1 litre of milk costs about a third of the average wage, 1 kg of powdered milk eats up approximately half and a loaf of bread is almost a quarter. Prices double nearly every 15 days! Even the revised IMF year end inflation projection for the country is 200,000%! Over 3 million people have immigrated,…
Food security is of central importance to national security. That it was not been realized is surprising given that the sieges of forts and were only successful by forming them into cities starvation Now it will have to remain central to our security imperatives. With a population of more than 200 million people more than…
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) being the 2nd largest economy of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and Middle East and North Africa (MENA) has now become the role model for others in the fight against COVID-19. The government of UAE has announced economic package of approximately AED 26.5 billion ($7.2 billion or 2 percent of…
Last month, the PM Imran Khan announced the country’s biggest emergency cash program, with a value of Rs 144bn, to disburse Rs 12,000 to approx. 12m beneficiaries. The World Bank has praised the PTI government’s EHSAAS welfare program, and its effectiveness in providing aid under the critical threat environment formed by the sharp spike in…
Afghans are not known for abiding by treaties and agreements, they are also poor performers in handling intra-Afghan negotiations. Both the Taliban and the US troops are accusing each other of violating the peace agreement and the dysfunctional Afghan government is playing spoilers. May be implementation of the agreement is more messy than the process…
Vegetables constitute an integral component of our cropping pattern but the increasing pressure on food and cash crops has limited the area under vegetables to about 3.1% of the total cropped area. Because they have a shorter maturity period vegetables fit well in most farming systems. Vegetables provide proteins, minerals and vitamins required for human…
Context The Core versus Peripheral Islamic world theory is one of the key themes Politact has been following for over a decade. One of the premises of this construct is that the Core of the Islamic world represented mainly by the Arab Gulf states, including Iraq, Syria, and Jordan have been gradually losing influence. On…
Pakistan is passing through the most critical time in history due to the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19). During the past few months, the government has decided to invest its full potential to fight with this health challenge. The outbreak of coronavirus in Wuhan city and its spread outside of China has posed a serious…
Pakistan is climatically capable of growing fruits easily and in abundance. Evidence for the growth of fruit and vegetables in the subcontinent has been provided from ancient times, citriculture is known from the Indus valley for some 4000 years. The climatic diversity is such that it allows cultivation of nearly all types of fruit temperate,…
The Ehsaas program, which falls under the Poverty Alleviation and Social Safety Division, officially started last year. This kicked into effect as a lifesaver to the country just as the pandemic hit and cases surged throughout the country. The efficiency of the material purpose of the program was soon to be tested in practical terms…
