir Putin’s inva-
the fight for workers as But hyper-efficient globali- sion of Ukraine has painfully
global firms shift from China sation also had problems. exposed Europe’s reliance
into Vietnam. This new kind Volatile capital flows desta- on Russian energy. This week
39
McDonald’s in Moscow, Musk’s Tesla by moving The trouble with safe

which opened in 1990, towards vertical integration, spaces
restarted under local con- in which you control every- That is why restraint is cru-
trol. Big Macs are no longer thing from nickel mining to cial. Governments and firms
on the menu. Meanwhile, chip design. Taiwan’s elec- must remember that resil-
President Xi Jinping’s ideo- tronics assemblers have cut ience comes from diversifi-
logical and unpredictable their share of assets in China cation, not concentration at
China has a trade footprint from 50% to 35% since 2017 home. The choke-points
seven times as big as Rus- as clients such as Apple autocracies control amount
sia’s—and the world relies on demand diversification. In to only about a tenth of
it for a variety of goods from energy, the West is seeking global trade, based on their
active pharmaceutical long-term supply deals from exports of goods in which
ingredients to the processed allies rather than relying on they have a leading market
lithium used in batteries. spot markets dominated by share of over 10% and for
rivals—one reason it has which it is hard to find sub-
One indication that compa- been cosying up to gas-rich stitutes. The answer is to
nies are shifting from effi- Qatar. Renewables will also require firms to diversify
ciency to resilience is the make energy markets more their suppliers in these
vast build-up in precaution- regional. areas, and let the market
ary inventories: for the big- adapt. Will today’s govern-
gest 3,000 firms globally The danger is that a reason- ments be up to the task?
these have risen from 6% to able pursuit of security will Myopia and insularity
9% of world gdp since 2016. morph into rampant protec- abound. But if you are a con-
Many firms are adopting tionism, jobs schemes and sumer of global goods and
dual sourcing and lon- hundreds of billions of dol- ideas—that is to say, a citi-
ger-term contracts. The lars of industrial subsidies. zen of the world—you should
pattern of multinational The short-term effect of this hope globalisation’s next
investment has been invert- would be more volatility and phase involves the maxi-
ed: 69% is from local subsid- fragmentation that would
iaries reinvesting locally, push prices yet higher:
rather than parent firms witness President Joe
sending capital across bor- Biden’s consideration of new
ders. This echoes the 1930s, tariffs on solar panels, which
when global firms respond- he paused this month in the
ed to nationalism by making face of shortages. The
subsidiaries abroad more long-run inefficiency from
self-sufficient. indiscriminately replicating
supply chains would be
The industries under most enormous. Were you to
pressure are already rein- duplicate a quarter of all
venting their business multinational activity, the
models, encouraged by extra annual operating and
governments that from financial costs involved
Europe to India are keen on could exceed 2% of world
“strategic autonomy”. The gdp.
car industry is copying Elon Click Here
40
mum possible degree of secution that they have including areas where the
openness. A new balance faced in Myanmar, including Rohingya would elect to
between efficiency and systematic atrocities perpe- return. In the wake of a dev-
security is a reasonable trated in 2017 by the Myan- astating conflict between
goal. Living in a subsidised mar military, also known as the AA and the military that
bunker is not. the Tatmadaw, with the began in 2018, the state is
intention of forcibly deport- being held together by a
Why Is ing them to Bangladesh.
Since then, both the National
fragile ceasefire that has
been in place since Novem-
Bangladesh League for Democracy-led ber 2020. This could collapse
government and, in the at any moment with devas-
Encouraging wake of a February 2021 tating consequences for the
Rohingya coup, the military-led State civilians, including Rohingya,
Administrative Council caught in the crossfire. In
Refugees to (SAC), have consistently anticipation of a resumption
Start a ‘Going failed to create conditions of violence, the Tatmadaw
conducive to safe and have been approaching
Home’ voluntary repatriations, pre- Rohingya to join the Tat-
Campaign? venting any returns to date. madaw to fight against the
AA in exchange for some
Published in The Diplomat The SAC pays lip service to type of citizenship card.
repatriation, but as the very
In August, Rohingya will perpetrator of atrocities Despite their deep passion
mark five years since the against Rohingya for to return home, the Rohing-
clearance operations that decades, it cannot provide ya in Bangladesh have
caused their mass displace- Rohingya with safety, rights, nothing but bad options:
ment from Myanmar to the or a return to home villages, return to SAC-run resettle-
camps in Cox’s Bazar. As the hundreds of which it ment camps with no rights
government of Bangladesh torched. Instead, it offers and risk getting caught in
grows increasingly frustrat- return to “resettlement the middle of a war between
ed with a lack of progress camps” ringed by barbed the SAC and the AA or
toward their repatriation to wire and guarded by its remain in the violence-rid-
Myanmar’s Rakhine State, soldiers. As such, no formal den, virtual concentration
worrying developments in repatriation process seems camps that Bangladesh has
the camps suggest it is possible in the foreseeable built around them in Cox’s
leading efforts to coerce future, much to the dismay Bazar.
refugees into going back to of the Rohingya population
avoid violating the principle languishing in the camps in Efforts by Rohingya to
of nonrefoulment. Bangladesh. express themselves on the
topic of return have histori-
Camp-based Rohingya Complicating the situation cally been met with brutal
make no secret of the fact has been the increasing role crackdowns from the gov-
that the community does of the Arakan Army (AA), ernment of Bangladesh. In
not see their home as being which is thought to now 2019, Rohingya leader and
in Bangladesh. This is control between 50 and 75 chairman of the Arakan
despite the decades of per- percent of Rakhine State, Rohingya Society for Peace
41
and Human Rights (ARSPH), ing camp-based markets. rallies are coming from the
Mohibullah, led an event to The deterioration reached a refugees themselves.
commemorate two years crescendo in September Another may be the desire to
since the 2017 clearance 2021 when Mohibullah was obfuscate permissions in the
operations in Myanmar and assassinated following event that the campaign is
to demand conditions be years of death threats that poorly received by wider
made conducive for their the authorities and the U.N. audiences.
return home. The event in refugee agency did nothing
Kutupalong camp was about. The broader question this
attended by hundreds of situation raises, however, is
thousands of people in the It is in this context that the why, after years of concert-
camp in Cox’s Bazar and recent activities of Bangla- ed efforts to oppress and
was focused on going home desh’s National Security terrorize the Rohingya living
to Myanmar and grieving Intelligence (NSI) have in the camps, are Bangla-
those lost in the violence. caused such alarm in Cox’s deshi officials suddenly
Bazar. Multiple sources with pushing the population to
While the event was direct knowledge have con- organize “Going Home”
approved in writing at the firmed that the NSI has been demonstrations?
camp-level by the holding meetings across the
camp-in-charge and the camp encouraging the As Mohibullah showed, the
refugee repatriation relief Rohingya population to start Rohingya population living in
commissioner, media cov- organizing “Going Home” Cox’s Bazar is more than
erage of the event stirred rallies. On June 8, a capable and willing to orga-
outrage in Bangladesh. WhatsApp voice message nize its own Going Home
Authorities in Dhaka circulated around the camp campaign. The reason they
distanced themselves from stating: do not is the environment of
the event, claiming no prior fear that the Bangladeshi
knowledge and removing The same sources say the authorities have created in
the individuals that NSI is going so far as to pro- the camp, whereby any
approved the event for vide funds for rally para- agency on the part of the
being too sympathetic to phernalia, designs for mate- refugees will be met with
the refugees. Importantly, rials, suggested messaging severe consequences and
the Bangladeshi authorities for the “campaign,” and those who do raise their
used the 2019 rally as the reassurances to Rohingya voice will receive no protec-
pretext to impose extreme that they can conduct such tion. Furthermore, Bangla-
measures against the activities in safety. NSI was desh has allowed armed
Rohingya population, asked directly about the groups that oppose repatri-
including increasing restric- plans to support the ation, such as the Arakan
tions on movement and the demonstrations and denied Rohingya Salvation Army
erection of barbed wire any knowledge of these (ARSA), to operate freely in
fencing around the camps, events, indicating explicitly the camps. ARSA threatens,
shutting off internet access, that they would not support kidnaps, and murders those
clamping down on civil soci- any such gathering. One they see as their enemies
ety groups and communi- possible reason for this and has been accused,
ty-led schools, closing the denial is for the NSI to give including by the Bangla-
office of ARSPH, and destroy- the impression that the deshi police, of orchestrat-
42
ing the murder of Mohibul- event, could agitate them appears that Bangladesh is
lah. even more. Dhaka is likely to instead looking to partners
gauge its response based such as China and India to
In light of his recent murder, on the refugee population’s assist with repatriation
and the current Going Home reaction, and a negative efforts arranged with the
campaign, it is worth noting reaction may prompt a SAC under less than volun-
that Mohibullah, as a severe response. tary circumstances. India
Rohingya leader and human has demonstrated as
rights activist, advocated for What a more severe recently as this year that it is
repatriation on the condition response might look like is willing to refoul Rohingya
of citizenship and basic unclear. The Rohingya in the refugees to Myanmar, while
guarantees of rights for the camps are already caged in Bangladesh has been relo-
Rohingya in Myanmar. His by barbed wire fences, not cating refugees to Bhasan
murder has left a gaping permitted to move freely, Char involuntarily. In addi-
hole in community leader- denied access to education, tion to this, considering the
ship and, at best, NSI’s strat- live in a constant state of situation in Rakhine State,
egy so soon after his murder fear from armed groups and not involving the AA in repa-
is opportunistic and could gangs, and are being forci- triation conversations
also be indicative of a wider bly transferred to the island appears nearsighted and
strategy to remove opposi- of Bhasan Char. How much unlikely to give way to volun-
tion to a speedy repatriation. further could Bangladesh tary repatriations, consider-
go? Furthermore, any rushed ing that the group controls
With the Rohingya crisis an repatriation efforts in the the areas Rohingya are most
important domestic issue camp risks stoking intra-Ro- likely to want to return to.
and 2023 an election year in hingya violence between
Bangladesh, the repatriation groups such as ARSA that World Refugee Day is on
push may be an effort on the oppose repatriation and June 20, and the NSI has
part of Bangladesh govern- those that are seeking even- instructed the Rohingya to
ment to demonstrate to its tually to return. commence their “cam-
domestic audience that the Enjoying this article? Click paign” activities by then. The
Rohingya still wish to return here to subscribe for full situation that is unfolding is
home, and that this return is access. Just $5 a month. of grave concern. While it
still being blocked by condi- may be a case of simple
tions in Myanmar. However, While the Bangladeshi gov- posturing for domestic audi-
this is a risky approach to ernment has stood by the ences, those that have
take. As Mohibullah’s 2019 notion that any repatriations watched the situation in
event demonstrated, will be voluntary, sources Cox’s Bazar continue to
despite camp-level approv- indicate that the govern- deteriorate since 2019 are
al, domestic audiences are ment is frustrated with the concerned that the govern-
easily alarmed by acts of standards for repatriation ment of Bangladesh,
agency by the refugee pop- expected by the Rohingya through the NSI, is encour-
ulation, interpreting them as community, and is of the aging the camp-based
hostile acts. Going Home view that these standards Rohingya to engage in
demonstrations may are being promoted by “Going Home” demonstra-
appease the population’s western actors and U.N. tions and activities, in order
concerns, or as with the 2019 agencies. As such, it to spark a backlash against
43
the Rohingya to justify the chon, emerged as the most transform the votes they
commencement of involun- prominent opposition group receive in the first round into
tary repatriations. in the National Assembly. parliamentary seats.
Make no mistake: the But the result that surprised Indeed, over the years the
camp-based Rohingya see political commentators and two-round system has been
Myanmar as their home and politicians the most was the a huge handicap for the RN
express that view passion- record haul of 89 seats for as the majority of its candi-
ately and openly, when it is the far-right National Rally dates who survived the first
safe to do so. Had previous (RN). This is a huge gain on round have been eliminated
efforts to raise their voices the eight seats it had after as a result of tactical voting
not been so brutally shut the 2017 legislative elections by supporters of main-
down, and had leaders and more than double the stream parties in the
advocating for safe and 20-40 seats it was projected second. In 2017, for example,
voluntary repatriation, such to win in its “best-case sce- the then FN had 120 candi-
as Mohibullah, been given nario” following the first dates who qualified to com-
the protection they needed, round of voting. pete in the second round but
the population would not less than 10 percent of those
need to be prompted to While political pundits were went on to win a seat in par-
demonstrate their desire to justifiably stunned by the liament.
go home. Why this is hap- result, and French media
pening now is unclear, but organisations were unani- Despite securing 41.5 per-
the circumstances that are mous in describing it as une cent of the vote in the
unfolding are cause for seri- percée historique (a historic second round of the presi-
ous concern for the safety of breakthrough), there are dential election, Marine Le
the Rohingya living in Cox’s reasons to see the RN’s score Pen set the bar low for this
Bazar. as more of an alignment legislative election. She
than a real breakthrough. barely campaigned except
French election: In the decade since Marine
in those areas in the north of
France that seemed most
A ‘break- Le Pen took over the leader- winnable and where the RN
ship of what was formerly already had most of their
through’ for the known as the National Front sitting MPs. In 369 constitu-
far right? (FN) from her father, there encies, they did not even put
has been growing support up a candidate. The main
Published in Al Jazeera for the party. Just two goal was simply to get 15 RN
months ago, Le Pen received members elected. This
The second round of more than 13 million votes in would allow the party to
France’s legislative elections the presidential elections. form an official group in the
delivered some surprising And the seemingly poor lower house of parliament.
results. President Emmanuel results RN obtained in past
Macron’s centrist Ensemble! parliamentary elections Yet the scores on the ground
coalition lost its majority, were largely due to France’s suggested that a surge was
while the broad left-wing two-round electoral system, coming. An unprecedented
alliance, NUPES, united which makes it difficult for number of RN candidates
behind Jean-Luc Mélen- non-mainstream parties to qualified for the sec-
44
