Workers' remittances vital step for forex growth.

Byline: KHALIL AHMED

Interview with Dr. Ayub Mehar - a renowned economist

PAGE: Tell me something about yourself, please:

Dr. Ayub Mehar: I am associated as 'Economic Advisor' with the Employers' Federation of Pakistan and serving as 'Professor' in Iqra University Karachi (Pakistan). I have been serving as 'Economic Advisor' of the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) Chamber of Commerce for 3 years and also 'Director General' in the Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI) for 7 years. Development Financing, Macroeconomic Policies, International Trade and Finance are areas of my interest.

I have completed several policy research studies on strategic issues including, 'Bridge Financing and Fiscal Policies during COVID-19 Pandemic Crisis', 'Ineffectiveness of ESG Policies and Incentives: Impact of GSP Plus on Central and South Asian Countries', 'Infrastructure Development and Public Private Partnership: Measuring Impacts of Fiscal Policy in Pakistan', 'Economic Integration in CAREC Member Countries: Financing Economic Corridors and Sovereign Bonds Market', 'Infrastructure Development by Liberalizing Economic Policies: The Straight Path of Economic Prosperity', 'Financial Cooperation in South Asia: Recent Development and Challenges', and 'FDI, Infrastructure Development and CPEC: Is There a Connection?' for various national and international institutions including World Bank, Asian Development Bank Institute, Friedrich Naumann Stiftung (Fur Die Freiheit), SAARC Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and ECO Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

The Technology Policy and Assessment Center at Georgia Institute of Technology acknowledged my membership in the distinguished panel of international experts for Indicators of Technology-based Competitiveness, which is a project of the US National Science Foundation, United States Government.

I am also alumni of the IAL Gummerbach Germany, where I got training in Public Finance. Recently, I have completed a study on "COVID-19, Digital Transactions and Economic Activities: Puzzling Nexus of Wealth Enhancement, Trade and Financial Technology" for a project on "Fintech and Covid19" jointly launched by Asian Development Bank Institute Tokyo and Cambridge Center for Alternative Finance at the University of Cambridge.

PAGE: How would you comment on Roshan Digital Accounts?

Dr. Ayub Mehar: The Roshan Digital Account (RDA) was launched in September 2020. The inflows from overseas Pakistani...