This is an archived version of an article written for Dawn.com, published on Aug, 28th 2018. If you want to share it, please do so the version on Dawn.com. It was posted here 3rd Sep 2018 as a self-archive. Pakistan has a new leader at the helm who, if his first address to the nation is to be considered … Continue reading Op-Ed: Imran Khan envisions a Pakistani welfare state. Is it possible? →

This article was commissioned by Alif Ailaan - a DFID funded, project implemented by DAI Pakistan. You can read it here: https://elections.alifailaan.pk/the-case-for-a-culture-of-learning/. A version of this is also published in Urdu here. It is copied below for archive purposes. For what it’s worth, Pakistanis have created a lot of noise concerning its education crisis. Enough to … Continue reading Op-Ed: The case for a culture of learning →

We live in interesting times. Few of us had the foresight to predict that a billionaire real estate developer would become the face of an anti-elite crusade, an Eton and Oxford educated parliamentarian would attack aid to the world’s poorest, and a continent which knows very well the destruction populist-rhetoric often brings with it, would once … Continue reading Op-Ed: What Does the Rise of Populism Mean for International Development? →

Markets are good for a lot of things. They have an irrefutable ability to cater to our demands, how seemingly ridiculous our demands might be. Think about silly putty. If enough people want it, they will get it. But there is a catch. You must be able to afford it. You can desire as much … Continue reading Op-Ed: Using Markets for Development? The Potential of Advanced Market Commitments →

We don’t expect much from the state. We may blame it for not doing enough, but, deep down we have known for a while now that, with or without our consent, the state has resigned itself from providing most public services. We the people know, whether we say it aloud or not, we are on … Continue reading Op-Ed: Thrown to the wolves →

Good novels are expected to have an intriguing storyline. But great novels are supposed to go a step further and develop a storyline, which captivates the reader’s imagination in a way that they feel invested in the book’s narrative. Osama Siddique’s Snuffing Out the Moon falls into a league of its own, perhaps calling it … Continue reading Book Review: Snuffing Out the Moon: An Overwhelming Debut →

Earlier this week I talked at the Young Leaders Conference (YLC) in Karachi. About 300 hundred energetic, ambitious young Pakistanis gathered from across the country - from villages to Pakistani students studying at U.S. colleges, all united in trying to understand their country. I talked on a panel discussion on how young Pakistanis can work … Continue reading Op-Ed: Pakistani Millennials Need a Seat On The Table →