ond-round – 209 in total. Of Neither Ensemble! nor NUPES A new parliamentary group-
these, 108 were pitted were willing to call for such ing and real power in the
against Ensemble! candi- action in this year’s vote, assembly.
dates and 62 against NUPES with several candidates The RN’s gains have real
candidates. Crucially, how- from Macron’s party arguing consequences for the party
ever, the RN managed to win that RN and NUPES were two and the French political
many more of these runoff sides of the same “extrem- system. For a start, the RN
races than in previous years, ist” coin. With little direction will now have official status
and its success rate against from above and little incli- as a parliamentary group in
its two main opponents was nation to follow orders, the National Assembly,
roughly the same – 57 per- voters largely abstained which will provide its MPs
cent against Ensemble! and rather than vote for a candi- with important privileges
56 percent against NUPES. date from a different party. and a huge increase in
financial support. Signifi-
Some would argue that 89 The lack of tactical voting cantly, the RN can actually
out of 577 seats, while histor- really mattered this year claim to be the single largest
ic, is still not an accurate because turnout was low opposition party in parlia-
representation of the RN’s (46.2 percent) and many of ment since NUPES – which
support. If France had a truly the two-way runoff contests gained 142 seats – is an
proportional system, the RN were extremely tight. The RN alliance of separate parties.
would easily get more than enjoyed some razor-thin
100 seats and perhaps as victories in parts of the Dor- The RN’s newfound parlia-
many as 200. But this does dogne, Allier and Eure – and mentary power will ensure
not take away from the fact this election in general saw that it is able to participate
that this weekend’s results more runoffs decided by in important parliamentary
mark a seismic shift in the margins of a few percent- commissions and initiate
RN’s institutional presence. age points than the 2017 leg- debates on its chosen
islative elections. themes. It will also be able to
The decline of barrage poli- propose new laws and con-
tics The ability of RN candidates tribute to blocking legisla-
How did this happen? The to come first in many runoff tion proposed by Ensemble!
one thing that was different contests demonstrated how which, with 245 seats, has
in this parliamentary elec- the party has branched out fallen well short of a majori-
tion was the absence of a from its traditional bastions ty.
pact between mainstream in the southeast and the
parties to keep the far right former industrial heartlands Beyond the working life of
out. In the past, they always of the far north and east in the parliament, having such
formed what is known as a recent years. These areas of a high number of members
front républicain (republican traditional strength have will provide the far-right
front) against the RN – either been extended so that, for party with more visibility and
by stepping aside to let example, the whole of the contribute to its “main-
another party’s candidate Mediterranean coastline streaming” and “normalisa-
win when necessary or by from Nice to Perpignan is tion”, as well as providing a
asking their supporters to now dominated by MPs from unique opportunity for party
vote strategically. Marine Le Pen’s party. members to gain valuable
political experience.
45
France now finds itself French people themselves. being covid-free, with fresh
facing an unprecedented outbreaks in Beijing and
period of political instability.
The constitutional settle-
How Xi Jinping is Tianjin. More than 200m
people have been living
ment of the Fifth Republic damaging under restrictions and the
was designed specifically to economy is reeling. Retail
suppress the political China’s sales in April were 11% lower
extremes, but this election economy than a year earlier and pur-
has demonstrated the limits chases of kfc, cars and Cart-
of this institutional strait- Published in The Economist ier are weak. Although some
jacket. Although the RN will workers are living on factory
not be able to dictate parlia- Over the past 20 years China floors, industrial output and
mentary business, it will has been the biggest and export volumes have
exploit its nuisance power most reliable source of dipped. For the full year
and new visibility to under- growth in the world econo- China may struggle to grow
mine Macron’s presidency. my. It contributed a quarter much faster than America
of the rise in global gdp over for the first time since 1990, in
There is, of course, the risk that period and expanded in the aftermath of the massa-
that the party will struggle to 79 of 80 quarters. For most of cre near Tiananmen Square.
maintain its unity given that the period since China For Mr Xi the timing is awful:
many of its new deputies are opened up after Mao’s after the 20th party con-
complete novices. It is also death, the Communist Party gress later this year, he
possible that, when voters has taken a practical intends to be confirmed for a
see RN members of parlia- approach to making the third term as president,
ment in action, many of country richer, mixing breaking the recent norm
them will choose to return to market reforms with state that leaders bow out after
more credible, mainstream control. Now, however, Chi- two.
alternatives in subsequent na’s economy is in danger.
elections. The immediate issue is its It is, however, Mr Xi who
zero-covid campaign, which bears much responsibility
Nevertheless, the RN’s signif- has caused a slump and for the twin blows to the
icant gains in this election may condemn the economy economy. The first is his
will have an undeniable to a stop-start pattern. That zero-covid policy, which has
effect on the French political is compounding a bigger been enforced for 28
scene, potentially forcing a problem: President Xi months. The party fears that
dissolution of parliament Jinping’s ideological strug- opening up would lead to an
and new elections ahead of gle to remake state capital- exit wave that could kill mil-
schedule. At the same time, ism. If it stays on this path lions. That may be true, but it
its success puts parliament China will grow more slowly has wasted precious time:
once again centre-stage. and be less predictable, with 100m people over 60 are not
For Macron, who has largely big consequences for it and triple-jabbed. It refuses to
treated parliamentary poli- the world. import more effective West-
tics as a rubber-stamping ern mrna vaccines. Instead
exercise, the challenge will After nearly two months the the plan may be to push
be to contend with a parlia- lockdown of Shanghai is zero-covid into next year.
ment as divided as the easing, but China is far from China has backed out of
46
hosting the Asian Cup, a The government hopes a You can see that in the
football contest, in June vast stimulus programme financial markets, which
2023. There is talk of perma- that is in the works will help it have seen large outflows.
nent testing stations and a meet the official growth The cost of capital has risen:
standing army to swab nos- target of 5.5% for 2022 and Chinese shares trade at a
trils for ever. Since Omicron calm nerves ahead of the 45% discount to American
is highly transmissible, more congress. On May 19th Li ones, a near-record gap.
outbreaks and lockdowns Keqiang, the prime minister, The calculations of investors
are inevitable. But since the urged officials to “act deci- and entrepreneurs are
zero-covid policy is identi- sively” to restore growth, and changing. Some fear that
fied with Mr Xi, any criticism the central bank cut mort- the financial upside for any
of it is viewed as sabotage. gage rates. The party has business will be capped by a
tried to reassure terrified party that is suspicious of
That same ideological zeal is tech tycoons. A likely next private wealth and power.
behind the second shock, a step is a big bond-financed Venture capitalists say they
series of economic initiatives government infrastructure have switched to betting on
that form what Mr Xi calls his programme. the biggest subsidies, not
“new development con- the best ideas. For the first
cept”, which is meant to But more piles of debt and time in 40 years no major
address “great changes acres of concrete won’t sector of the economy is
unseen in a century”, such obviate the need for draco- undergoing liberalising
as the Sino-American split. nian lockdowns or reduce reforms. Without them,
The goals are rational: to the risks from Mr Xi’s eco- growth will suffer.
tackle inequality, monopo- nomic model. It involves
lies and debt, and to ensure expanding the scope of the Mr Xi’s ideological economy
that China dominates new least productive part of the has big implications for the
technologies and is fortified economy: the govern-
against Western sanctions. ment-run one. China’s
Yet in all cases Mr Xi believes industrial policy has had
the party must take the lead, formidable successes, for
and implementation has example building a domi-
been punitive and erratic. A nant global position in
blizzard of fines, new regula- advanced batteries. Mr Xi
tions and purges has hopes that technology and
caused the dynamic tech a new cohort of state invest-
industry, which contributes ment funds will make deci-
8% of gdp, to stagnate. And sion-making more agile. But
a savage but incomplete don’t forget all the dismal
crackdown on the property failures, from rust-belt
sector, responsible for over a industries to microchips.
fifth of gdp, has led to a
funding crunch—one reason Meanwhile the incentives in
why housing sales fell by the most productive part of
47% in April compared with a the economy, the private
year earlier. sector, have been damaged.
Click Here
47
world. Though stimulus that may see him secure this reception followed by
could gin up demand, more power until at least 2027, the one-on-one and delega-
lockdowns are likely, imperil- shortcomings of one-man tion-level meetings. They
ling a global economy flirt- rule in the world’s sec- discussed ways to take their
ing with recession. In busi- ond-largest economy are bilateral relations to a much
ness, China’s size and glaring. higher level.
sophistication make it
impossible for multination-
als to ignore. But more will
Saudi Arabia As a researcher following
Turkish-Saudi relations
rebalance supply chains and Turkey’s closely, I often describe the
away from China, as Apple is complex ties between two of
reportedly doing. Chinese road map to the heavyweights in the
champions may dominate deeper relations region with the metaphor of
some industries of the 2030s, a roller coaster. Relations
but the West is likely to Published in Arab News between Ankara and Riyadh
become a warier importer of have seen numerous ups
Chinese products. In diplo- The long-awaited visit of and downs, particularly over
macy, a less ambitious and Crown Prince Mohammed the past two decades. In
independent private sector bin Salman to Turkey on regards to the nature of their
means China’s presence Wednesday was part of his relationship, I use the term
abroad will be more first tour outside of the Gulf “occasional partners.”
state-led and political. It since the outbreak of the
may become more malign, COVID-19 pandemic. He also A close examination of Sau-
but also less effective, as our had stops in Egypt and di-Turkish relations shows
special report on China and Jordan — two countries that that a combination of
Africa explains. are set to participate in the regional and international
Jeddah summit next month. factors push the two coun-
The perils of one-man rule tries toward cooperation
And what of life inside a The crown prince’s visit to when it comes to develop-
more insular China? While Turkey reciprocates Presi- ments regarding the bal-
people vent online about dent Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s ance of power in the region.
lockdowns and lost jobs, this fence-mending trip to Saudi We saw this in the early
is unlikely to translate into Arabia in April, which was 2000s, when the develop-
unrest thanks to surveil- the first high-level visit in ments were mostly about
lance, propaganda and years and followed intense power distribution, and both
broad support for the party’s efforts to repair their tense Turkey and Saudi Arabia
goals. Some technocrats relations. In Erdogan’s words, approached each other
disagree with the country’s the visit was “a manifesta- positively, keeping aside
leftward shift but lack the tion of a common will to start their domestic consider-
power and courage required a new era of cooperation ations. They were able to
to object to it. And to the between two brotherly manage their differences
extent it can be discerned countries.” through different tools of
from the black box of elite dialogue. However, when the
politics, there is no rival to Mr Erdogan officially welcomed driver of regional develop-
Xi, who is 68. Yet in the the crown prince at the ments was mostly ideologi-
run-up to a party congress presidential complex, with cal or personal in nature, we
48
saw domestic factors ment process and would will aim to mend ties with the
restrain their relationship. bring long-term benefits for Kingdom amid the oil crisis
The case of the post-2010 both sides. I hope Wednes- due to the Russo-Ukrainian
developments in the Middle day’s meetings will pave the war. The policies of the US
East was the best example in way for such a long-term, occupy a unique position in
this regard. institutional relationship Turkish-Saudi relations. Both
between two important Turkey and Saudi Arabia no
In geopolitical terms, the countries in the region. longer trust their Western
limitations preventing a allies, which have failed to
solid strategic and institu- Erdogan’s statement that protect their partners in
tionalized relationship affirmed Turkey’s backing of Afghanistan and Ukraine.
between Turkey and Saudi Saudi Arabia’s bid to host
Arabia visibly emerged in the 2030 World Expo in The countries of the Middle
the last decade. However, Riyadh was important in this East are facing serious
now that most of the issues regard, indicating that the energy and food crises,
that led to tensions between two countries seem to be along with their internal eco-
Ankara and Riyadh have extending their partnership nomic problems due to both
partially vanished as the two beyond the economic the post-COVID-19 situation
countries move toward a sphere and into the cultural and the war in Ukraine.
new era in their bilateral ties, and social spheres. These crises have made the
there is a need to move other contentious issues
beyond the personalized Although the economic fac- between the region’s coun-
nature of their relationship tors in this rapprochement tries insignificant. We are in
and institutionalize it for are given much attention, a period now where domes-
long-term mutual benefits. geopolitical and regional tic considerations are given
For this, the two countries security conditions are more more weight than foreign
need to come up with a likely to be driving forces. policy issues.
cooperative road map that These two countries’ interest
can help them address their in the security and stability Over the past year, Ankara
differences in foreign policy. of the region in general and has embarked on a diplo-
A solid and institutionalized the Gulf in particular is a matic push to reset relations
road map would be more common ground that can with regional powers such
likely to stand firm against be developed on a win-win as Israel, Egypt and the UAE,
future challenges in their basis. If Turkey and Saudi giving way to a period of
relations. Arabia succeed in develop- greater pragmatism in
ing realistic understandings Middle Eastern relations.
Economic tools, cooperation and expectations of each Thus, the improving ties
in the realm of security and, other, this will pave the way between Ankara and Riyadh
most importantly, public for the mutual trust needed are likely to focus on main-
diplomacy could be key for further cooperation. taining mutual interests. The
components in consolidat- two countries have comple-
ing Saudi-Turkish relations. Meanwhile, the crown mentary economies, as one
Cooperation in the social, prince’s regional tour came specializes in the energy
cultural and media dimen- ahead of US President Joe sector while the other focus-
sions are also crucial to Biden’s visit to Saudi Arabia es on the defense industry
enhancing the rapproche- next month, during which he and food production.
49
India is businesses is only a new –

