Published on, Sept. 25 -- September 25, 2025 1:39 AM

Islamabad is preparing for another IMF review, and the script feels tired before it begins. A team of officials will carry fresh promises of reform, the Fund will demand austerity, and by the end of it, another tranche will be released or delayed. The pattern is so familiar that the real story (what this cycle does to ordinary Pakistanis) is often lost between press releases.

To give credit where it is due, the government has not stood idle. BISP stipends have been expanded, Punjab's new compliance drive has shown bite, and Sindh has tried to rebuild schools wrecked by floods. Electricity-bill waivers for flood-hit homes, and now a cautious willingness to put the poor back into policy...