Salman Zaidi and Dr. Asad Sayeed reflect on the federal budget and discuss the structural bottlenecks ailing Pakistan's economy.

This conversation contextualises the weak structural foundations of Pakistan’s economy, necessary to mark out a prognosis for recovery in a post-COVID future. Dr. Asad Sayeed critically evaluates the policy instruments used by the government in the midst of the pandemic on the benchmark of their impact on growth, stabilisation and on alleviating the stress that the poor and vulnerable have been subjected to.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi met senior pro-India politicians from Occupied Kashmir at his residence yesterday for the first time since he removed the region’s semi-autonomous status and imposed a widespread crackdown almost two years ago to discuss the potential restoring statehood in IIOJK. Regional leaders said they pressed their demand for restoration of statehood and limited autonomy at the talks.

Some questions that arise from this development must be addressed; Why is BJP pushing for delimitation in Kashmir? Can one expect a substantial rollback of the unilateral actions that were taken by the BJP government on August 5? How is Pakistan viewing this development and will it be satisfied by just the reinstatement of statehood?

Moderator:
Salman Zaidi – Director Programs, Jinnah Institute

Panelists:
Aziz Ahmad Khan – Former Ambassador
Tehmina Janjua – Former Foreign Secretary
Zahid Hussain – Journalist and Author

With a complete US troop withdrawal from Afghanistan on the horizon for September 2021, some pressing questions that have emerged vis a vis Pakistan and the region’s security must be addressed.

Post-COVID Futures: Economic Recovery and Rebuilding

Moderator:
-Khurram Husain, Economic Journalist, Pakistan

Panelists:
-Dr. Asad Sayeed, Associate Fellow IDEAS, Pakistan
-Dr. Aqdas Afzal, Program Director Economics, Habib University, Pakistan

The Jinnah Institute is compiling a research report on Post-COVID futures which evaluates the economic response to the ongoing pandemic, what the prospects are of an economic recovery, and whether the recovery will be a robust one considering Pakistan’s structural constraints. In anticipation of the launch of this report, JI brought together the authors of the report to discuss their findings and recommendations.

“There is no clarity on who will guarantee the Afghan peace or if there is a guarantor at all. Clarity is also needed on what outcomes we are looking at in any timelined future,” stated Senator Sherry Rehman, at Jinnah Institute’s policy roundtable webinar titled, ‘Negotiating the Endgame in Afghanistan: A Tale of Many Peace Processes’ on August 22, 2020. State stability, political power, solvency and the fragility of vulnerable groups would have to be strengthened for the peace process to be successful. It was also important to determine who takes responsibility for what happens in Afghanistan. Success of the talks was important for Kabul and for the US, and equally significant was the need to define ‘success’ for both. Senator Rehman also went on to discuss how Pakistan was assuming responsibility for restricting movement along the border by putting up a fence to be able to adjudicate peacefully.

COVID-19's rapid spread has created fear and anxiety across the world. Those observing self isolation are feeling the effects on their mental and emotional health.

Watch our videographic to learn ways to support yourself during the pandemic.

In this latest feature on ‘Environment and Rights’, experts discuss the nexus between demographic stress and climate induced vulnerabilities. The pressures on marginalized groups exacerbate as they move from rural to urban settings, where per capita water, food, and energy allocations are diminishing. Pakistan’s labour slowly be opting out of the agricultural sector, but the overall economy is firmly entrenched in the water-guzzling primary sector. How and when Pakistan’s adaptation mechanisms can reduce vulnerability through evidence backed forecasts becomes the subject of debate in In Perspective.

Experts Aisha Khan, Shafqat Kakakhel and Zeba Sathar speak with Salman Zaidi.