and highly effective –
Bulldozing Muslim homes
and businesses for purely
becoming a weapon added to this list. punitive reasons without
Hindu-fascist In the ways in which this
notice, without a chance of
an appeal or a hearing
enterprise phenomenon is being achieves several things all at
reported and written about, once.
Published in Al Jazeera the bulldozer has been
invested with a sort of divine, Before the bulldozer era,
Over the last few months, avenging power. This men- punishment for Muslims was
authorities in Indian states acing machine with its huge meted out by vigilante mobs
governed by Prime Minister metal claw that is used to and the police – which either
Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya “crush the enemy”, is being participated in the punish-
Janata Party (BJP) have portrayed as a mechanical, ment or chose to look away.
started bulldozing the comic-strip version of a The bulldozing of properties,
homes, shops, and places of mythical God slaying however, involves not just
business that belong to demons. It has become the the police, but the municipal
Muslims merely suspected talisman of the new, aveng- authorities, the media – who
of participating in anti-gov- ing, Hindu nation. Britain’s must be present to amplify
ernment protests. The Chief Prime Minister Boris Johnson and broadcast the specta-
Ministers of these states posed next to one during his cle of demon-slaying – and
have proudly flaunted this recent visit to India – it is the courts who must look
policy in their election cam- hard to believe that he did away and not intervene. It is
paigns. not know exactly what he meant to tell Muslims, “You
was doing and who he was are on your own. No help will
To my mind, this marks the endorsing. Why else would a come. You have no court of
moment when a deeply head of state do something appeal. Every institution that
flawed, fragile democracy as bizarre as posing with a used to be part of the checks
has transitioned – openly bulldozer during a state and balances of this old
and brazenly – into a crimi- visit? democracy is now a weapon
nal, Hindu-fascist enterprise that can be used against
with tremendous popular For their part, government you.”
support. We now appear to authorities insist they are not
be ruled by gangsters fitted targeting Muslims and are The properties of anti-gov-
out as Hindu godmen. In merely demolishing illegally ernment protesters from
their book, Muslims are constructed properties. A other communities are
public enemy number one. sort of municipal clean-up almost never targeted in this
mission. That reasoning, of way.
In the past, Muslims have course, is not even meant to
been punished with be convincing. It is meant as On June 16, for example, tens
pogroms, lynchings, target- mockery, and to instil terror. of thousands of young men
ed murders, custodial The authorities and most furious with the BJP govern-
killings, fake police “encoun- Indians know that most of ment’s new army recruit-
ters” and imprisonment the construction in every ment policy went on a
under false pretexts. Bull- Indian town and city is either violent rampage across
dozing their homes and illegal or quasi-legal. North India. They burned
50
trains and vehicles, blocked because then almost all nection to the history or the
roads, and in one town they commentary about Hindu cultural complexity of their
even burned the BJP office. Nationalism could also be country. The regime – with
But most of them are not criminalised under that law. the help of a media made
Muslim. So their homes and It would effectively silence all up of about 400 TV channels,
families will remain safe. criticism and stunt all intelli- countless websites and
gent commentary about the newspapers – keeps up a
In the two general elections political and ideological pit continuous drumbeat of
of 2014 and 2019, the BJP has into which India is falling. bigotry and hatred, fuelled
shown convincingly that it Other individual protestors, by hate-spewing stock
does not need the vote of one from an important polit- characters on either side of
India’s 200 million-strong ical party, All India Maj- the Hindu-Muslim divide.
Muslim population to win a lis-E-Ittehadul Muslimeen
majority in Parliament in the (AIMIM) called for hanging Within the cadre of the Hindu
national elections. So, in and others called for right there is a new, aggres-
effect, we are looking at a beheading – all of which sive far-right displaying a
sort of disenfranchisement. serve to confirm every ste- palpable restlessness the
That will have dangerous reotype about Muslims that Modi government is increas-
corollaries. Because once the Hindu right works so ingly hard-pressed to con-
you are disenfranchised, you hard to perpetuate. Across trol, because they are the
don’t matter. You become the high walls of insults and BJP’s core support base. On
inconsequential. You can be death threats from either social media, it is now rou-
used and abused. This is side, no conversation tine to encounter open calls
what we are witnessing now. appears possible.
Even after high-ranking BJP The polarisation that

