The Centre for Aerospace & Security Studies (CASS), Islamabad has fostered a tradition of initiating timely, wellinformed, and policy-relevant debate on subjects of national importance through conferences, seminars, webinars, guest lectures, and publications by leading diplomats, policy experts, senior civil and military officers, scholars, and media. These policy debates are closely followed, not only by domestic policy experts, relevant institutions, academia, and media, but also by the international community.

In that regard, it has been of the utmost concern to CASS, not least to its programme on ‘Economic Affairs and National Development’, that acute economic challenges have erupted in the recent past. In fact, Pakistan today faces an unprecedented economic crisis, with fast-depleting reserves, declining exports and remittances, surging inflation, rising unemployment, weakening rupee, and decreasing business production, all threatening the country’s financial stability and the well-being of its people. In order to bring together subject experts who have deep insight into Pakistan’s economy and propose workable solutions to policymakers, the Centre organised a seminar on ‘Challenges for Pakistan’s Economy and the Way Forward’ on 1 February 2023.