Author Archives: Asif Saeed Memon

Failure all around

Posted on June 7, 2011 by Asif Saeed Memon

A version of this article was published in Dawn on June 8, 2011. It was written after the PNS Mehran attacks and before the murder of Syed Saleem Shahzad. We Pakistanis – even those of us who have become cynical … Continue reading →

Posted in Pakistan, Policy, Politics | 4 Comments

Missing the policy window

Posted on May 13, 2011 by Asif Saeed Memon

Conspiracy theories about what actually happened on the outskirts of Abbottabad on the 1st of May aside, one of the upshots of those events has been a more open re-examination (at least in some of the English language dailies) of … Continue reading →

Posted in Pakistan, Policy, Politics | 2 Comments

Storm in a teacup

Posted on May 8, 2011 by Asif Saeed Memon

A version of this article was published in Dawn on May 8, 2011 I never read ‘Three cups of tea’. Something about its ‘white man stumbles upon brown misery, then sets about correcting it using his all-American heartland gusto, saving … Continue reading →

Posted in Education, Pakistan, Policy | 1 Comment

If wishes were horses…

Posted on April 29, 2011 by Asif Saeed Memon

In his column in Dawn, Akbar Zaidi argues against the need for further IMF loans for Pakistan: At the moment, Pakistan’s foreign exchange reserves, which include previously lent IMF money, are sufficient, and while some international payments need to be … Continue reading →

Posted in Economics, Pakistan, Policy, Politics | Leave a comment

A bitter goodbye to Pakistan’s 2011 World Cup campaign

Posted on March 31, 2011 by Asif Saeed Memon

Before the tournament I had said that I would be happy if Pakistan made it to the semifinal. That within the context – 4 years of turmoil, the loss of our first-choice opening bowlers, the waning pace and bro ken … Continue reading →

Posted in Pakistan, South Asia | 3 Comments

And justice for all

Posted on March 23, 2011 by Asif Saeed Memon

A version of this article was published in Dawn on March 24, 2011. The legal drama of the ‘Raymond Davis killings’ (is that a suitable moniker for the event?) was brought to an end under the Shara’i mechanism of Diyat … Continue reading →

Posted in Economics, Pakistan, Policy, Religion | 1 Comment

Radical Islam and business in cahoots, apparently

Posted on March 21, 2011 by Asif Saeed Memon

I have always found Nadeem Farooq Paracha’s (known in Pakistan and elsewhere as NFP) writing interesting; both in his earlier incarnation as music critic and his current one as social and political commentator (on his Smoker’s Corner blog for Dawn … Continue reading →

Posted in Pakistan, Politics, Religion, Society | 6 Comments

Addressing Pakistan’s energy problems

Posted on March 7, 2011 by Asif Saeed Memon

Two pieces in the Express-Tribune address Pakistan’s ongoing energy worries today. Targeting the gaping hole in energy finance, which has led to the infamous circular debt problem, Shoaib Hamid argues for reducing line losses as opposed to increasing tariffs. He … Continue reading →

Posted in Economics, Pakistan, Policy, South Asia | Leave a comment

Pakistan and India: divided by commerce

Posted on February 22, 2011 by Asif Saeed Memon

The Washington Post’s Karen Bruilliard presents a brief, but telling, analysis of Pakistan-India trade (or the lack thereof): “Pakistan and India share language, culture, history and an 1,800-mile border; they are South Asia’s largest economies. What they barely share is … Continue reading →

Posted in Economics, Foreign Policy, Pakistan, South Asia | Leave a comment

Pak-Afghan Transit Trade agreement on hold

Posted on February 16, 2011 by Asif Saeed Memon

Implementation of the Afghanistan-Pakistan Transit Trade Agreement (APTTA) is on hold indefinitely. According to an official at the Ministry of Commerce (Pakistan), the hold up is because of a disagreement between the two sides about how to guarantee goods imported … Continue reading →

Posted in Economics, Pakistan, South Asia | Leave a comment