The Rs 45 Trillion Sword: Pakistan’s Looming Debt Crisis and the Road to Recovery
(By Faraz Ahmed) 1. The Looming Danger: Anatomy of the Crisis In the early hours of June 2026, as Pakistan’s Ministry of Finance finalized the federal budget, a single line item dwarfed every other national priority combined. Interest payments on public debt—projected at Rs 7.824 trillion for fiscal year 2026–27—will consume nearly half of the…