Islamabad
How do we want to live? Our office in Islamabad has been working for a peaceful and progressive Pakistan since 1986. Since then FNF Pakistan office has been seeking to answer this very question: How do we want to live? As individuals we are all entitled to personal dignity and freedom. It has been FNF`s mission to make these principles valid for all. We want people to realize the project of their lives! We promote a social and political environment where every individual can become the pilot of his/her lives!
News
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Pakistan’s Challenges to Political Stability and Economic Revival
"Hopefully, the time has come when in the larger self-interest or in the face of a social meltdown a consensus will be reached at the highest level on a progressive agenda of tax reforms for implementation on a top priority basis." Dr. Hafeez A Pasha a Pakistani economist and former politician who has served as the Federal Minister for Finance unpacks how we can revive the economy and tackle the current challenges Pakistan is facing.
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Empowering Local Governments
From empowering local government to transparency in revenue generation, from continuity of policies to institutionalizing climate action into the third tier of government, Ms. Javaid covered the FNF and CPDI Consultative Session on Sindh Local Government Act 2023.
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How liberals can respond to current tensions?
From investigating the very concept of the Open Society from a philosophical perspective, to analyze them through the lens of political and societal aspects and concluding with identifying current geopolitical issues and how to respond to them and how to eradicate certain pluralist ideas from public discourse. Check out the guest commentary from Syed Wasif Naqvi as he shared his experience of the recent workshop at IAF Gummersbach on "Defending Open Societies"
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Pakistan's Parallel Foreign Exchange Market
The hundi/hawala network functions as an informal foreign exchange market through a network of hawala brokers located in various regions. These brokers offer more affordable and convenient services, primarily catering to the blue-collar Pakistani workforce, redirecting remittances away from official channels. Although this network poses regulatory challenges, exchange companies find it exceedingly challenging to sever their ties with the hawala network.
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Increasing Pakistan’s Exports
FNF Pakistan recently co-organized with the Foreign Services Academy, Islamabad a bespoke training on “International Trade Policy & Digital Economy” for the young and mid-career diplomats with Dr. Adil Nakhoda and Shehryar Hydri.
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The dignity of legislation
The recent absence of meaningful debate in the parliament of Pakistan dilutes the democratic authority as well as the demands it makes on other state actors and fellow citizens. Check out the analysis by Dr. Zia Ullah (Advocate Supreme Court of Pakistan) on Rule of Law as the guiding principle of legislation and democracy.
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Battle of Narratives
" I realized that how we were being portrayed in media wasn’t doing justice to the cost of our involvement in the war." From war on terrorism to a skewed narrative on the impact on every day Pakistani, how media in Pakistan failed its role to bring both sides of the story to the front, read Remshay Ahmed analysis on Pakistani media.
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Energy Transition and Food Security
Energy supplies and energy shortage have become a global issue since the Ukraine Russia war. However, for South Asia, energy supplies have been an issue even before the war. In December 2022 we invited Mr. Mujtaba Khan, CEO Reon Energy Pakistan, and Mr. Navam Niles, Research Consultant, Centre of Poverty Analysis, Sri Lanka, for an online web talk titled “Impact of the Ukraine-Russia War on Energy Transition and Food Security in Debt Ridden South Asian Nations“.
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Using Social Media Responsibly
The only way to control the spread of fake news and harassment on social media is to inform its most vulnerable users of the consequences. The youth must be made aware of the power they hold in the form of freedom of expression and a click on social media. But the task is monumental and demands immediate attention.
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Why every vote counts?
While one vote may seem unimportant, every single vote holds weight and can shape the outcome. Moonus Kainat explains how our partner CPDI's voter awareness sessions with youth in universities is discussing accessibility issues to address low voter turnout.
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Pakistan’s Budget 2023-24: Economic Assessment and Critique
The economic crisis in Pakistan is deepening, showing no signs of an imminent recovery, let alone sustainable growth. The country is grappling with severe financial strain, characterized by minimal reserves, escalating public debt, record-breaking inflation, and a rapidly depreciating currency. Against the backdrop of this economic meltdown and upcoming elections the government presented the annual budget 2023-2024 on 9 June. Read the critique by Dr Aneel Salman
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Power battle at the cost of stability
Pakistan needs mature leadership, supported by the majority, which can bring the country forward. The media and people must support this effort. The alternative scenario is disastrous and will engulf even the most powerful. Read the argument for cooler heads, dialogue and elections to once again centre the citizenry and focus on things that matter like economy rather than fanning the conflict.
