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| December 22, 2008 | Monday | Zilhaj 23, 1429 |
Widening the tax net
 SUSTAINABLE economic performance is not possible without a strong domestic revenue base. Pakistan can no longer afford to ignore this fact, and will have to increase its tax revenue to support the development needs of its growing economy....
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Tough times for economic diplomacy
 THESE are challenging times for the national leaders and diplomats. It would be unrealistic to expect wonders from them in the realm of economic diplomacy when earlier performance left much to be desired....
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Social responsibility — a business discipline
 THE Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is now being practised as a business discipline by a very large number of local and foreign companies, particularly those in export business....
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Unbalanced use of fertiliser
 THE unbalanced use of fertiliser by farmers has produced troubling results. It has not only kept yield low but also affected soil almost beyond redemption, depleting fertility by mining of nutrients...
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Depleting forest resources
 ONE of the reasons for depletion of forests is irregularity in managing the execution of development schemes for conserving and increasing growth of forests....
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Water-saving clay pipe irrigation system
 SEVENTY per cent of the fresh water resources are being used for agricultural production while the rest for drinking, municipal, industrial uses etc. The increasing demand for food and fibre calls...
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Improving women’s skills
 RURAL women play a significant role in almost all farming activities, right from sowing of seeds to harvesting of crops and handling of livestock. Their role in managing farming system is...
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Continuing load-shedding in Karachi
 GIVEN the existing conditions, massive countrywide load-shedding may continue into the next year....
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Making Gwadar Port functional
 THE government has decided to generate business activity at the still non-functional Gwadar Port. Cement export and some imports of wheat and fertiliser may also be routed through this port....
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Approaches to low-cost housing
 THE government of Sindh has set up a Peoples Housing Cell with a seed allocation of Rs2 billion. Managed by a veteran bureaucrat, the cell aims to launch several housing projects...
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World commodities
Oil...In the London market oil prices fell to below $38 a barrel on December 18, the lowest point for more than four years, as traders suggested that Opec would not fully enforce
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Acquisition deal called off on shareholders’ pressure
 ANGRY shareholders last week forced India’s fourth-largest information technology services company, Satyam Computer Services, to back-out of a controversial deal to acquire two firms – Maytas Properties and Maytas Infra Ltd – owned by the promoter family....
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Lessons from the financial fiasco
 THE developing countries like Pakistan can learn a number of lessons from the global financial turmoil, the worst since the Great Depression....
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Stabilisation and growth: the changing paradigms
ONE of the few redeeming consequences of the present global financial crisis has been that it has re-kindled the debate on macro-economic issues which had long been tabooed in developing countries, especially Pakistan....
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Fall in exports, foreign investment flows
 THE emerging economies have now begun feeling the painful effects of the financial crisis and recession in the United States and Europe. They are dismayed to discover that their export orders...
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The year 2008: a retrospective
 I have used “the perfect storm” metaphor before to describe the economic, political and international crises Pakistan faces today. Developments in several areas interacted with one another in the year 2008 to produce a situation Pakistan has never encountered before....
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The pound gets a pounding
 The mighty pound is getting the pounding of its life. Consumer prices are tumbling. Real economy is in dire straits....
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Import substitution and export growth
 While the foreign exchange reserves have surged on $3.1 billion IMF credit, the pressure on the rupee is not likely to ease if the trade deficit continues to widen....
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‘Floor-free’ market falls like house of cards
 The benchmark KSE 100-share index plunged by about 1,700 points or 20 per cent during the last week eroding over Rs400 billion from the market capital as foreign investors continued to unloading their long positions after the removal of floor....
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Rupee loses 60 paisa ersus dollar
 In the inter-bank market, mixed sentiments were observed on the opening day of the week, as the rupee lost sharply against the dollar to touch month’s lowest level attained in the third week of November....
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Industrial credit off-take falls
 On December 17, the State Bank of Pakistan sold treasury bills worth Rs70.543 billion....
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Essentials’ prices higher on tight supplies
 Prices of most of the essential commodities resumed their upward drive as the last trading week witnessed all-round increase in prices followed by reports of pressure on ready supplies from the upcountry trading centres....
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