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Aimen Babur

The Nation •

Tobacco taxation regime and Pakistan

Tobacco is a highly lethal and addictive substance endangering millions of lives every year. Consumed in any form, excessive use of tobacco results in substantial economic and social losses across the globe. World Health Organization (WHO) asserts that around 1.1 billion people smoke regularly, thereby causing around 8 million deaths annually which includes 1.2 million non-smokers as well.

Based on such horrendous statistics, tobacco has been characterized as a global epidemic. The worst aspect
Global Village Space •

Pakistan’s soaring public debt and its repercussions

Pakistan’s economic situation has remained in a precarious state since its inception. In 1947, the local economy was facing numerous challenges owing to a lack of adequate financial resources coupled with infrastructural issues.

Over the past many years, the consistent fiscal deficit has gradually enhanced economic vulnerabilities thereby causing a massive fiscal crunch leading to numerous governance issues. The fiscal deficit is usually countered by taking loans from domestic as well as numero

Regional tobacco tax regime & its implications for health – sdpi.org

Global Go To Think Tank Index (GGTTI) 2020 launched 111,75 Think Tanks across the world ranked in different categories. SDPI is ranked 90th among “Top Think Tanks Worldwide (non-US)”. SDPI stands 11th among Top Think Tanks in South & South East Asia & the Pacific (excluding India). SDPI notches 33rd position in “Best New Idea or Paradigm Developed by A Think Tank” category. SDPI remains 42nd in “Best Quality Assurance and Integrity Policies and Procedure” category. SDPI stands 49th in “Think Tan

Using taxation to curtail tobacco use | Political Economy | thenews.com.pk

The World Health Organisation (WHO) calls tobacco consumption an epidemic due to its severe short- and long-term repercussions. Daily, over 1.3 billion people worldwide consume tobacco products. There are an estimated 8 million tobacco-related deaths annually.

Around 80 per cent of smokers live in low- and middle-income economies, with 60 per cent of the population living in Asia. South Asia remains one of the most affected areas and bears most of the health costs incurred due to the tobacco us
Paradigm Shift •

Data Protection Laws and Digital Rights in Pakistan

The recent change in WhatsApp policies created a huge controversy and sparked a heated debate on privacy. As soon as the users got an official notification introducing the new terms and conditions, there was an uproar on social media platforms, blaming WhatsApp for infringing basic human rights under data protection laws.

Confusion prevailed for quite a time on the said changes as everyone termed it as an intervention in their personal space. Finally, sanity prevailed after WhatsApp not only ex
Global Village Space •

China's multilateral policies- a solution for global economic recovery?

Multilateralism has always been an integral part of President Xi Jinping’s foreign policy. President Xi’s philosophy of shared prosperity and humanitarianism echoed far and wide during the recent World Economic Forum (WEF) where, while addressing the world in the virtual event held at Davos, President Xi called for global cooperation in economic, social, environmental and political horizons.

Through his rhetoric, he not only assailed the dangerous tilt towards populist regimes but also refuted
Daily Times •

Predicament of Pakistani women: Patriarchal norms and governance issues

The motorway incident has, yet again, exposed the facade of safe spaces for women in Pakistan.Women constitute about half of society, yet, they remain subjugated in many segments of life. The alarming increase in crimes against women has largely been normalized by the misogynist elements within society. The patriarchal norms at large either blame women themselves for the crimes perpetrated against them or term it as “western agenda” spread to sabotage our cultural values. The common woman keeps