officials publicly insulted followed the protests has
everything Muslims hold only increased support for
most sacred, the party did the BJP. The BJP spokes-
not lose the backing of, or woman who delivered the
receive meaningful criticism insult has been suspended
from, its core support base. from the party, but has been
openly embraced by its
There have been significant cadres. Her political future
protests by Muslims in appears bright.
response to these insults.
The protests were under- Today in India, we are living
standable, because the inci- through the political equiva-
dent came on the back of so lent of a scorched-earth
much violence and brutal- policy. Everything – every
isation. Except that as inevi- institution that has taken
tably happens, some years to build – is being
among the protestors called destroyed. It is stupefying. A
for a blasphemy law, which new generation of young
the BJP would probably be people will grow up entirely
more than happy to pass, brainwashed, with no con- Click Here
51
for the genocide of Muslims. Modi. Now a heatwave is ment. Its fragmented mar-
We have reached the point baking the north of the kets and informal firms
of no return. What those of country and the global oil- create few good jobs.
us who stand against this, and food-price shock is bat-
and especially the Muslim tering the poor. As the country emerges
community in India, needs to from the pandemic, howev-
think about is, how can we Yet as our Briefing explains, if er, a new pattern of growth is
survive this? How can we you take a step back, a novel visible. It is unlike anything
resist it? These are hard confluence of forces stands you have seen before. An
questions to answer, to transform India’s econo- indigenous tech effort is key.
because today in India even my over the next decade, As the cost of technology
resistance itself, however improving the lives of 1.4bn has dropped, India has
peaceful, is considered a people and changing the rolled out a national “tech
heinous crime almost akin to balance of power in Asia. stack”: a set of state-spon-
an act of terrorism. Technological leaps, the sored digital services that
energy transition and geo- link ordinary Indians with an
The Indian political shifts are creating
new opportunities—and new
electronic identity, pay-
ments and tax systems, and
economy is tools to fix intractable prob- bank accounts. The rapid
lems. The biggest threat to adoption of these platforms
being rewired. all this is India’s incendiary is forcing a vast, inefficient,
The opportunity politics. informal cash economy into
the 21st century. It has turbo-
is immense Since India opened up in
1991, its economy has
Published in The Economist prompted both euphoria
and despair. One minute it is
Over the past three years the next China: a rising
India has endured more superpower bursting with
than its share of bad news enterprising geniuses. The
and suffering. The pandemic next it is a demographic
has killed between 2.2m and time-bomb unable to gen-
9.7m people. Lockdowns erate hope for its young
caused the economy to people; or a Wild West where
shrink temporarily by a Vodafone and other naive
quarter and triggered the multinationals are fleeced.
largest internal migrations Over the past decade India
since partition in 1947, as city has outgrown most other
workers fled to their villages. big countries, yet this has
Religious tensions have been overshadowed by a
been simmering, stoked by sense of disappointment. It
the anti-Muslim chauvinism has not engineered the
of the Bharatiya Janata manufacturing surge that
Party (bjp), in power since enriched East Asia nor built
2014 under the strongman enough big companies to
prime minister, Narendra marshal capital for develop- Click Here
52
charged the world’s clogged courts. But they do next decade this dominance
third-largest startup scene help explain why India is hardens into autocracy. One
after America’s and China’s. forecast to be the world’s risk is the bjp’s abhorrent
fastest-growing big econo- hostility towards Muslims,
Alongside that, global trends my in 2022 and why it has a which it uses to rally its polit-
are creating bigger business chance of holding on to that ical base. Companies tend
clusters. The it-services title for years. Growth gener- to shrug this off, judging that
industry has doubled in size ates more wealth to invest in Mr Modi can keep tensions
in a decade, helped by the the country’s human capital, under control and that capi-
cloud and a worldwide particularly hospitals and tal flight will be limited. Yet
shortage of software work- schools. violence and deteriorating
ers. Where else can Western human rights could lead to
firms find half a million new Who deserves the credit? stigma that impairs India’s
engineers a year? There is a Chance has played a big access to Western markets.
renewable-energy invest- role: India did not create the The bjp’s desire for religious
ment spree: India ranks third Sino-American split or the and linguistic conformity in a
for solar installations and is cloud, but benefits from huge, diverse country could
pioneering green hydrogen. both. So has the steady be destabilising. Were the
As firms everywhere recon- accumulation of piecemeal party to impose Hindi as the
figure supply chains to reform over many govern- national language, seces-
lessen their reliance on ments. The digital-identity sionist pressures would grow
China, India’s attractions as scheme and new national in some wealthy states that
a manufacturing location tax system were dreamed pay much of the taxes.
have risen, helped by a up a decade or more ago.
$26bn subsidy scheme. The quality of deci-
Western governments are Mr Modi’s government has sion-making could also
keen to forge defence and also got a lot right. It has deteriorate. Prickly and
technology links. India has backed the tech stack and vindictive, the government
also found a workaround to direct welfare, and perse- has co-opted the bureau-
redistribute more to ordinary vered with the painful task of cracy to bully the press and
folk who vote but rarely see shrinking the informal econ- the courts. A botched deci-
immediate gains from eco- omy. It has found pragmatic sion to abolish bank notes in
nomic reforms: a direct, fixes. Central-government 2016 showed Mr Modi’s
real-time, digital welfare purchases of solar power impulsive side. A strongman
system that in 36 months have kick-started renew- lacking checks and balanc-
has paid $200bn to about ables. Financial reforms es can eventually endanger
950m people. have made it easier to float not just demo cracy, but also
young firms and bankrupt the economy: think of Presi-
These changes will not lead bad ones. Mr Modi’s elector- dent Recep Tayyip Erdogan
to a manufacturing boom as al prowess provides eco- in Turkey, whose bizarre
big as those in South Korea nomic continuity. Even the views on inflation have
or China, which created opposition expects him to be caused a currency crisis.
enough jobs to empty the in power well after the elec- And, given the bjp’s ambiva-
fields of farmers. They do not tion in 2024. lence towards foreign capi-
solve deep problems such tal, the campaign for
as extreme weather or The danger is that over the national renewal risks
53
regressing into protection- IMF-mandated measures light of this bleak and dire
ism. The party loves blank when those measures were political scenario, could
cheques from Silicon Valley assented to and then Imran Khan make a come-
but is wary of foreign firms reneged on by the previous back? The short answer is:
competing in India. Today’s government? no, he cannot.
targeted subsidies could
degenerate into autarky and Answers, of course, aren’t Regardless of how popular
cronyism—the tendencies straightforward. Had the or unpopular he may be
that have long held India no-confidence vote not (depending on who one
back. gone through, there was talks to), or how well he spins
always the chance, as Khur- his own failures and his
Seizing the moment ram Dastgir recently opponents’ misfortunes, in
For India to grow at 7% or 8% recounted, of Imran Khan his final days, Imran Khan
for years to come would be appointing a partisan army made some politically fatal
momentous. It would lift chief and barring opposition moves in his desperation to
huge numbers of people out leaders from contesting hang on to power.
of poverty. It would generate elections en masse, thereby
a vast new market and turning Pakistan into a fas- Not only did he go after the
manufacturing base for cist one-party state and “neutrals”, but he also
global business, and it would assuming the role of a civil- ensured that he crossed the
change the global balance ian dictator. most powerful country on
of power by creating a earth, the United States of
bigger counterweight to There is also the possibility America. The Americans
China in Asia. Fate, inheri- that Shehbaz Sharif saw this were never particularly keen
tance and pragmatic deci- as a unique opportunity to on Imran, even when he
sions have created a new become prime minister and came to power in 2018. He
opportunity in the next couldn’t resist, even as the was viewed as a stooge of
decade. It is India’s and Mr more politically astute the military, and given the
Modi’s to squander. brother, Nawaz, cautioned uneasy relationship
against it. For their part, the between the Pakistani mili-
Imran & kingmakers have always
looked upon Shehbaz as an
tary and the US in the after-
math of the war on terror, US
America efficient administrator who engagement with Imran
is relatively innocuous com- Khan wasn’t going to be
Published in Dawn pared to brother Nawaz, smooth.
who, along with daughter
SHEHBAZ Sharif’s govern- Maryam, are not to be trust- “Pakistan’s military has its
ment is inching close to ed. fingerprints all over the elec-
default. Hindsight is 20/20 tions”, ran a headline in the
but what was the point of the Yet what difference do Washington Post back in
no-confidence vote, many palace intrigues and politi- July 2018. But Imran had
are asking, if there was no cal machinations make to insisted that he knew the
economic plan? Why jump the lives of ordinary Paki- West better than any other
on to the Titanic when it was stanis, who are rapidly losing Pakistani and had con-
already sinking? Why bear faith in the current govern- vinced the kingmakers that
the political fallout of ment’s ability to manage? In foreign policy would be his
54
forte. After all, he had played

