December 2019

JWT Magazine November 2019 issue

A threat to the idea of South Asia

A threat to the idea of South Asia What India’s Citizenship Amendment Bill intends to do Let us not beat about the bush. The essence of the Citizenship Amendment Bill (CAB) can be collapsed into just one sentence: It is meant to reduce India’s Muslims to second-class citizens; proof of their Indianness endlessly demanded but never fully accepted. The subtext …

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For good governance, Pakistan needs civil service reforms

For good governance, Pakistan needs civil service reforms. But which reforms are the right reforms? Pakistan ranks within the bottom third percentile of all countries included in the World Bank’s Worldwide Governance Indicators. More worrying for government policymakers is the fact that over the past two decades there has been little improvement in these key indicators such as government effectiveness, …

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Pakistan’s National Tariff Policy – a positive step

Pakistan’s National Tariff Policy – a positive step ISLAMABAD: There is no constituency for free trade in Pakistan. While the rest of the developing world has largely embraced free trade, notwithstanding recent protectionist tendencies in the United States, Pakistan has not made much progress in that direction. According to the National Tariff Policy (NTP) 2019, Pakistan has been unable to …

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New policy: Electric vehicles a turning point for Pakistan’s auto sector

New policy: Electric vehicles a turning point for Pakistan’s auto sector KARACHI: The automobile sector of Pakistan is expected to undergo a drastic transformation over the next decade as the government has approved the electric vehicle (EV) policy, paving the way for introducing such vehicles in the market of 207 million people. The policy provides multiple incentives for electric vehicle …

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The end of neoliberalism and the rebirth of history

The end of neoliberalism and the rebirth of history At the end of the Cold War, political scientist Francis Fukuyama wrote a celebrated essay called “The End of History?” Communism’s collapse, he argued, would clear the last obstacle separating the entire world from its destiny of liberal democracy and market economies. Many people agreed. Today, as we face a retreat …

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Why VAT is said to be a Good Tax?

Why VAT is said to be a Good Tax? Bilal Hassan Since gradual adoption in France from 1948 to 1968, value-added tax (VAT) has rapidly spread across the globe, and is a leading source of tax revenue in many countries. According to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), some 166 countries operated VAT/GST up to 2016. With implementation …

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Money Laundering and Counter-terrorism Financing

Money Laundering and Counter-terrorism Financing in the Legal System of Pakistan Kamran Adil Introduction The Asia/Pacific Group (APG) On Money Laundering of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) issued a Mutual Evaluation Report (hereinafter MER) on Pakistan in October 2019. It is an interesting read for anyone interested in understanding governance in Pakistan. It maps the trajectory of policymaking and …

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Kartarpur Corridor

Kartarpur Corridor “The certain pathway to all things that you want is through the corridor of joy,” Esther Hicks. On November 09, when confrontation and mistrust is the order of the day in the Subcontinent, Pakistan took a major step towards peace. On this very important day in the history of this region, Prime Minister Imran Khan inaugurated the Kartarpur …

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Imran Khan’s Regional Peace Mission

Imran Khan’s Regional Peace Mission Shamshad Ahmad Prime Minister of Pakistan, Imran Khan, has been on a mission for justice to the Kashmiri people, and for peace and tranquility in Pakistan’s troubled neighbourhood.  After his resounding performance in advocating the Kashmir cause at the UN General Assembly and placing the issue high on the global radar screen in September, Khan …

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