Pakistonomy Tabadlab

Shehbaz Sharif’s government has put forward a new budget for the upcoming fiscal year, setting off a debate on more taxes, government spending, and economic reforms. As parliament debates the budget, some things may change about the exact numbers. But to discuss what has been put on the table, Uzair spoke to Ammar H. Khan about what this budget signals and why it pursues a “deepening” of the tax net, as opposed to a widening.

We also talked about the energy sector and why prices are being reduced for industrial consumers of electricity, as well as Ammar’s views on what he calls the heartland strategy.

Chapters:

0:00 Introduction
1:30 Budget takeaways
7:10 Pension reforms
10:30 Power subsidies
15:10 Inflation and salaried class
20:30 Digitization and taxes
26:16 Why are cash handouts criticized?
28:05 Electricity tariffs for industry
38:40 Heartland strategy and its issues

This year has seen more record-breaking heatwaves across the subcontinent, leading to immense loss of life and economic output. Given climate change, these heatwaves are likely to be the new reality around the world, especially in Pakistan and India. Both these countries face tremendous risks from extreme weather events, especially heatwaves.

In this episode, Uzair talks to Kathy Baughman McLeod about heatwaves and how we can be better prepared to deal with them. Kathy Baughman McLeod is CEO of Climate Resilience for All, a gender-focused climate adaptation nonprofit dedicated to the protection of people and livelihoods from extreme heat and all its impacts.

Kathy brings a record of executive leadership and impact for public, nonprofit, and private sector institutions including the Arsht-Rockefeller Resilience Center, Bank of America, The Nature Conservancy, and the Office of the State of Florida’s Chief Financial Officer. She was also named by Reuters as one of 20 “Trailblazing Women in Climate for 2024.”

Chapters:

0:00 Introduction
2:00 Understand heatwaves
9:50 What are places doing to deal with them
19:40 What should policymakers in Pakistan do
25:10 Adapting to the new climate
36:20 Reading recommendations

Reading Recommendations

- Ministry for the Future by Kim Stanley Robinson
- The Heat Will Kill You First by Jeff Goodell
- All We Can Save by Ayana Elizabeth Johnson

The world’s largest elections are over and they have delivered a surprise in India. While we will get more detailed analysis in the coming days, what is for certain is that the elections mark a return to coalition politics in the world’s largest democracy.

Uzair spoke to Rahul Verma about what the results mean for India, Narendra Modi, and the country’s democracy. We also talked about what the BJP and Congress got right, what they are likely to do next, and the role of coalition allies moving forward.

Rahul Verma is Fellow at the Centre for Policy Research, New Delhi, and Visiting Assistant Professor in the Department of Political Science, Ashoka University, Sonipat. He has a PhD in Political Science from the University of California, Berkeley. His research interests include political representation, political parties, and voting behaviour.

He is a regular columnist for various news platforms, and a regular TV commentator on elections, party politics, voting behavior, and public opinion polls. His book co-authored with Pradeep Chhibber, Ideology and Identity: The Changing Party Systems of India, develops a new approach to defining the contours of what constitutes an ideology in multi-ethnic countries such as India. He recently co-edited a volume with Sudha Pai & Shyam Babu - Dalits in the New Millennium.

Chapters:
0:00 Introduction
1:30 Key takeaways from the elections
8:30 Has Hindutva reached its peak?
21:30 Return of coalition politics
29:10 Scope for reforms in a coalition
33:50 What to look for in the near-term
38:47 Reading recommendations

Reading recommendations:
- Coalition Politics and Economic Development: Credibility and the Strength of Weak Governments by Irfan Nooruddin
- Ideology and Identity: The Changing Party Systems of India by Rahul Verma and Pradeep Chhibber
- Raag Darbari by Shrilal Shukla

In this episode, Uzair talks to Abdul Moiz Jaferii about the ongoing cases in Pakistan’s superior judiciary. We focused on the wiretapping case being heard by Justice Babar Sattar, cases related to Imran Khan, and the broader implications of the supposed standoff between the establishment and the judiciary.

We also focused on the political ramifications of these cases through the summer and whether Imran Khan will be out of jail in the next few months.

Abdul Moiz Jaferii is a lawyer and tweets @jaferii

Chapters:
0:00 Introduction
1:30 The latest at the courts
7:30 IHC’s letter to Justice Isa
15:00 Illegal wiretapping case
33:30 Political ramifications
39:00 Will Khan be out soon?

In this episode, Uzair talks to Ali Khizar about the upcoming budget and the ongoing conversations between the IMF and Pakistan. We focused on why this government will only pursue incremental reforms, the issues with the power sector, and why broadening the tax base is unlikely for the time being.

Ali Khizar is head of research at Business Recorder and has over 20 years of experience in economic research and business analysis.

Chapters:
0:00 Introduction
1:55 IMF’s focus for Pakistan
9:30 Taxes in the budget
22:50 Cost of energy
36:30 Privatization outlook
47:20 Political space for reforms

In this episode, Uzair talks to Ali Farid Khwaja about the potential of Saudi investments into Pakistan. We talked about why things were moving slowly, sectors Saudi is interested in, and why it is important for Pakistan to approach these conversations in a more professional manner.

Ali Farid Khwaja is Chairman of KTrade Securities and has over a decade of experience in the technology and financial sectors.

Chapters:
0:00 Introduction
1:35 Current state of play
12:00 What Pakistan needs to get right
19:20 Engagement with IMF
27:20 What is Saudi seeking from Pakistan?
32:30 Risks to watch for
38:20 Conclusion