Pakistonomy

This episode focuses on the ongoing and worsening crisis in Balochistan, where militancy is rising and the political process shows no signs of improving. Rafiullah Kakar joins Uzair to explain what is going on in the province, the root causes of the insurgency, and why a number of political problems have added fuel to the burning fire in Balochistan.

Finally, Rafiullah also discusses his research on the structural and constitutional drivers of the core political economy issues in the province, with the conversation concluding on what can be done to alleviate the crisis in Balochistan.

Rafiullah Kakar is a policy analyst currently pursuing a PhD at Cambridge University, where he is seeking to understand the political economy of sub-national state capacity through a comparative study of education policy in two Pakistani provinces: Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

You can read Rafiullah Kakar’s paper that was discussed on the podcast here: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/14662043.2024.2382458

Chapters:

0:00 Introduction

1:50 Worsening militancy in Balochistan

17:10 Engaging with young political leaders

25:50 India’s role in the insurgency

32:20 Is the status quo secure?

36:10 Structural drivers of the issues

47:20 Devolution of power

56:00 Competition in politics

This episode focuses on the latest developments in Pakistan’s startup and innovation ecosystem Uzair talks to Sarah Munir about the latest findings from invest2innovate’s 2024 Startup Ecosystem Report.

Sarah is CEO at invest2innovate and has over 15 years of experience in driving impact and fueling growth. invest2innovate supports startup communities in growth markets and has been working in Pakistan since 2011.

You can read the full report here - https://invest2innovate.com/ecosystem-reports/

Chapters:

0:00 Introduction

3:50 Key findings and learnings

11:30 Learnings for young entrepreneurs

14:30 Learning for investors

17:20 Policy and regulatory issues

23:10 Cultural shifts around entrepreneurship

27:10 Critical thinking and innovation

30:00 Opportunities for growth

33:30 Going beyond maturity

37:08 Reading recommendations

Reading Recommendations:

- Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking by Susan Cain

- Shoe Dog: A Memoir by the Creator of Nike by Phil Knight

- Alibaba: The House That Jack Ma Built by Duncan Clark

- Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones by James Clear

In this episode, Uzair talks to Dr. Qamar Cheema about Pakistan’s foreign policy priorities, including relations with Afghanistan and the United States. We also talked about whether Donald Trump will intervene in Pakistan’s affairs to help release Imran Khan.

Dr. Qamar Cheema is Executive Director of the Sanober Institute, a think tank based in Islamabad.

Chapters:

0:00 Introduction

2:00 Afghanistan relations

18:20 Trump releasing Khan?

26:10 Pakistan-Iran relations

31:05 Erdogan’s trip to Pakistan

37:20 Chinese disappointment

In this episode, Uzair talks to Khurram Husain about the PML-N government’s economic performance over the last year. We talked about how IMF stabilization is the easy part, why generating growth risks creating the same problems for the country, and the ways in which business interest groups are advocating for a return to past policies.

Chapters:

0:00 Introduction

1:20 Performance review

8:10 Reasons for lack of reforms

20:30 Stabilization a big achievement?

29:40 SBP’s role in killing inflation

In this episode, Uzair talks to Amir Husain about DeepSeek’s innovations in the world of artificial intelligence, which has been described as a “Sputnik Moment” by many in the technology world. We also talked about how DeepSeek achieved these innovations and what they tell us about China’s innovation ecosystem. Finally, Amir shares his view on export controls on cutting-edge technology and whether it helps achieve U.S. national security goals.

Amir Husain is a serial entrepreneur, veteran AI technologist, and author based in Austin, Texas. He has received widespread acclaim for his pioneering work, including Austin’s Top Entrepreneur award and inclusion in Austin’s 40 Under 40.

In 2013, Amir founded SparkCognition, now Avathon. Under Amir’s leadership, the company achieved a unicorn valuation, marking a significant milestone in its journey. As the Founder and Executive Board Member of this award-winning AI company, Amir led the firm as CEO from its inception until the end of 2023.

