Crisis Economics in a Time of Extreme Polarisation

In the latest Tabadlab Live, Pakistan’s Federal Minister for Finance Dr. Miftah Ismail discusses the ongoing financial crisis in the country and the threat of a default. The conversation also focuses on the series of policy breakdowns that have led to this current situation and some longterm that need to start happening quickly to break the boom bust cycle.

Chapters
0:00 - Countdown
0:25 - Introduction
1:51 - Key Decisions by the Government
5:15 - Delay in the Petrol Price Hike
8:25 - Job of the Finance Minister
11:55 - Should the State Bank be Autonomous?
13:59 - Debts and Loans
15:21 - The Ban on Imports
19:58 - Different Outcomes from the Same Cycle
24:20 - Taxation Process in Pakistan
26:40 - Three Steps to Stabilize the Economy
28:05 - Sale of Publicly Held Assets
33:00 - Sovereign Wealth Fund in Pakistan
34:40 - Reform Program for an Imbalanced Economy
37:38 - Meetings with the Opposition
40:27 - The State Bank Governor of Pakistan
43:26 - Incoming IMF loans
45:49 - Closing Remarks