an English game, cricket, all
four years that he was prime
minister, the US did not
Hungry is the
his life and excelled at it. He appoint an ambassador to New Pakistani
had not only beaten the Pakistan, and despite Moeed
gora at his own game but Yusuf’s efforts, Biden never Published in The Express Tribune
also managed to marry an called.
aristocratic ‘gori’. If anyone If you ever venture into the
could explain the point of After the Russia trip, he left diplomatic enclave in Islam-
view of the Pakistani state no doubt that he leaned abad, you’d see that there
and get it the respect it against US interests, but was are embassies of different
deserved, it had to be him. nevertheless unable to issue countries there. It is a gated
a joint statement with Presi- and well-guarded sector of
Sadly, there were no takers dent Putin, proposing how he Islamabad, where ambas-
for his explanations in the US. and his Russian counterpart sadors and other consular
Imran Khan was seen as intended to move the bilat- officers reside as well as
sympathetic to terrorists eral relationship forward or work in their respective em-
and he solidified this view by detailing what benefit Paki- bassies. There also is a shut-
calling Osama bin Laden, stan would accrue. tle service that ferries people
US’s enemy par excellence, a back and forth between the
martyr. As if that wasn’t bad It is easy to spin it now as various embassies and a
enough, he visited Moscow Pakistan would have gotten certain pick/drop point. An
on the eve of the Russian cheap Russian oil, but there overpriced taxi service is
invasion of Ukraine. He really was no such agreement. In also available that uses the
didn’t think that Putin would fact, had Pakistan stood with various convoluted dirt
invade, he offered, in an Ukraine at that important roads to get to the embassy
interview with Aftab Iqbal juncture and played it smart, faster. I have been to the US
recently. it may have been in a posi- embassy a few times and
tion to revive its pipeline with each time the sitting area
Really? The CIA had called it Iran, as even some voices in resembled a masjid
a good five days before he the West were calling for because all the applicants
made the trip. Western em- relaxing sanctions on Iran in were quietly reciting verses
bassies had packed up and light of the Russian invasion in order to be successful in
left Kyiv prior to his visit, and of Ukraine and its negative getting the visa.
he still had no idea that Putin impact on global energy
would invade that week? supplies. Embassies of various coun-
tries are present in all coun-
So while there is absolutely In short, Imran Khan will tries around the world. How-
no truth in the assertion that remain a media star and a ever, what is important to
the US conspired against demigod to a powerful understand is that in Paki-
Imran Khan’s government, it domestic minority, but inter- stan, the people are not
is true that the US chose not nationally, he does not have going through those convo-
to engage with him at the the credibility to resuscitate luted security checkpoints to
level that Pakistan is accus- Pakistan’s economy. visit some foreign country
tomed to and requires for its for pleasure. It is almost
economic survival. In the always with the aim of
55
escaping this blackhole of the imminent arrival of the knock them down with its
despair that Pakistan is fast IMF loan, we know full well nuclear weapons. Pakistan
becoming. Pakistanis are that none of those is going to elected a female head of the
not bagging up their lug- translate into changing the government before the fem-
gage to spend a vacation in lives of the poor people. The inist west could ever even
the Swiss alps but rather to arrival of international crick- think of doing so. And now
help feed their families. It is et is hailed as if it would we are experimenting with
never an easy choice to somehow transform the 24-hour courts. We have the
leave your home and family. country to where the ordi- hammer of justice and the
But sometimes, there really nary and poor masses thor of war. Just can’t feed
is no choice. would experience an uplift in the people.
their lifestyles. Does anyone
Today’s Pakistanis are living
a life no different than the
even care to slow down and
ask a simple question: why
The IMF’s
hunter gatherers of the should I cheer for the arrival Package
distant past. The hunters of international cricket into
spent much of their day this country? Sports usually Published in The Nation
making efforts in order to eat refer to the happiness and
and find a suitable shelter to health of a nation. Do we Pakistan has been a con-
sleep in peace and safety. have any of it? When we stant recipient of the Inter-
Can anyone in Pakistan cherish symbols of success national Monetary Fund’s
today relate? Well, the only and happiness, then we will (IMF) packages to float the
difference is that the hunters have only symbols of suc- ill-structured economy.
eventually found food and cess and happiness. Whenever Pakistan felt that
shelter and had health too. our economic parameters
The Pakistanis, however, A democracy which is not were over-stretched and
have no surety that they’d elected and has written off could not be contained, the
find all or any of those. They the voters, where the voters IMF’s dose of dollars did the
sure do not have the health have written off the selected course correction, albeit for
because there is no clean air government, where the gov- the short run. According to
and water. What is even ernment has written off the Ishrat Hussian, former gov-
worse is that not only do poor, where the poor have ernor of the State Bank of
they have no security of food also written off the govern- Pakistan, there are a few
and shelter but even the ment, where there is no dic- primary reasons whenever
promises of a better future tator in charge, where the any country approaches the
by the government are as umpires are dodging criti- IMF: financial resources to
empty as their pockets. cism like bullets from the avert a Balance of Payments
What is the worst of all is the enemy; welcome to the (BOP) crisis, easy access to
loss of hope. The nation may Pakistan of 2022. funds from other sources, a
not have gotten to that point But Pakistan has some seal of approval for invest-
yet but it is well on its way. extraordinary features as ment, to shift the blame for
well. It can’t feed its poor but politically unpopular deci-
When we pat ourselves on if it ever got into a war with a sions, and for debt relief and
the back for getting off of the far richer Germany or rescheduling. The PTI gov-
grey List of the FATF or with Sweden, for example, it will ernment penned an IMF deal
56
in 2019 for a $6 billion eco- hard to get $900 million if able salary from rupees
nomic stimulus package conditions are met. So far 600,000 per annum to
under its Extended Fund Pakistan has only got $2 rupees 1,200,000. Beyond this
Facility. The programme was billion as part of the $6 individuals will be progres-
stalled in 2020 after Pakistan billion deal. The stalled sively taxed. In 2020, the
failed to meet the IMF’s con- agreement with the IMF also agency had asked Pakistan
ditions. The crisis led to the locked budgetary support to structurally reform State
resumption of the pro- from the World Bank and the Owned Enterprises (SOEs). A
gramme with the PTI gov- Asian Development Bank; legislation had been drafted
ernment agreeing to imple- Thus making the IMF the sole on the conduct of SOEs, but
ment the stiff measures pro- key to Pakistan’s economic since then no concrete work
posed by the IMF. This stability. The country is only has been done on it. The
included raising oil prices ahead of Sri Lanka in terms initial IMF deal is still stalled
and electricity tariffs. How- of the economic outlook in as negotiations fell apart
ever, by the end of PTI’s South Asia. Sri Lanka has between the facility and
ouster, it gave a subsidy on recently defaulted on its Pakistan. Fiscal adjustments
oil prices and the price of external debt commitments are essential for Pakistan
petrol remained stagnant at and Pakistan is headed and this should have been
rupees 150. The PTI govern- down a similar trajectory done earlier to strengthen
ment argued that it had with foreign reserves falling the economy. Now the IMF
allocated funds for the sub- below $10 billion dollars. facility wants Pakistan to
sidy from moving numbers Inflation has touched double make fiscal adjustments to
around its budgetary allo- digits and with increased the level of 2.5 percent of
cations, however, the coali- petroleum prices, the pro- GDP.
tion government statement duction cost will also soar,
said it did not find any allo- adding more inflationary The IMF’s policies are largely
cation for the subsidy. burden on the already directed at economic stabil-
crunched populace. isation, but at the expense of
At present, the petrol prices the middle class and the
have been raised by 84 The coalition government poor. The fund wants FBR
rupees in two months to the has largely agreed to the revenue to increase to
historic high of rupees 234 IMF’s conditions of raising rupees 7.5 trillion with more
and diesel prices have been POL prices and electricity deductions in subsidies. The
raised by rupees 115 to 263. tariffs as these two are deal rupee has shredded its
With this raise, the govern- breakers for the facility. The value against the dollar as
ment has zeroed subsidies IMF also wants to increase uncertainty looms in the
on POL products. These direct taxation of salaried market. At the same time,
prices are expected to go individuals. For this purpose, stock exchanges are losing
further once the petroleum different slabs have been points amid the political and
levy is implemented. Once proposed with revised tax economic uncertainty. How-
the country meets the IMF’s rates, however, to cushion ever, the IMF deals must not
conditions, it is hoped that it the salaried individuals from be singularly blamed for
will unlock other external rising inflation, the federal Pakistan’s economy
funding options as well. Cur- government has increased because the historical mis-
rently, Pakistan is struggling the minimum annual tax- handling of the economy
57
and poor structural deficits accepting any view other ing the ECP and judiciary’s
have a major role. Global than their own. The uncom- impartiality, with PTI trolls
politics is now directly promising stance of the often assailing these institu-
impacting countries. For former ruling party has tions on social media. His
instance, the European sharpened this polarisation. criticism of the establish-
energy crisis also has a part It has eliminated any middle ment, including accusations
in exacerbating Pakistan’s ground and made political that it did nothing to stop the
energy woes with Europe accommodation near ‘foreign conspiracy’ against
pushing the global gas impossible. his government, is a pres-
prices due to high demand. sure tactic to force it to
If nothing concrete takes us The confrontation between change course.
out of the current economic PTI and the Rest has pro-
crisis, then the future might duced a situation in which Similarly, Khan has rejected
be even grimmer. parliament has been left repeated clarifications by
without an opposition and the military spokesman that
Is Pakistan the laws it has adopted
bereft of wider consensus.
there is no evidence to sup-
port his claims of a foreign
ungovernable? As differences appear conspiracy. The conse-
unbridgeable, finding politi- quence of this stance is to
Published in Dawn cal solutions to disputes is sow mistrust in state institu-
ruled out. With PTI intent on tions among his fan-like
IS the country becoming paralysing the system until it supporters, even beyond his
ungovernable? Several fac- gets its way on early elec- base. This is breeding cyni-
tors seem to point in that tions, its conduct has creat- cism and widening divisions
direction. Governance prob- ed an unsettled environ- in society. Whether or not
lems have mounted in the ment, making governing PTI’s leadership understands
first instance due to political more difficult. This is also the deleterious effects of
discontinuities that have testing the democratic miring state institutions in
punctuated Pakistan’s system. controversy it compounds
turbulent history. But today, the challenge of gover-
the challenge of governabil- This situation is casting a nance. Rejection or defiance
ity is more imposing shadow on state institutions of the judiciary or ECP’s deci-
because of a number of which are increasingly the sions means undermining a
other factors in addition to target of partisan attacks in rules-based framework.
long-standing ones. the raging political battle. Trust in institutions is the
Whether it is the establish- bedrock of democracy and
The current political polari- ment, judiciary or Election the governance system,
sation is the obvious new Commission, if their stance integral to the ability to exe-
factor. It is unprecedented or decisions are seen as cute policies.
despite Pakistan’s long favourable to a political
tradition of divisive politics. party, praise is showered on In a political landscape
Never before have people, them. If the opposite hap- where there is lack of a civil
society and families been so pens, they are criticised for discourse, the exchange of
divided by their partisan being biased. bitter accusations holds
preferences as they are sway rather than sober
today and resistant to Imran Khan keeps question- debate on national issues.
58
Discussion of public policy is acted in a fiscally irresponsi- Economic management

