Pakistan democracy more than surface deep and messier: Hasnain Malik

There is a lot of water that is yet to flow under the bridge before the general election in Pakistan

Hasnain Malik, head of equity research at Exotix Capital, tells Aditi Phadnis that if the general election in 2018 is conducted in a free, transparent and fair manner, it may rank amongst Pakistan’s historically most competitive — and could result in a coalition coming to power.

It was generally believed that the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) government is pro-business. What will change with the resignation of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif?

Higher tax rates, lower subsidies, little improvement in power shortages and the attempt to compromise the independence of utility regulators and central bank contradict the perception that the PML-N government is pro-business