Furqan Ali

  • Wag the dog?

    Wag the dog?

    The representational image shows a person holding a Pakistani flag. — Reuters/File We seem to have become a nation obsessed with a single...

  • Between legal rights and lived realities

    Members of transgenders community and women are seen at a gathering for Sindh Moorat March. — AFP/FileDespite legislative advances like the...

  • Between legal rights and lived realities

    Between legal rights and lived realities

    Members of transgenders community and women are seen at a gathering for Sindh Moorat March. — AFP/FileDespite legislative advances like the...

  • No readers, no writers, no literature Nobel

    This representational image shows a person reading a book. — Unsplash/FileThe Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences recently awarded the 2025 Nobel...

  • No readers, no writers, no literature Nobel

    No readers, no writers, no literature Nobel

    This representational image shows a person reading a book. — Unsplash/FileThe Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences recently awarded the 2025 Nobel...

  • Higher education antinomies

    Building of the Higher Education Commission in Islamabad. — HEC/FilePakistan’s higher education sector reflects a story of remarkable growth in...

  • Higher education antinomies

    Higher education antinomies

    Building of the Higher Education Commission in Islamabad. — HEC/FilePakistan’s higher education sector reflects a story of remarkable growth in...

  • Pakistani Gen Z’s latte lives

    Coffee being poured in a cup. — AFP/FileIn a country long steeped in the warm familiarity of chai, a quiet revolution is bubbling in the cups of...

  • Are banks really evil?

    Are banks really evil?

    The Pakistani banking sector has become something of a national punching bag. It is accused of rent-seeking, tax dodging, ignoring the private...

  • Ranking last is a choice

    Employees work at their stations at an incubation centre in Lahore. — AFP/FileLo and behold, Pakistan has earned the dubious distinction of...

  • Ranking last is a choice

    Ranking last is a choice

    Employees work at their stations at an incubation centre in Lahore. — AFP/FileLo and behold, Pakistan has earned the dubious distinction of...

  • Stranded in transition

    Stranded in transition

    In 2023, global clean energy investment soared to an unprecedented $1.8 trillion, but this record figure masks a deeper imbalance. While advanced...

  • The TPO’s uphill battle

    The TPO’s uphill battle

    The Federal Bureau of Revenue has quietly earned a name -- or rather, a bad name -- for its performance over the years. The country’s tax-to-GDP...

  • The Dutch Disease trap

    The Dutch Disease trap

    Ghalib penned, “I go along some distance with every swift walker/ I do not yet recognise the guide.” This perfectly unspools the dilemma that...

  • Till debt do us part

    Till debt do us part

    Debt-to-GDP ratio, which stood at 51% in 2009-10, peaked at 74% in 2019-20 and remains alarmingly high at 65% in 2023-24

  • The price of short-term fixes

    The price of short-term fixes

    The first review of the $7 billion Extended Fund Facility by the IMF is ongoing, making this a fitting moment to assess the macroeconomic landscape...

  • The enigma of 1010

    The enigma of 1010

    The angel number, ‘1010’, is an enigmatic combination of numerology and spiritual circles. The number 1 signifies fresh starts, while 0...

  • AI-led taxation

    AI-led taxation

    There needs to be radical transformation; without it, dramatic re-engineering of FBR processes and dealings is not possible

  • The education cul-de-sac

    The education cul-de-sac

    Gender disparities are pronounced in KP, where girls account for 64% of OOSC