Video Appearances

What Does Budget 2026-27 Bring for the Public, Businesses & the State?

Hosted by: PRIME Institute

Summary:

I analyze the budget’s impact on international trade, firm productivity, and industrial development, questioning if it genuinely shifts the competitiveness of Pakistani firms. I point out that the country’s trade and tax architecture is finally moving in a positive direction by lowering input costs and lightening the tax burden on exporters. I highlight the National Tariff Policy as a crucial tool for unwinding the anti-export bias, specifically praising the compression of customs duties and the reduction of maximum tariff slabs. Despite these positive steps, I warn that the macroeconomic environment remains challenging, as high inflation and rising interest rates increase the cost of working capital for businesses.I conclude that while this is a commendable pro-export budget, building long-term productive capacity requires consistent execution and policy persistence over multiple years.

One Big Idea 2: What Pakistan’s Top Economists Would Fix

Hosted by: SIA & Haque Economics

Summary:

In this video segment, I highlight the critical role of small traders as the micro-engine of Pakistan’s economy and the challenges they face with the “digital-manual paradox.” While we have excellent platforms like the Pakistan Single Window, redundant physical banking and registration requirements prevent smaller enterprises from fully benefiting. I advocate for the complete digitalization of cross-border trade, including smartphone-based biometrics, paperless trade finance, and green digital channels for smaller transactions. Ultimately, shifting to a purely digital regulatory culture will eliminate these bureaucratic barriers, connect our small businesses to global e-commerce, and significantly boost our export capabilities.

Fuel, Energy and Fertilizer Prices to Rise Further in Pakistan - Shipping Paralysed in Hormuz

Hosted by: PRIME Institute

Summary: In this discussion, I analyze the severe economic implications of global supply shocks, specifically looking at the energy crisis stemming from the Strait of Hormuz closure. I highlight how Pakistan’s limited strategic reserves and heavy reliance on imported fuel create a domino effect, driving up transportation, fertilizer, and food costs. To build resilience against such external shocks, I emphasize that we must prioritize long-term structural reforms and allow natural economic adjustments rather than imposing strict import constraints. Ultimately, I argue for a strategic shift toward renewable energy adoption and deeper integration into regional trade networks to boost our industrial productivity and export competitiveness.

Can Pakistan Build a Competitive Economy? Role of Research, Collaboration & Trade Policies

Hosted by: SIA & Haque Economics

Summary: In this discussion, I critique the prevailing mindset within Pakistan’s economic and academic circles, highlighting how excessive regulatory burdens, misaligned exchange rates, and a lack of constructive dialogue stifle our export potential. I advocate for shifting our focus from merely restricting imports to utilizing them as a tool for acquiring technology and building our productive capacity. Furthermore, I emphasize the urgent need for a robust peer-review culture and a shift away from chasing publication numbers, urging instead for genuine, collaborative economic thinking to develop home-grown, reform-driven policies.

How to Design the National Tariff Policy

Hosted by: PRIME Institute

Summary: In this discussion on designing the National Tariff Policy, I explore why Pakistan’s historical reliance on protectionist trade strategies, like high tariffs meant to limit imports and generate revenue, has stifled our industrial competitiveness and triggered chronic balance of payments crises. Using examples like our automobile sector, I illustrate how shielding domestic industries removes the incentive to innovate or produce high-quality, exportable goods. I advocate for an open economy model, similar to successful East Asian countries, where firms are exposed to global competition and integrated into global value chains. To truly grow, we must shift our focus away from import restrictions toward building the productive capabilities of our firms, adopting non-tariff quality measures, and pursuing strategic regional trade agreements.

Should India-Pakistan Trade Resume?

Hosted by: InferTalks

Summary: In this conversation on India-Pakistan bilateral relations, I highlight how resuming trade between the two countries, despite current political hostilities, is essential for boosting regional productivity and tackling Pakistan’s balance of payments crisis. I argue that trade deficits aren’t inherently problematic if we import essential inputs, like cheaper Indian cotton or IT services, to enhance our own export-ready value chains. I also emphasize the massive potential in cross-border services, regional connectivity through transit hubs, and utilizing “low-hanging fruits” like “cricket diplomacy” and cultural exchanges to gradually rebuild confidence and normalize relations. Ultimately, the long-term economic gains of integration far outweigh the costs of limiting trade.

A talk on ‘Pakistan Trade Landscape’

Hosted by: Centre of Business and Economics Research, IBA Karachi

Summary: In this podcast episode, I host Syed Aftab Haider, CEO of Pakistan Single Window (PSW), to discuss the transformation of Pakistan’s cross-border trade through digitization. We explore how the PSW platform integrates 77 government agencies, dramatically reducing compliance times and eliminating physical bureaucratic hurdles for traders. Aftab highlights the system’s tangible impact, such as cutting customs registration down to just 20 minutes, while also emphasizing PSW’s commitment to digital inclusion and empowering women entrepreneurs. We conclude our conversation by discussing the critical need to bridge academia and policy, exploring opportunities for fresh graduates and university collaborations to further enhance Pakistan’s trade ecosystem.

