Stories by Ehsan Malik
Competition among brands is desirable, but proliferation of incompatible platforms undermines supplier competitiveness.
Updated 13 Nov, 2026 07:57am
Poverty will be reduced by enabling more Pakistanis to participate productively in a competitive economy; misplaced priorities
Published 02 Nov, 2026 06:19am
Protection that preserves an inefficient input supplier while handicapping a much larger export opportunity defeats its own purpose.
Updated 24 Oct, 2026 08:51am
When growth brings disproportionate compliance costs, arbitrary demands and greater exposure to officials, expansion loses its appeal.
Updated 12 Oct, 2026 10:07am
A published transition plan that reduces domestic cost disadvantages as tariffs fall.
Published 05 Oct, 2026 05:15am
Instead of aiming for car localisation, Pakistan should be focusing on scaling up automotive components.
Updated 14 Sep, 2026 07:31am
Resilience has become an excuse for poor governance.
Published 05 Sep, 2026 04:01am
Can Pakistan’s auto industry build capabilities that can compete in regional and global value chains?
Updated 02 Aug, 2026 08:28am
The BOI-SIFC merger should be viewed not as an administrative exercise, but as a chance to undertake deeper reforms.
Updated 22 Jul, 2026 08:01am
A country that depends on others to finance its budget, supply its energy, provide critical technologies or provide its strategic resources inevitably finds its room for independent decision-making constrained.
Published 29 Jun, 2026 08:15am
Educational institutions, vocational programmes and public spending should be judged by their contribution to employment, productivity growth and export competitiveness.
Updated 24 Jun, 2026 07:46am
Pakistan needs to align national effort behind sectors where it holds a genuine comparative advantage
Published 22 Jun, 2026 07:03am
Pakistan has absorbed much of the fiscal cost of devolution without fully realising its potential efficiency gains.
Updated 05 Jun, 2026 08:40am
It is increasingly about how all parts of the state can share responsibility for reviving industry, employment and economic growth.
Updated 16 May, 2026 08:39am
The path forward lies in building a defence ecosystem rather than expanding a state-centric production model
Published 06 Apr, 2026 08:44am
Pakistan’s personal tax structure burdens salaried professionals and entrepreneurs far more than comparable economies.
Published 30 Mar, 2026 08:18am
Despite policy shortcomings, many companies in the private sector are stepping up to drive growth.
Published 23 Mar, 2026 08:42am
A series of crises have left us with limited policy space.
Updated 10 Mar, 2026 09:26am
If Pakistan settles for extraction and export alone, it risks remaining merely a quarry, rather than achieving broader industrial
Updated 02 Mar, 2026 08:35am
Our growth challenge is not a lack of protection, but a lack of discipline in enforcing reforms and driving competitiveness
Published 23 Feb, 2026 08:17am
