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Ali Khizar

Ali Khizar

Business Recorder

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Monetary crossroads: how far can SBP push the rate cuts?

The monetary policy is due next Monday. The committee, chaired by the SBP Governor, has already eased the policy rate by 900 bps (or 41 percent) over...

21.01.2025 20

Business Recorder

Ali Khizar

PIA privatisation: taking off?

The PIA privatisation efforts are back, and the chances of the deal moving forward this time are high. The previous round was spearheaded by the...

14.01.2025 70

Business Recorder

Ali Khizar

Uraan Pakistan: if wishes were horses

The Uraan Pakistan seems more like a wish list than a practical roadmap, listing ambitious growth targets without detailing how to achieve them....

07.01.2025 100

Business Recorder

Ali Khizar

Remembering Arshad Zuberi

I joined Business Recorder as Head of Research back in 2009, perceiving the position to be a stepping stone to a potential “better opportunity”. I...

01.01.2025 6

Business Recorder

Ali Khizar

2025: Economic challenges meeting political crossroads

2024 was a year of economic stabilization for Pakistan. Inflation plummeted, the exchange rate showed marginal improvement, and interest rates were...

31.12.2024 3

Business Recorder

Ali Khizar

Pakistan must prepare to let go off the crutches of remittances

A key ingredient in attaining external account stability is inward remittances, often hailed as the star performer. Policymakers and analysts have...

24.12.2024 3

Business Recorder

Ali Khizar

Invest, but not for profit

The government and other key actors are grappling with conflicting objectives in addressing Pakistan’s economic challenges. On the one hand, they...

17.12.2024 10

Business Recorder

Ali Khizar

Electricity tariffs: full cost recovery model no longer sustainable

In the energy sector, nothing seems to be working to increase consumption on the grid. The concept of full cost recovery from the consumer is...

10.12.2024 10

Business Recorder

Ali Khizar

Falling farm income reverberates across wider economy

One of the key reasons for macroeconomic stability is the decline in commodity prices, driven by both global and domestic factors. However, this...

02.12.2024 20

Business Recorder

Ali Khizar

Stabilisation without growth: ventilators are not for recovery

No doubt, macroeconomic indicators are improving. The current account is stable, with a surplus expected in FY25. Inflation has fallen to single...

25.11.2024 10

Business Recorder

Ali Khizar

PIA sell-off challenge: crash-landing was long in the making

Six months ago, the buzz in Islamabad was that foreign airline giants were lining up to acquire a seemingly beleaguered Pakistan International...

18.11.2024 10

Business Recorder

Ali Khizar

Disconnecting captive power: balancing between costs and efficiency

The more one writes about Pakistan’s energy sector mess, the less it seems to cover. The latest issue involves the government’s commitment to the...

11.11.2024 7

Business Recorder

Ali Khizar

Missteps and missed marks: macroeconomic stability is just a distant mirage

Despite ostensibly achieving some macroeconomic stability—as evidenced by falling inflation, a stable exchange rate, and an improved fiscal...

04.11.2024 20

Business Recorder

Ali Khizar

Banking on missteps: latest tax policy will distort financial system

One of the more short-sighted fiscal measures recently introduced is the higher tax on banking income from government securities. This tax is...

28.10.2024 5

Business Recorder

Ali Khizar

Squeezing lemons: the fallout of lazy reforms

The government is resorting to lazy reforms, putting pressure on the known and compliant while ignoring systemic inefficiencies. This is glaringly...

21.10.2024 10

Business Recorder

Ali Khizar

Victimising local IPP sponsors risks scaring future investment

The first round of IPP negotiations has concluded, resulting in the termination of five contracts through coercive measures—though labeled as...

14.10.2024 3

Business Recorder

Ali Khizar

Transforming maturity profile of domestic debt

Inflation is falling rapidly, nearing a four-year low, with FY25 (July 2024–June 2025) average inflation expected to fall within the SBP’s...

07.10.2024 7

Business Recorder

Ali Khizar

Beyond stabilisation: challenges and opportunities

The IMF board has finally approved a $7 billion package, with the first tranche already disbursed. Economic stabilization appears to be secured....

30.09.2024 4

Business Recorder

Ali Khizar

Economy has been nursed to some semblance of health

There is some semblance of macroeconomic stability in Pakistan as inflation decreases, interest rates fall, and the currency stabilizes, primarily...

23.09.2024 3

Business Recorder

Ali Khizar

Why monetary policy prudence is a virtue

The upcoming monetary policy announcement on September 12th comes at a time when headline inflation has dropped to single digits for the first time...

09.09.2024 2

Business Recorder

Ali Khizar

Digital dilemma: building a firewall against growth

In today’s world, internet connectivity is as essential as electricity or running water. Remarkably, it remains one of the few services in...

19.08.2024 6

Business Recorder

Ali Khizar

Task force on IPPs: another wild goose chase?

The formation of the Energy Task Force on Independent Power Producers (IPPs) appears to be a distraction from the real issues plaguing the energy...

12.08.2024 6

Business Recorder

Ali Khizar

Restore macroeconomic stability to revive private sector credit

Since the 2008 economic crisis, the private sector’s contribution to economic growth has been marginal, replaced in large part public sector...

29.07.2024 2

Business Recorder

Ali Khizar

Smoke and mirrors

Pakistan’s energy sector is in a peculiar mess. On paper, the electricity supply is sufficient at a lower energy cost compared to the past....

22.07.2024 3

Business Recorder

Ali Khizar

Challenge of lower growth: IMF bailout insufficient

The IMF Staff-Level Agreement (SLA) for $7 billion programme is done. However, that does not ensure revival of the economic growth which is...

15.07.2024 2

Business Recorder

Ali Khizar