Export Facilitation Scheme (EFS) - Trade Made Easy Webinar Series

Hosted by: Sustainable Development Policy Institute & Pakistan Single Window

Summary: In this webinar on the Export Facilitation Scheme, I discussed how information asymmetry is one of the biggest hurdles for our small businesses looking to export. I highlighted how digital platforms like the Pakistan Single Window and the Trade Information Portal can act as a “One-Stop Shop” to bridge this knowledge gap, reduce physical and bureaucratic bottlenecks, and better integrate our exporters into global value chains. Ultimately, improving digital trade facilitation is key to making Pakistan’s exports resilient during crises.

Agenda Setting for Climate Change: How can academic research generate policy impact within the energy sector?

Hosted by: Consortium for Development Policy Research & World Bank

Trump’s Tariffs - Will tariffs reduce the US trade deficit?

Hosted by: Naya Pakistan, Geo News

Summary: In this talk show segment, I discuss the likely outcomes of Donald Trump’s proposed reciprocal tariffs aimed at reducing the US trade deficit and reviving American manufacturing. I explain that the US economy has fundamentally transitioned into a service-oriented economy, excelling in IT and professional services, while its manufacturing base has long shifted to East Asia. Consequently, imposing tariffs won’t magically bring labor-intensive jobs, like textile or shoe manufacturing, back to the US due to high domestic labor costs and shifting immigration policies. Ultimately, I argue that these tariffs will fail to rebuild the US manufacturing sector and instead penalize American consumers by causing product shortages and driving up prices.

IRAN–US/ISRAEL WAR FALLOUT ON PAKISTAN’S ECONOMY

Hosted by: Pakistan Economic Frontier

Summary: In this panel discussion on the geopolitical fallout in the Middle East, I analyze the severe macroeconomic shocks Pakistan faces due to disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz. Because nearly 85% of our imported oil passes through this chokepoint, any global price spike immediately balloons our import bill, widens the current account deficit, and threatens our precarious foreign exchange reserves. I caution that this scenario will inevitably trigger higher input costs, demand compression, and aggressive monetary tightening by the State Bank to anchor inflation—ultimately risking currency devaluation and a slowdown in industrial growth.

Trump’s Trade Shock as A Wake-Up Call for Pakistan

Hosted by: Pakistan Economic Frontier

Summary: In this webinar, I dissect how Trump’s proposed tariffs threaten our textile exports, suggesting we instead leverage our massive US raw cotton imports to create value-added garments for alternative markets. I also argue that our historical reliance on subsidies and protectionist policies has severely stifled domestic innovation, meaning we must finally embrace market competition and allow inefficient businesses to fail. Furthermore, artificial currency manipulation and the burning of foreign reserves to peg the rupee only fuel speculation and deter the long-term capital investment we desperately need. To survive in the global market and meet strict Non-Tariff Measures, we must urgently shift our import basket from basic commodities toward high-tech manufacturing machinery. Ultimately, breaking this cycle of poor economic governance requires establishing independent, data-driven think tanks to counter self-interested business lobbies and push for genuine structural reform.

A Conversation on Pakistan’s Trade Competitiveness with Aadil Nakhoda by Learners’ Republic

Hosted by: Learners’ Republic

Summary: In this discussion, I critique Pakistan’s reliance on revenue-driven tariffs, which has created a complex “SRO culture” and an anti-export bias that stifles industrial innovation. I argue that suppressing imports to manage balance-of-payment crises is a counterproductive “catch-22” that hurts productivity and export competitiveness. To break this cycle, we must pivot toward non-tariff measures (NTMs) and global quality standards, while ensuring our firms have seamless, cost-effective access to global inputs. Ultimately, Pakistan must move beyond protected local markets to foster an export-oriented ecosystem that prioritizes high-tech integration, SME empowerment, and data-driven policymaking.

Building the Economy of Pakistan with Innovative & Competitive Goods w/ Aadil Nakhoda

Hosted by: PRIME Institute

Summary: In this discussion, I explain why Pakistan’s obsession with import controls and revenue-collecting tariffs is backfiring, creating an anti-competitive ecosystem that stifles innovation. Protecting domestic industries from competition merely breeds inefficiency, leaving us with stagnant, low-value exports instead of the dynamic, high-tech output seen in East Asian peers. I argue that we must pivot from this inward-looking protectionism toward pro-competitive measures, leveraging platforms like the Pakistan Single Window to reduce trade costs. Ultimately, long-term growth requires fostering a vibrant SME sector and ensuring our firms have seamless, cost-effective access to global inputs to compete on quality rather than subsidies.