Assad Ahmad

Markets, Consulting, Occasional Columnist- @DeutscheBank alum, @McKinsey alum, @Yale, AC forever, dad, son, hubby!

[Assad Ahmad @assadahmad]

“IN the summer of 1991, a series of chartered flights left India carrying nearly 70 tons of the government’s gold...”

My op-ed for DAWN today.
https://t.co/Yog5HgDT3Z

[Prism @prismdawndotcom]

Pakistan's most popular spice might be quietly poisoning you. We're talking about a Group 1 carcinogen found in red chilli powder sold in local markets. No legal limit. Just sitting in your kitchen.
Thread🧵

[Assad Ahmad @assadahmad]

@foxlogica Where as options on psx being traded

[Nadeem Haque @nadeemhaque]

PSDP — Pakistan’s Public Sector Development Programme — is an outdated colonial-era model we’ve followed since the 1950s.
It was meant to drive growth through public investment in roads, buildings & universities. But decades later?
No clear link to actual economic growth. Mostly political pork.

We build thousands of assets — stadiums, airports, universities — but they sit empty or underused.
80%+ goes to “hardware” while maintenance, returns & real productivity are ignored. Politicians use it for constituency projects & kickbacks. Consultants push more useless agencies.
Time to scrap this spectacle.

PSDP fails Pakistan and what a modern growth model should look like (focus on ideas, research & software, not just bricks & mortar).
Must-watch for anyone tired of the same failed cycle:
https://t.co/9RfTWtbD8I
#PakistanEconomy #PSDP #EconomicReform

[Assad Ahmad @assadahmad]

@umairjav Danyal mueenudins latest to an extent.

[Assad Ahmad @assadahmad]

@AmerSharifOFCL Very helpful boss. How does individual person providing it enabled legal services get audited accounts?

[Assad Ahmad @assadahmad]

This thread is shocking. Just unbelievable that this is coming from an official handle. Someone must surely take notice of this farcical social media trial.

[FBR @FBRSpokesperson]

FBR response to Mr. Arsalan Adam’s tax grievance letter:

Mr. Adam presents himself publicly as a non-resident expat.Yet when filing his own income tax returns for 2017&2018,he declared himself a resident individual,a status that carries full tax liability under Pakistani law.1/6

[Assad Ahmad @assadahmad]

@DrOsamaSiddique Eh? I think you meant to write this somewhere else

[Assad Ahmad @assadahmad]

@motasim @RedZoneIsb Must give more time for response. 4 weeks is standard in many countries.

[AK @AzamAKhan2]

Whatever the case is with this guy Arsalan, there’s a clear way residency is determined and technology tells you how many days you were in country versus out. This kind of action from FBR, which already has credibility concerns, just absolutely destroys confidence.

[Assad Ahmad @assadahmad]

@ShakilKhokhar @NoumanFK How ridiculous for FBR to respond publically like this. The officers involved should be disciplined.

[Sardar Nouman @NoumanFK]

If there is a dispute between FBR and an individual, the FBR should never be granted authority to act as it did in this case unless it has followed legal process and obtained a court order. How can they justify ordering banks to transfer funds from individuals accounts without judicial authorization? Is FBR an authority to declare that person is guilty of crime or courts do that? Such actions undermine public trust in both the banking system and the FBR.

[Khurram Zafar @kayzafar]

Tasdeeq, a @StateBank_Pak licensed digital credit bureau, just announced its IPO! It's special for us at @47_ventures bcuz it allows us to write the final chapter of one of our investments: from investing in a stellar team to exiting via IPO! More in link!
https://t.co/30pjBDLNFT

[Amer Sharif @AmerSharifOFCL]

The Mr. Arslan episode is an eye-opener for everyone who takes income tax return filing and FBR notices casually. Without going into the facts of this case or commenting on who is right or wrong, one lesson is clear: always file your income tax return with reasonable care. File your return yourself only if you have a good understanding of tax laws. Otherwise, seek professional help and avoid relying on seasonal consultants or blindly following YouTube videos.
Whether or not FBR goes after the big fish is debatable, but one thing seems certain: there is very little room for a common taxpayer when it comes to mistakes or incorrect declarations/ handling tax notices. 🙂

[Assad Ahmad @assadahmad]

@MeherJazibAli High for pak no? And also after coming so much off the highs.

[Assad Ahmad @assadahmad]

@AhmadJalal_1 @LifeAtLUMS Strange analysis - salary likely to increase quite a bit between fresh grad and, say three years experience. More still in fifth year. And what about once it pays for itself - then a lifetime of growing earnings.

[Habibullah Khan @Huk06]

Rant on lockdown incoming:

It’s really hot. People leave their homes after sunset. It’s the weekend so they go to places, do tasks, eat out etc. Then suddenly it’s 9, lockdown hits and everything stops.

Punjab and Sindh do not have Lockdown so what’s Islamabad’s lockdown going to achieve in its effect on national economy? Nothing actually.

All you’re doing is killing hyperlocal economic activity. Less InDriver rides, less customers for every shop, and honestly unnecessary stress for everyone being forced to close down kicking their customers out (happened to me. I was getting a hair cut!).

You’re inflicting outsized economic damage on the private sector and ordinary citizens while delivering questionable savings.

You’re destroying peak hour revenue for your key smb economic actors. These 3+ hours are when they make the most money. You’re reducing incomes everywhere. In this heat fruits last least, yet you’re forcing their buyers off the street dramatically increasing wastage. None of this is worth it for the energy saved.

Please end this ridiculous lockdown.

[Assad Ahmad @assadahmad]

Profile of a very exciting startup. Really enjoyed @MubarizSiddiqui

[Mubariz Siddiqui @MubarizSiddiqui]

Watch the full episode here: https://t.co/uZl8sZIOwk

[Habibullah Khan @Huk06]

“This is not a marginal opportunity—it is a balance-sheet event.”
Journalists using ChatGPT will always be extra embarrassing

[Assad Ahmad @assadahmad]

Excellent analysis

[Zebunnisa Burki @zburki]

And @rogueonomist here with this budget analysis:

https://t.co/7cbOQ5DEky