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We the people
April 12, 2023 marks 50 years of 1973 Constitution of Pakistan. Despite disruptions (1977-1985 and 1999-2002), this historic document continues to serve as the ‘user manual of statecraft’ that provides shapes of social contract between the citizens and the state, defines the soul and spirit of the nation and outlines our institutional architecture. The occasion provides an opportunity to examine what has worked well and what needs to be improved,
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Innovations in Facilitation and Program Design
From the Being of Facilitation to the Doing of facilitation, Syed Raza Ali shares with us why this two weeks workshop designed to get the new age moderators and facilitators fight both 'zoom fatigue' and ability to apply innovative, relevant and engaging facilitation methodologies leading to interactive events and learning sessions.
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Entrepreneurship beyond the conventional
Women represent around 48% of Pakistan’s total population, while female employment participation is only 15.5%. This shows a significant potential. Facilitation such as co-working spaces, and accelerators; women-focused competitions; trainings and networking opportunities have empowered women entrepreneurs. However the ecosystem still requires specific interventions to bridge the gap in funding and registration for women-led start-ups.
Social Media
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Economics, often considered the heartbeat of societal progression, offers insights into the distribution, production, and consumption of resources. "The CraftEcon School: Economics Redefined 2023" was a deep dive into this intricate domain, aiming to unravel its complexities and shed light on its contemporary relevance. Aneel Salman Khurram Ellahi and Khursheed Yusuf captivating the young economics students from Islamabad/ Rawalpindi discussing Economics philosophies and their applications in the practical world using various case studies. Congratulations on completing this Winter School!
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“Pakistan’s Challenges to Political Stability and Economic Revival” 2 Oct 2023 Conference Highlights Pakistan’s political and economic challenges are intertwined. Many experts and observers argue that persistent political instability is a major cause of economic downturn, evident from the frequent balance of payment crises, high inflation, lack of GDP growth, and high incidence of poverty. In this context, it is important to generate debate on relevant questions: The main objectives of this conference were to: • Provide a platform to relevant stakeholders for informed debate and discussion on the contemporary challenges faced by Pakistan and • Generate and document ideas that could enrich public debate and policy discourse with the potential to impact public policies. The conference was attended by concerned citizens from diverse academic and professional backgrounds from Islamabad and other parts of the country. Prominent sector experts were invited to join different panels or contribute to the discussion through their questions and comments. The Friedrich Naumann Foundation (FNF) has organized this conference in collaboration with the Policy PRIME INSTITUTE and CPDI Pakistan
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Web Talk "Assessing EU's Role in the South Asia" Today, we are experiencing that the European Union and its model of democratic societies are losing their worldwide popularity. In the new era of rivalry between authoritarian states on the one hand and liberal democracies on the other, the Indo-Pacific region plays a crucial geopolitical role. Not only does it represent a large proportion of global GDP, it also features the most crucial maritime trade routes and is home to the largest part of the world’s population. That is why it has become a strategic battleground for world powers over influence – especially China and the US. The EU and some of its member states, too, have recognized the strategic importance of the Indo-Pacific and emphasize EU-ASEAN cooperation. Still, the EU's influence in the region remains rather limited. How is the EU perceived in South Asia? How could it expand its role as a global player in the region? And how should a fruitful cooperation between the Indo-Pacific and the EU look like from the liberal perspective? The Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom and the Karl-Hermann-Flach-Stiftung invites you to discuss these and other issues together with our experts. This event is part of the series Global Europe – Global Expectations on the EU’s role in other world regions. The EU’s role in South Asia is also discussed in the publication “Global Europe – Global Expectations. Assessing the EU's role in the world”, which was co-authored by our guest speaker Dr. Nadia Farooq. Guest Dr. Nadia Farooq holds a PhD in economics and is currently a research scholar at Georgia State University USA. She has vast experience in public policy, economic research, analysis, economic modelling and policy design. She has more than 15 years of work experience as a macroeconomist, economic consultant and policy expert with multilateral organizations including the Asian Development Bank. She has contributed to several articles and books on economics and economic policy. Guest Ria Schröder MdB is a member of the Free Democrats parliamentary group in the German Bundestag. The lawyer is also deputy state chairwoman of the FDP Hamburg and a member of the federal executive board of the Free Democrats. She was federal chairwoman of the Young Liberals until 2020. As education policy spokesperson for the Free Democrats parliamentary group and member of the Committee for Education, Research and Technology Assessment, she advocates for opportunities for advancement and excellent education regardless of parental background.
