A Trillion Dollar Halal Business

The myriad other products and services — cosmetics, real estate, hotels, fashion, insurance — that comply with Islamic law and the teachings of the Koran, and the sector is worth well over $1 trillion a year.

Pakistan Budget 2009-10

Fiscal deficit is expected to be 4.3 percent of GDP-down from 7.4 percent and the current account deficit is likely to be 5.3 percent of GDP–down from 8.4 percent last year.

Talk English, Walk English

Should Hindi be imposed instead of English? Hardly. In my opinion, no one single language should be imposed. India, for better or for worse, just isn’t a single language country.

A Marriage Market, Full Of Lemons

As I sat there, listening to stories of failed love, broken marriages, cheating partners and those insisting that they did not have time to mingle, I could not help but think about George Akerlof.

Pakistan Shinning III - Population and Literacy

There is no precedent in history of any nation demonstrating double-digit (or even high single digit) GDP growth while spending next to nothing on its human capital.

Banker of the Poor

Lasting peace cannot be achieved unless large population groups find ways in which to break out of poverty. Micro-credit is one such means. Development from below also serves to advance democracy and human rights.

Meaningful Giants in ‘Eurasian Balkan’

When the world is getting hoarse on the sight of ‘pressure cooker’, unfortunately no platform at the Eurasian Balkan level is being evolved for the dialogue among the Titans.

Muslims and Modern Banking: A Rejoinder

The Koran states explicitly that trade is not the same as interest: Those who consume interest shall not rise, except as he rises whom Satan by his touch prostrates

The Forgotten Economics of SAFTA

Free trading areas, and especially economic unions, whenever they come about, require tremendous commitment and impose disproportionate costs on various segments of the populations of the countries involved

Why Democracy?

Almost half of the world’s population is living under one or the other form of democracy. Interestingly, however, no one seems to have a convincing argument for it.

Mistri, Munshi, and Sipahi

The tale takes an ominous turn in the middle of 17th century when British East India Company showed up at the doors of Mumbai (Bombay), Bangalore, and Shanghai. There they discovered the local resources that no other continent could match in numbers.

Selling the Family Silver

Privatization in Pakistan is seen as the strategy that will correct all past wrongs of the public sector. But two questions arise: Is the wholesale privatization good for the country in the long run and whether there is a role for public sector enterprise

US Elections Concern for India

Kerry has made ‘American Jobs’ one of the core issues in his campaign...He has given an outline for his economic plan which is biased against the companies which are presently outsourcing or which might plan to further relocate services to for

Why not a well thought out constitution?

The current consitution can be amended to fit our needs

Changing World Order: India’s Response

In 1991, with the collapse of the Soviet Union, a unipolar world emerged. The United States emerged as the only superpower ... For India, the year 1991 signaled major changes in its economic policy. To tide over the balance of payments crisis, the Indian

Let my People Go

Man was born free but is held in protectionist trade chains almost everywhere

Survival of the Fittest

If Pakistan is next then what are the options?

Origins of the Modern World Capitalist Economy

Three Arguments Against a War

As America prepares for war, I want to present three arguments for peace:

USA and Muslims

Muslim extremists generally dislike non-Muslims and they hate various people at local level

The Day Of All Days

Pakistan will re-take its first fledging steps towards democracy

A Long Night’s Odyssey

we do not have the luxury of time

Bullock Cart to IT Bandwagon: India’s IT experience

Pakistan can learn much from India’s progress in Information Technology

ALIF - The Way Ahead?

to build the Kingdom of God out of scraps

Imran Khan: Pakistan’s Next PM?

In terms of being a hypocrite - who in Pakistan isn’t?

A Visit to Pakistan

Could it be that there is a feeling that India does not accept the existence of Pakistan?

Chip on the shoulder economics

Prejudiced thinking and economic blunders

Getting Ready for ‘Bus Diplomacy’

Vajpayee and Sharif get creative. First bombs then bus rides.

A Nobel for Development Studies

Amartya Sen wins Nobel prize in economics

The Control-Loving Economist is Coming Out of the Closet Again

The control-junky in the Pakistani economist that the recent liberalization had bottled up is now out of the closet again.

Placing Responsibility for the FCD Fiasco

An analysis on who is to blame for the Foreign Currency Deposits (FCD) fiasco in Pakistan?

The Essence of Islamic Banking

... more financing and investment along Islamic lines is done in the United States than in all the Muslim countries combined ...

Onwards to the Nuclear Abyss

India, Pakistan and the March of Folly

So, We Are Nuclear Too!!

Scenes from a nuclear world

Beyond ’Fictional Economic Man’

... you would hardly find any Pakistani economist who would have read Mirza Ghalib, Waris Shah or Shah Latif Bhatai.

Imperatives For Economic Development Of Pakistan

So how can we hammer out a consensus around the proposition that we have to rapidly raise the standard of living of the people in Pakistan?

Fifty years of Science in Pakistan in Socio-Economic Contex

Transcript of the speech delivered on August 5, 1997 at the International Nathiagali Summer College.

From the Continuum

Get an omniscient alien race’s view of our little world in general and of the land of the pure, in particular.