substituted by fact-free ble way and left the econo- that relied on borrowing
efforts to demonise political my in worse shape for its allowed the country’s ruling
rivals. This distracts the successor to deal with. elite to avoid and postpone
government from governing much-needed structural
and the opposition from Structural economic prob- reforms, including serious
focusing on issues. When the lems were left to fester, con- tax reform, that could have
political conversation is only fronting the country every so placed the economy on a
about how venal the other often with a financial crisis viable path. It also explains
side is national problems are that became a chronic public unwillingness to
neither seriously discussed threat to stability. For the comply with policy mea-
nor solutions offered to past four decades, failure to sures imposed on them by
them. mobilise enough domestic an inequitable system.
resources along with low
What has made governance levels of savings and invest- This kind of economic man-
more problematic is erosion ment, meant successive agement was reinforced by
in the state’s institutional governments ran huge defi- successive governments —
capacity over the years and cits in national expenditure civil and military. A rentier
the resultant deterioration in and on the country’s exter- ruling elite created a rentier
delivery of public services, nal account. These twin defi- economy. That is why the
which increasingly fails to cits — budget and balance structural sources of the
meet people’s expectations. of payments — were country’s chronic financial
Weakening of the instru- financed by printing more imbalances have remained
ments of governance has currency notes and the unaddressed: a narrow and
meant that even the most inflow of funds from abroad inequitable tax regime, the
well-devised policy through borrowing and energy sector’s circular
becomes harder to imple- remittances from overseas debt, bankrupt public-sec-
ment. Postponed reforms, Pakistanis. tor enterprises, a broken
piecemeal tinkering and public finance management
lack of efforts to depoliticise Reliance on domestic and system, an overvalued
the civil service have weak- foreign borrowing and bail- exchange rate, heavy regu-
ened the government ma- outs landed Pakistan in a latory burden and a narrow
chinery over time. It has classic debt trap where export base.
undermined public confi- more had to be borrowed to
dence in government insti- pay off old debt. It also left The chickens have now
tutions and made gover- the country living from one come home to roost. The
nance more onerous. IMF tranche to another. country is in the throes of
Moreover, bank borrowing at another financial crisis,
The most important and home served as an foreign exchange reserves
recurring factor driving the immensely regressive mea- have depleted, inflation is at
country towards becoming sure because it meant an all-time high, power
ungovernable are dysfunc- forced transfer of savings to shortages are placing an
tional economic policies the government from unbearable burden on
that have long been pur- people least able to bear the people, and an IMF bailout is
sued. Almost every govern- burden of inflation, the most being sought to avert
ment since the mid-1980s pernicious tax on the poor. default.
59
It is true that the Covid-19

