The Atlantic Council hosted Dr. Ehtisham Ahmad, senior fellow at the Center for Economic Research at the University of Bonn and at the Asia Research Center at the London School of Economics (LSE), to present: “Crisis in Pakistan? Economic Policy-Making in a Dangerous Neighborhood.”

South Asia Center Director Shuja Nawaz moderated the discussion.

Dr. Ahmad gave a candid presentation on the state of Pakistan’s economy, and the consequences of not addressing the key structural imbalances that continue to haunt it. He outlined the failure of the Pakistani government in not efficiently utilizing aid money from international community, the low tax/GDP ratio, and the presence of a coalition of vested interests within Pakistan. Although primarily focused on the economy, the presentation also discussed a crisis of mentality and expectations within Pakistan. The presentation was followed by a question and answer session.