The Unfair Crusade Against Pakistan’s Freelancers: Why Taxing Remote Workers Threatens a Thriving Digital Economy

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In Pakistan’s booming IT sector, a troubling narrative has emerged: large outsourcing firms, while channeling profits through tax-optimized foreign subsidiaries, are pushing to dismantle the tax incentives that empower the country’s freelancers. These companies argue that their locally taxed employees face an unfair burden compared to freelancers, who benefit from a 0.25-1% tax rate on … Read more

The Tragedy of TRG A Story of Vision, Decline and the Cost to Pakistan’s Tech Future

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Looking at the current news, it is with a heavy heart that I reflect on what seems to be the unraveling of one of Pakistan’s most ambitious technology ventures, The Resource Group (TRG). 📈 5-Year High & Present Low All-time high: PKR 186.49 on April 25, 2021 Current price: PKR 56.68 as of June 20, 2025 — a ~70% drop from … Read more

TL;DR

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The Lost Decade Revisited The Spark: May 2012 A single call—disregarding the long-drawn-out prior conversations—changed everything. A founder friend(Jeff) from my TRG-Satmap days shared that the time had come to scale on an idea he was building out. Lead generation at scale. The second coming of the digital gold rush, that’s what it felt like … Read more

The Looming AI Storm: How Pakistan’s Business & Political|BABAS|Leadership Must Evolve to Survive

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Pakistan stands at a critical juncture in its economic development. With one of the largest youth populations in the world, the country possesses a significant demographic advantage. However, entrenched in outdated business practices, Pakistan’s industry and business leadership has largely failed to innovate and adapt. As the world rapidly embraces Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Artificial … Read more

Veon’s Jazz in Pivot Peril as PTCL-Etisalat Merger Shakes Up Pakistani Telecom Landscape

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In the burgeoning telecom sector of Pakistan, Veon’s subsidiary Jazz faces a pivotal juncture. Veon’s third-quarter financial disclosures and strategic plans, outlined during their latest earnings call and a comprehensive trading update, convey a narrative of a company striving for digital metamorphosis amidst a fiercely competitive and economically challenging environment. The latest figures from Veon … Read more

Digital Bank(s)/Bank(ing)/Fin-techs & The People Who Lead The Charge In 🇵🇰

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As a consumer who is marred by sub-par digital banking services, let alone delightful experiences. I always wonder(ed) who are the anonymous faces that gather on our behalf and come up with experiences in the digital realm? Also why are most, if not all of these experiences so shitty? And why has not one single … Read more

The ‘real cost’ of the 2+ Part Canadian Dream & Everything in between.

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Canada is a fantastic place. It has great public infrastructure, friendly people, amazing natural beauty, and a wide variety of cultures and traditions. It’s a safe country where you can live a peaceful life if you follow the rules. But Canada is not immune to the economic pressures that the world is facing. Food inflation … Read more

The Ambition Tax: How Corporate Culture in Pakistan is Robbing Graduates of their Professional Growth

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The country is facing a number of economic challenges, including high inflation, a large trade deficit, and a growing fiscal deficit. This has led to a challenging business environment, with high levels of uncertainty and volatility. In such an environment, it is important for businesses to attract and retain talented employees, who can drive growth … Read more