pandemic and global eco-
nomic factors have exacer-
bated Pakistan’s economic
plight. Soaring international
oil prices are further fuelling
the balance-of-payments
crisis and inflation while
global shortages of LNG are
compounding the country’s
power crisis today. Never-
theless, a weak economy
with little resilience to cush-
ion such shocks is the result
of poor economic manage-
ment by reform-averse
ruling elites concerned more
with preserving their own
power than promoting the
public interest. The conflu-
ence of polarised politics
and economic turmoil is
now pushing Pakistan into
the danger zone of becom-
ing ungovernable.
Click Here
60
MEET OUR CSPs
Sir Hassan Ejaz
CSP | 50TH CTP
1. First, tell us about yourself.

I did my matriculation and intermediate from Fauji Foundation
School and College. Then, I earned a bachelor’s degree in Informa-
tion Technology from the University of Gujrat. Subsequently, I
appeared in CSS and got allocated to the Foreign Service of Pakistan.
2. Is there growth within the government service?

Yes, there is growth in the government service. Be it CSS or any other
service life is a continuous journey of growth. This sort of attitude
gave way to my growth from Punjab Police to Civil Services.
3. Why did you think about switching towards government service

from IT?
It is not like that that I did not have even a little interest in IT. I had an
interest in Research and Development. While doing my research, I
got know-how of issues in the public sector which motivated me to
join civil services. In this way, I shifted to government service.
61
4. Did you get inspiration from your rela- well in my optional subjects.
tives who were in the government service?
Yes, I have been getting inspiration from my 8. Is the misconception of filling the paper
CSP relatives since childhood. My father also up to attain more marks true for CSS?
had a good interaction with CSPs, which Length does matter in CSS at all. The thing
also inspired me. Alhamdulilah! Allah gave that matters is that you should fulfill all the
me a chance to become a man in uniform. requirements of the question. And, length is
also determined by the time that you con-
5. How did you prepare for CSS while sume per question. So, the misconception of
having a government job? filling up the paper is not true for CSS.
I had the support of my senior officers in my
government job. In this way, I kept on pre- 9. How did you select the topic for the essay
paring for my job. Then, I got leave of three section?
months to prepare for my exams. This was We prepare 10 subjects in CSS, and every
how I prepared for CSS during my job. candidate is mostly a graduate. This gives
us the ability to understand one or more
6. What was the magic recipe of prepara- topics at the very first instance after looking
tion that worked? at the paper. You must go for the topic that
I didn’t have a special recipe for prepara- you understand at the first instance and
tion. I prepared CSS like an ordinary candi- have a complete know-how of the interpre-
date. However, the hard work of the last tation of that topic. I also used the same
three months was extraordinary. I gave my method to choose my essay topic.
100% during this time.
10. What are the key ingredients to becom-
7. Which optional subjects did you choose? ing a CSS officer?
How did you score so well in those? There are some basic things to become a
I opted Political Science, Criminology, CSS officer:
Sociology, Gender Studies, and US History. A. Complete belief in Allah that Allah’s plan
Trends show that these subjects were not will bring the best for you
scoring this year. However, some of the B. Sincere dedicated effort
passing candidates did well in these C. Smart study mode must be adopted
subjects. I scored very good marks in other than extensive study
Political Science and Criminology. In my D. Written practice is the key
opinion, I stood out due to my paper
presentation. Presentation is the look of All these ingredients can make you a CSP
paper as well as the articulation of officer!
arguments. These things helped me score
Click on this link to find out
62
ESSAY SPECIAL:
MODEL
INTRODUCTION
63
Essay Special:
Model Introduction
A model-introduction (using 'the Contrast Beginning/ Literature Review'

method) on ‘Crisis of Governance in Pakistan: Need for Reforms & Institution
Building’ by Nearpeer student, Hafsa Saeed.
It is generally perceived that the growth and development of any country or

nation depends upon its climate, natural resources, and geographical location.
The proponents of this view argue that if a state is rich in all the above-mentioned
aspects then it would subsequently be a well-developed and well governed state.
Such a viewpoint inadvertently exonerates the importance of good governance. In
reality it is not so much the abundance of natural resources but the management
of these resources in a preferred manner. This reality however begs the question
of why the management of resources hold primary importance in governance.
What are the indicators of analysing the governance? What is the relation
between governance and development of a society? This essay will discuss all
these aspects in detail. Good governance entails how public institutions conduct
public affairs and manage the available resources in an efficient manner. United
Nations has devised eight indicators of good governance. By examining the
service delivery of Pakistani government on these indicators, it becomes evident
that Pakistan is suffering from a crisis of good governance. The established
causes of this crisis include the colonial legacy of extractive institutions, civil
military imbalance resulting in repeated martial laws, extensive patronage
networks, compartmentalization of government institutions. This condition can be
significantly improved by undertaking essential administrative, economic,
political, technological reforms. Pakistan can also adopt the strategies of the
developed nations like China and Estonia to accelerate the improvements in its
governance. Although Pakistan, being a developed country, is facing a plentitude
of varying issues but the crisis of good governance holds primary significance and
must be resolved by focused administrative, economic, political, and
technological reforms.’
64
66
64
Literary
Pearls
Free Thought and a more discreet, less visi- Legal penalties are, how-
Official Propaganda by ble form of coercion ever, in the modern
Bertrand Russel against people who use world, the least of the
their legal rights to free obstacles to freedom of
Bertrand Russell is cer- expression. Secondly, thought. The two great
tainly the best-known there is the necessity for obstacles are economic
English philosopher of "equality of opportunity penalties and distortion
the twentieth century, among opinions", if any of evidence. It is clear
though his worldwide society is truly to enjoy that thought is not free if
fame rests not on his freedom of expression. the profession of certain
pure philosophical work Whatever or whoever is opinions makes it impos-
but rather on his more "free", Russell begins, is sible to earn a living. It is
accessible writings on an not subject to some clear also that thought is
enormous range of polit- external compulsion, and not free if all the argu-
ical, ethical and social to be precise we ought to ments on one side of a
matters, from marriage say what this kind of controversy are perpetu-
to nuclear weapons. He compulsion is. Thus ally presented as attrac-
was famous too for his thought is "free" when it is tively as possible, while
activism, from his impris- free from certain kinds of the arguments on the
onment for conscien- outward control which other side can only be
tious objection during are often present. Some discovered by diligent
the First World War, to his of these kinds of control, search... We may say
participation, even into which must be absent if that thought is free when
his nineties, in anti-nu- thought is to be "free" are it is exposed to free com-
clear marches. Among obvious, but others are petition among beliefs -
his many considerations more subtle and elusive. i.e., when all beliefs are
of liberty is a speech on Thought is not "free" able to state their case,
freedom of thought in when legal penalties are and no legal or pecuni-
1922. Russell addressed incurred by the holding ary advantages or
two connected aspects or not holding of certain disadvantages attach to
of this subject which are opinions, or by giving beliefs. This is an ideal
vital to a democracy, expression to one's belief which, for various rea-
and are still too rarely or lack of belief on cer- sons, can never be fully
considered. First, there tain matters. Very few attained. But it is possible
are what he calls the countries in the world to approach very much
"economic penalties" have as yet even this ele- nearer to it than we do at
that can be imposed as mentary kind of freedom. present…
65
SCREENING
TEST ALERT
English
General Science
General Ability
66
68
English D) was hurrying / has blown

