PakAlumni Worldwide: The Global Social Network
The Global Social Network
Atif Mian Debacle: Should Imran Khan be Applauded or Attacked?
Pakistani-American Princeton economist Atif Mian was named to Pakistan Prime Minister's Economic Advisory Council and then promptly let go because of his Ahmadi faith. Two other economists Harvard's Professor Asim Khwaja and University College London's Imran Rasool have since quit the council in protest over Atif's removal.
|
Princeton Economics Prof Atif Mian |
Is Atif Mian's removal a victory of bigotry over meritocracy promised by Imran Khan? Was it a mistake to name him and even bigger mistake to remove him? Did the PTI government underestimate strong reactions to the appointment and subsequent back-tracking? Was PTI caught off-guard by tweets such as "liberal" PPP leader Shehla Raza's tweet attacking Imran Khan for picking "the great grandson of Mirza Ghulam Ahmad Qadiani" as top economic advisor?
Would PTI's refusal to remove Atif Mian lead to derailment of the entire PTI's anti-corruption and reform agenda? Should Imran Khan be applauded or criticized for taking such political risks? Does Imran Khan realize that he lacks sufficient political capital for such risks? What message does it send about the limits of Imran Khan's capacity to bring about change in Pakistani society?
|
PPP Leader Shehla Raza's Tweet Attacking Imran Khan for picking "great grandson of Mirza Ghulam Ahmad Qadiani" |
What can political leaders do to lead the people to greater tolerance of differences and acceptance of diversity in Pakistan? What must educators, mass media and civil society do to move Pakistan toward Quaid-e-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah's vision of an inclusive and tolerant Pakistan?
Azad Labon Kay Sath host Faraz Darvesh discusses these questions with Sabahat Ashraf and Riaz Haq
Related Links:
How Can Imran Khan Help Karachi?
Prime Minister Imran Khan's First Week in Office
Qauid-e-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah's Pluralistic Vision of Pakistan
Pakistan Rising or Failing: Reality vs Perception
Views: 484
-
Comment by Riaz Haq on October 5, 2018 at 10:57am
-
Gita Gopinath and #India’s Brain Drain. High-profile #IMF chief economist and other western-trained #Indian economists no longer appear welcome in Narendra #Modi’s government. https://www.wsj.com/articles/gita-gopinath-and-indias-brain-drain-1...
Harvard professor Gita Gopinath’s appointment as chief economist of the International Monetary Fund raises a question about her native India: Is IMF Managing Director Christine Lagarde more likely than Prime Minister Narendra Modi to hire someone with Ms. Gopinath’s stellar academic credentials?
In the past two years, three high-profile Western-trained economists have exited important policy-making positions in India to return to academia in the U.S. A rising drumbeat of nativist sentiment, increased political interference...
Comment
Twitter Feed
Live Traffic Feed
Sponsored Links
South Asia Investor Review
Investor Information Blog
Haq's Musings
Riaz Haq's Current Affairs Blog
Please Bookmark This Page!
Blog Posts
Quantum Computing IPO Makes A British Pakistani Billionaire
Ilyas Khan, the British Pakistan founder of Quantinuum, became a billionaire in the company’s IPO on NASDAQ last week. Khan is a pioneer in the revolutionary field of quantum computing which could speed up computing by orders of magnitude. It will have a huge impact in AI and encryption. Dr. Irfan Siddiqui, a Pakistani-American professor of Physics at University of California at Berkeley, is another top expert in quantum computing. …
ContinuePosted by Riaz Haq on June 12, 2026 at 10:00am — 3 Comments
Ten Pakistanis Among Unicorn Founders in America
There are ten Pakistani immigrants included among founders or co-founders of unicorns in America, according to a recent study by the National Foundation for American Policy (NFAP). A unicorn is a startup with a valuation of at least one billion U.S. dollars. Immigrant entrepreneurs of US unicorns are diverse, hailing from 76 different countries. India, with 96 companies, is the leading country of origin for the immigrant founders of U.S. billion-dollar companies. Immigrants…
ContinuePosted by Riaz Haq on June 8, 2026 at 6:00pm — 7 Comments
© 2026 Created by Riaz Haq.
Powered by
You need to be a member of PakAlumni Worldwide: The Global Social Network to add comments!
Join PakAlumni Worldwide: The Global Social Network