Policy & Commentary
I believe economists have a responsibility to talk with the public about how data shapes policy. This page collects my op-eds, essays and public commentary on AI and data, economic measurement, education reform, and Pakistan’s statistical system.
Views expressed here are my own and do not represent the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics or the Government of Pakistan.
Op-eds in The News
I write for The News (including its Money Matters section). A selection is below; the full list is on my writer page. I also write for Daily Times.
Digital junk food
On the dangers of the junk information that spreads through social media.
The News, September 2024
The age of data
Why government decision-making needs data analytics, from administrative records to procurement data, to complement rather than replace expert judgement.
The News, August 2024
AI journey: fuelled by data, not hype
Pakistan ranked 117th of 174 countries in the IMF’s AI readiness index. The way up starts with data infrastructure, not slogans.
The News, July 2024
AI & Technology Policy
Pakistan’s AI Policy: A Vision Without Teeth
A critical analysis of Pakistan’s National AI Policy 2025. The policy’s four-pillar architecture shows ambition, but the absence of risk classification, safety evaluation standards, and realistic implementation mechanisms means it reads more like a wish list than a roadmap. I argue for starting small, building enforcement capacity, and adopting international best practices from Singapore, the EU, and Malaysia.
Published on zahidasghar.com, 2025
Economic Measurement & National Accounts
Pending Pakistan’s Revised Base Estimates of GDP and Measurement Issues in LSM
Co-authored with Mahmood Khalid (PIDE). We argue that Pakistan’s GDP estimates are distorted by outdated base years, reliance on self-reported industrial data, and constant input-output ratios that don’t reflect technological change. We call for a state-of-the-art research center and compulsory PBS collaboration on data sharing.
Published on PIDE Blog, 2021
Biases in Consumer Price Index Methodology in Pakistan: Suggestions for Improvements
A foundational paper identifying specific methodological biases in how PBS constructs the CPI — including outlet substitution bias, quality adjustment gaps, and formula effects. This remains one of the few systematic critiques of Pakistan’s price statistics methodology.
The Pakistan Development Review, 2008
Higher Education & Human Capital
Thinking Beyond Metrics in Higher Education
Pakistan’s higher education system has gone directionless. I argue that the model developed two decades ago is outdated, the HEC governance crisis demands comprehensive analysis rather than ad hoc fixes, and we need to fundamentally rethink what universities are for in the 21st century.
Published on PIDE Blog
Higher Education Challenge for Pakistan Under COVID-19: The Way Forward
Written during the pandemic — on virtual learning, new educational accounting systems, and why the crisis demanded a structural rethink of how Pakistan delivers higher education.
2020
Media & Public Appearances
- Capital TV: commentary on the Pakistani economy (clips on LinkedIn)
- PBS Working Group: first meeting of the Working Group on Strengthening Digital Gender Inclusion Through Data Collaboration (2025)
- Training for policy makers: sessions on using AI in economic policy making for economists of the Ministry of Finance and the Planning Commission (September 2024), and AI workshops for provincial government policy officers
In progress
- A Vision for National Statistics. A book-length blueprint for building Pakistan’s national data infrastructure. Follow the draft on GitHub.
- Why Pakistan’s GDP numbers don’t tell the full story. Expanding my PIDE analysis into a longer essay.
- One year after the AI policy: where are we? A follow-up assessment.
New pieces appear on the blog, which you can also follow by RSS.