Is The New Budget Only Helping Pakistan’s Elite? Ft. Miftah Ismail

In this episode, we sit down with Miftah Ismail, a Pakistani Political Economist to break down Pakistan’s current economic and political reality. From the latest budget 2026-27, IMF constraints, inflation, taxation, and defense spending to deeper structural issues like governance, elite capture, and political instability, this conversation explores whether Pakistan’s challenges are driven by policies, leadership, or the system itself. #budget #hdiwpodcast #pakistaneconomy 00:00 Introduction 00:11 Budget Relief: Elite Class or Common Man? 01:24 Is IMF Just an Excuse? 02:32 An Uninspiring Budget 10:17 Privatization as an Economic Solution 11:34 Iran–US Conflict & Pakistan’s Position 14:15 Why Defense Budget Raises Questions 19:00 Agriculture Sector Tax Exemption 20:29 Politics Passed Through Generations 24:59 Politics Confined to a Limited Circle 25:44 Is the System Rigged? 27:33 Is the Current Government Nearing Its End? 29:02 Is More Disruption Ahead for Pakistan? 32:59 Is Leadership Change the Answer? 36:38 PTI’s Governance Failure 38:24 No Conspiracy Behind PTI’s Decline 40:56 Faiz Hameed & PTI Connection 42:06 Positive Aspects of Budget 2026–27 46:54 Miftah Ismail’s Political Perspective Don’t forget to subscribe and press the bell icon to catch on to some amazing conversations coming your way every week! Keep up with our podcast: Facebook:   / howdoesitwork.podcast   Insta:   / howdoesitwork.podcast   Tiktok: https://vt.tiktok.com/ZSRYSy1K1/ Follow Shayan Mahmud: INSTA:   / shayanmahmud__   FB: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?... Linkedin:   / shayan-mahmud   Follow ProPakistani: Facebook:   / propakistani   Insta:   / pro_pakistani   Twitter:   / propakistanipk   LinkedIn:   / prop.  . You can also audio stream our podcast here: Google Podcast: https://bit.ly/3z6AGPi Apple Podcast: https://apple.co/3b9GQGu Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3OFNm5H