E) is hurrying / blows
1. I ____ my book in the launderette while
my washing ________. 6. Maryam’s family ____ pedigree dogs
A) have read / dries for three generations and they regularly
B) read / was drying ____ their dogs in shows.
C) was reading / has dried A) have been breeding / enter
D) have read / is drying B) are breeding / are entering
E) am reading / has dried C) were breeding / are entering
D) breed / have entered
2. Up to now, the predicted Millennium E) bred / were entering
computer bug ____ very few problems,
although many scientists last year ____ 7. Mrs. Wahab ____ her daughter’s wed-
a catastrophe. ding dress herself since November and
A) has been causing / have predicted ____ it, except for the trimmings.
B) is causing / predict A) made / finished
C) causes / were predicting B) was making / was finishing
D) caused / have been predicting C) has been making / has finished
E) has caused / predicted D) is making / finished
E) makes / is finishing
3. I only ____ the company on Monday
for a copy of their magazine and I ____ it 8. Because we have a young baby, we
already. ____ the opportunity to go to the cinema
A) was asking / am receiving any more, but now and again, we ____ a
B) have been asking / was receiving video to play at home.
C) ask / receive A) didn’t have / are buying
D) asked / have received B) aren’t having / were buying
E) have asked / have been receiving C) don’t have / buy
D) weren’t having / bought
4. More and more of my colleagues ____ E) haven’t had / have been buying
these days because the owners of the
company have changed a lot of proce- 9. The perfume ____ like cheap soap and
dures. These changes won’t affect me definitely isn’t worth this price
though, because I ____ my job here only A) is smelling
recently. B) smells
A) have left / was starting C) has been smelling
B) leave / am starting D) was smelling
C) were leaving / started E) smelt
D) left / start
E) are leaving / have started 10. While I ___ some money from a cash
machine, a man ___ it all out of my hand
5. She ____ onto the train because the A) was withdrawing / snatched
station guard ____ his whistle. B) withdrew / snatches
A) has hurried / blows C) am withdrawing / has snatched
B) hurries / has been blowing D) have withdraw / was snatching
C) hurried / was blowing E) withdrew / has been snatching
67
General Science 7) The lifespan of Red Blood Cells is

__________ days.
1. On 11 February 2016 The LIGO Scientific A) 60
Collaboration announced the detection of B) 120
_____ C) 180
A) electromagnetic waves D) 240
B) seismic waves
C) gravitational waves 8) The density of water is __________.
D) radio waves A) 1 g/cm3
B) 1.5 g/cm3
2) The SI unit of charge is __________. C) 2 g/cm3
A) Ampere D) none of these
B) Coulomb
C) Ohm 9) Radioactivity was discovered by
D) Volt __________.
A) Kelvin
3) Very High Frequency (VHF) have B) Thomson
__________ wavelengths. C) Rutherford
A) shorter D) Becquerel
B) shortest
C) longer 10) A device which converts chemical
D) longest energy into electrical energy is called
__________.
4) Long-sight defect could be corrected A) motor
by using __________ lens. B) generator
A) concave C) moving-coil meter
B) convex D) batter
C) diverging
D) none of these
5) Deficiency of Vitamin-A results in

__________.
A) night blindness
B) rickets
C) scurvy
D) hair fall
6) For a fixed mass of gas at constant

temperature, if we decrease volume, the
pressure will _________.
A) also decrease
B) increase
C) remains constant
D) none of these
68
General Ability 6. In a town of population 100,000, 20%

have internet connection. And those who
1. What is the average of the numbers: 2, have internet connection, 15% use PTCL
5, 0, 10, 10, 12, 8 and 9? internet service. How many people have
(A) 6 internet service other than PTCL?
(B) 7 (A) 3,000
(C) 8 (B) 7,000
(D) 9 (C) 12,000
(D) 17,000
2. If 75 percent of a number is y. And, 80
percent of y is 60, then what is the 7. A car parking charges n dollars for the
number? first hour, and m pence for every addition-
(A) 100 al hour. What amount it will charge if a car
(B) 110 stayed for 5 hours?
(C) 120 (A) n + 5m
(D) 130 (B) n + 4m
(C) m + 4n
3. The cost of an article is Rs.160. What (D) m + 5n
should be the selling price in rupees to
obtain a profit of 15 percent? 8. What is the value of x in the equation:
(A) 180 ʣʡʥ˫ϸʣʡʣʦʰʣʡʧ̩ʣʡʣʨʲ
(B) 182 (A) 0.20
(C) 184 (B) 0.02
(D) 186 (C) 0.25
(D) 0.025
4. A student attempted the exam just on
random guessing. How many questions 9. Bilal’s salary is 120% of Ahmed salary.
(according to probability) he will attempt And, Saba’s salary is 60% of Ahmed’s
correctly? salary. The total of all three salaries is
(A) 4 Rs.112,000. What is Saba’s salary?
(B) 5 (A) Rs.24,000
(C) 6 (B) Rs.24,500
(D) 7 (C) Rs.25,000
(D) Rs.25,500
5. A person preparing for Olympics Games
ran 9 km in 1 hour and 20 minutes, and 10. What is the solution set of the equation:
then 12 km in 1 hour and 40 minutes. What ˫ˑʥʞʧ˫ʞʦʰʣ
is the average speed in km/hr? (A) {1, 3}
(A) 4 km/hr (B) {–1, 3}
(B) 5 km/hr (C) {1, –3}
(C) 6 km/hr (D) {–1, –3}
(D) 7 km/hr
69
General General
MCQ English
Science Ability
1 B B B
2 E E A
3 D D C
4 E E B
5 C C D
6 A A D
7 C C B
8 C C C
9 B B A
10 A A D
Click Here
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CSS Chronicles Volume 3 | Edition 1

Monthly Press Pack

Kamil Mushtaq Saif Khattak

In conversation with Muzammil Hassan,

Ammar pointed out all the qualities that

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN

Mr. Iftikhar Thakur is a

In Conversation with Minister of Higher

Nearpeer collaborates with The City

If you want to avail kindship discount for O/A level

LIFE AT NEARPEER AND HIGHLIGHTS OF NEARPEER

We are proud to announce our partnership

Team Nearpeer attended Pakistan's Largest

Ammar Ali Ayub

LIFE AT NEARPEER AND HIGHLIGHTS OF NEARPEER

CSS Chronicles Volume 2 | Edition 6

1. Over 120,000+ Students

2. Quality Video Lectures

3. Access to digital classrooms

7. Pakistan's first and largest online

Monthly Press Review 38

Meet our CSPs 61

Screening Test Alert 66

*Fair Use Disclaimer

15 The UN rights chief slammed the Taliban`s `institutionalised systematic oppression` of

22 The military reassured the political leadership that no extra-constitutional concessions

26 India obstructed Pakistan`s participation in a conference hosted by China last week.

Looking at the world through the

International relations have ics took center stage in a arena.

renewable energy tends to its ability to generate functional

would have grave implications

Energy is predicted to become

With the advent of globaliza-

War in Ukraine: Plight of

Ukraine. The pro-war content features many children and teenag-

The kremlin has uplifted the Russians to throw weight behind

To be precise, Russia’s invasion lum to justify aggression

Is China’s Economy Slowing

China’s economy. The sector is

The governmental machinery

Blasphemous India can Unite the

look for a Messiah before their

Decoding Pakistan’s perpetual

becomes harmful to politi-

These neglected flaws

ending up as the winner

The cycle comes to an end

ed flaws in Pakistan’s demo- ation of a grand multi-party extractive nature of Paki-

Pakistan’s economic crisis Considering the worrisome earning up to Rs100,000 per

Transfer to Provinces: Rs. 4.1 tr

billion in this fiscal year. The government is seeking to

Exit from the FATF Grey List:

Pakistan first entered the list the upcoming FATF session

Enters Grey List

Exits Grey List 2008 2009 2012 2016 2018 2021

The tricky of globalisation is about

McDonald’s in Moscow, Musk’s Tesla by moving The trouble with safe

India is businesses is only a new –

Even after high-ranking BJP The polarisation that