Amir has been awarded over 30 patents in AI and distributed systems. He serves on UT Austin’s Computer Science Board, NATO’s Innovation Advisory Board and the Board of Global Venture Bridge, fostering international entrepreneurial collaboration. He is the author of the best-selling book “The Sentient Machine,” a co-author of “Hyperwar: Conflict and Competition in the AI Century”, and has recently published “Generative Art”, “Generative AI for Leaders” and “Serious Machines.”

Chapters:

0:00 Introduction

1:10 What did DeepSeek achieve?

19:20 US-China Chip Wars and Export Controls

33:10 Sputnik Moment and Choices for America

In this episode, Uzair talks to Ankur Bhardwaj about India’s economic slowdown and its root causes. We also talked about what options the government has to stimulate growth through the budget, and the reasons why the Indian Rupee has been weakening in recent weeks. Finally, we touched on major structural reforms that are needed in India and whether the Modi-led BJP government can push them through.

Ankur Bhardwaj is Web Editor at Business Standard.

Chapters:

0:00 Introduction

1:30 Slowing growth in India

10:10 Navigating the budget cycle

14:50 Reform priorities

19:20 Promoting exports

23:30 Navigating the politics of reforms

26:50 Risks in the near-term

In this episode Uzair talks to Ali Nazari about the current state of affairs in Afghanistan, the status of the resistance against the Taliban, and the ways in which the Taliban are allowing transnational terrorism to occur from Afghanistan.

Ali Nazari is Head of Foreign Relations for the National Resistance Front of Afghanistan (NRF). Ali began his career in communications at Khorasan TV, hosting a weekly show on politics and current affairs in Afghanistan. He then was Director of Media Affairs for Abdullah Abdullah's 2014 presidential campaign. As tensions between the Taliban and the government grew amidst the drawdown of NATO forces from Afghanistan, Nazary served as a chief foreign policy advisor and a liaison between Ahmad Massoud and foreign diplomats up until his departure from Kabul a few days after August 15, 2021. Since then, Nazary has served as Head of Foreign Relations for the NRF.

Chapters:

0:00 Introduction

1:50 The NRF and state of play in Afghanistan

6:50 Life under the Taliban

12:40 Pakistan’s bet on the Taliban

17:40 How can Pakistan change its Afghanistan policy?

24:30 Regional strategy

29:50 NRF and Pakistan relations

38:40 Expectations from Trump administration

43:40 Reading recommendations

Reading recommendations:

- In the Name of my Father: Struggling for Freedom in Afghanistan by Ahmad Massoud

- Afghanistan: A History from 1260 to the Present by Jonathan L. Lee

- Pakistan-Afghanistan Relations: Pitfalls and the Way Forward edited by Huma Baqai and Nausheen Wasi

In this episode, Uzair talks to Sardar Awais Leghari, Pakistan’s Federal Minister for Energy (Power Division), about the recently announced incentives for electric vehicle charging in Pakistan because of which tariffs will be cut by almost 45 percent. We spoke about why this announcement was made and what impact Minister Leghari anticipates as an outcome of these policy incentives.

We also spoke about near-term reform priorities in the power sector for 2025 and the minister’s views on uniform and competitive pricing for electricity in Pakistan.

Chapters:

0:00 Introduction

1:39 EV charging incentives

8:20 Solar net metering

16:20 Reform priorities for 2025

20:50 Competitive pricing

In this episode, Uzair talks to Amb. Asif Durrani about the state of Pakistan-Afghanistan relations and why they have soured. Amb. Durrani is the former special representative to Afghanistan and Senior Research Fellow at the Islamabad Policy Research Institute.

You can read his recent article here - https://stratheia.com/choose-between-pakistan-or-ttp/

In this episode, Uzair talks to Khurram Husain about what 2024 was like for Pakistan’s economy and the outlook for 2025. We discussed how stability was restored on the economic fronts, its associated costs, and why no real reform has happened so far under the current setup.

Chapters:

0:00 Introduction

0:58 Stability restored

7:10 Finance minister’s performance

16:47 Investor confidence in Pakistan

23:20 Outlook for 2025