Pakistonomy

Zafar Masud, President and CEO of The Bank of Punjab, discusses transitioning away from a cash economy in Pakistan. Topics include reducing cash in circulation, fiscal deficits, demonetization in Pakistan and India, financial inclusion, debt restructuring, and the importance of banks and cultural understanding.

Uzair talks to Zeeshan Salahuddin about the climate crisis and its impact on Pakistan. We focus on the fallout from the catastrophic floods in 2022, why the response was weak and the path forward for the country. Zeeshan is the Director for the Center for Regional and Global Connectivity (CRGC) at Tabadlab, a think tank and advisory services firm that works with businesses, international organisations, and governments to solve their most pressing challenges. Chapters: 0:00 Introduction 1:30 Overview of the climate crisis 6:40 Capital needs and debt 13:24 Taxing to become client resilient 17:00 Youth involvement 23:25 Capacity issues in Pakistan 26:50 Role of finance 32:20 Focus for 2024 and beyond 44:00 Optimizing the economy 51:10 Conclusion

Asim Kidwai, co-founder and CEO at LOKAL, talks about Pakistan's tourism sector and how LOKAL is scaling an affordable tourism ecosystem. They discuss modernizing hotels, the state of the tourism industry, market growth strategy, hiring the right talent, and scaling in an economic crisis. Asim also gives reading recommendations and reflects on Anthony Bourdain's impact on travel.

Beatriz Navarro, former appointed diplomat at the Mexican Embassy in the United States, discusses Mexico's economic growth due to US-China competition. Topics include investment in Mexico, AMLO's politics, military's growing role, and electoral outlook.

Uzair talks to Ammar Khan about the ongoing electricity and dollar crises in Pakistan, exploring ways to resolve these issues. They discuss the power crisis, dollar rate, smuggling, demonetization, disruption in the system, healthcare, and the importance of financial inclusion.

In this episode, the podcast discusses the weakness of the Pakistani rupee and the real driver behind it - money supply growth. They also explore the bleak outlook for the economy, how to stop the vicious cycle, and share views on the SIFC. The hosts analyze the divergence between projected and actual monetary aggregates, challenges in debt restructuring and decision making, and the limits of mining as a solution. They also discuss trade flows, concerns about the stability of the rupee, and the problem of inflation in Pakistan.

In this episode, Uzair talks to Dr. Asfandyar Mir about the evolving political and security situation in Afghanistan. We also talked about the terror landscape in the country and its impact on regional powers. Finally, we talked about the growing terror threat in Pakistan and why the Afghan Taliban have been unwilling to stop the TTP from using Afghan soil to target Pakistsan. Dr. Mir is a senior expert in the South Asia program at USIP and his research interests include the international relations of South Asia, U.S. counterterrorism policy and political violence — with a regional focus on Afghanistan and Pakistan. You can read his article here - https://www.usip.org/publications/2023/08/two-years-under-taliban-afghanistan-terrorist-safe-haven-once-again Chapters: 0:00 Introduction 1:50 The overall situation in Afghanistan 18:50 The terror landscape in the region 38:45 Why is the TTP finding havens? 46:40 Reasons for confusion in Pakistan 57:20 Politics in Pakistan and its impact

In this episode, Uzair talks to Ammar Ali Jan about the last five years of democratic rule in Pakistan, the outlook for the next twelve months, and why the country is likely to face growing instability. We also talked about Ammar’s own political work in Lahore and why left-wing politics is necessary as an alternative means to engage people at the grassroots level. Chapters: 0:00 Introduction 2:20 Democratic backsliding in Pakistan 14:30 Outlook for the next 12 months 21:16 The left’s political agenda 34:40 Culture of resistance in Pakistan 40:10 Reading recommendations Reading Recommendations - How China Escaped Shock Therapy by Isabella Weber

In this episode, Uzair talks to Mutaher Khan about the state of Pakistan’s startup ecosystem and the outlook for the next 12-18 months. Mutaher is a technology and business journalist, and co-founder of Data Darbar. Chapters: 0:00 Introduction 1:45 State of the ecosystem 18:18 Why did big startups collapse? 29:05 Talent demand for tech 40:50 Impact of legislation and policy 52:20 Outlook for next 12 months 1:01:50 Reading recommendations Reading recommendations: - India Wins Freedom by Maulana Azad - Cornered Tiger by Adam Licudi and Wasim Raja - Patras Kay Mazameen by Patras Bokhari

Access to quality healthcare is a major challenge across Pakistan. This is especially true for those of us who are abroad and need to find quality healthcare for our loved ones back home. Human-Healthcare aims to solve this problem, providing a one-stop concierge service for healthcare needs in the country. In this episode, Uzair talks to Dr. Atif Zafar about the startup, how and why it was founded, and the ways in which it is providing quality care in the country. We also talked about some of the challenges the team has faced, and the plans for growth. Atif Zafar is a physician leader originally from Karachi, Pakistan. He is trained in the US including at the Cleveland Clinic. He is currently working as the chief of the stroke program at a major university hospital in Toronto. He is also a faculty, teaching medical students, residents, and fellows at the University of Toronto. He has built clinical programs both in the US and Canada. His latest effort is very unique. The startup human-healthcare.com has been launched in Karachi where overseas Pakistanis can get their family experience VIP medical care at home under the supervision of US, UK, and Canada-based specialists. Chapters: 0:00 Introduction 2:30 Vision and mission 11:45 What has worked and not worked? 19:10 Recruiting talent and building the ecosystem 24:10 How to get their services? 35:10 Providing specialist services to patients 41:20 Growth strategy 44:33 Reading recommendations Reading recommendations: - Antifragile by Nassim Taleb - Presuasion by Robert Cialdini - The Evolution of Cooperation by Robert Axelrod