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Pakistan has imported roughly 45 gigawatts of solar panels in five years. Close to the entire installed capacity of the national grid. Net-metered users had shifted Rs159 billion in costs onto grid-dependent consumers by December 2024. Projected to reach Rs4.36 trillion by 2034 if left unamended. The core tension: Pakistan wants the clean energy transition its NDC promises. It also needs the grid revenue that solar erodes. Resolving that requires energy policy and climate policy to move together. Full analysis by @ZeeSalahuddin, Partner at Tabadlab, in @thenews_intl 👇 thenews.pk/print/1424987-… #Pakistan #SolarEnergy #EnergyTransition #ClimatePolicy #PakistanBudget #GridReform #NDC #EnergyPolicy #FiscalPolicy #Tabadlab

The Indus Waters Treaty is the lifeline of 259.3 million people in Pakistan. Can it be suspended by one party alone? Zeeshan Salahuddin, Director Advisory at Tabadlab, appearing on @AlJazeera's Inside Story, makes Pakistan's position clear: the treaty provides no legal basis for unilateral suspension. Under Article 12, modernisation is possible to reflect shifting realities, but any changes must emerge through negotiation and mutual consent. The institutional framework matters as much as the water allocations. Pakistan has consistently pursued its case through established mechanisms, from the Permanent Indus Commission to stipulated international arbitration fora, and will continue to do so. Water is a fundamental right, as envisaged in the @UN's Universal Declaration of Fundamental Rights, and as a lower riparian country to the Brahmaputra river system itself, India should well understand the reason for this protectionism. Watch his full perspective on Al Jazeera's Inside Story 👇 youtube.com/watch?v=mQA550… #IndusWatersTreaty #WaterSecurity #Pakistan #WaterGovernance #WaterPolicy #AlJazeera #Tabadlab

The Indus Waters Treaty is more than a water-sharing agreement. It is a framework for cooperation, built on the regular exchange of hydrological data that helps both countries manage floods, plan water use, and reduce uncertainty. Zeeshan Salahuddin, Director Advisory at Tabadlab, appearing on @AlJazeera's Inside Story, explains why the recent data blackout has consequences that extend well beyond diplomacy. Without reliable upstream information, flood forecasting breaks down, agricultural planning becomes guesswork, and water management decisions are made blind. This is not a technical inconvenience. When hydrological data stops flowing, the effects are felt in fields and flood plains, not just in negotiating rooms. Watch his full perspective on Al Jazeera's Inside Story 👇 youtube.com/watch?v=mQA550… #IndusWatersTreaty #WaterSecurity #Pakistan #WaterGovernance #WaterPolicy #AlJazeera #Tabadlab

Pakistan has imported roughly 45 gigawatts of solar panels in five years. That is close to the entire installed capacity of the national grid. Rooftop solar now lets the highest-paying customers walk away from the grid entirely. By the government's own count, net-metered users had shifted Rs 159 billion in costs onto everyone else by end-2024. That figure is projected to reach Rs 4.24 trillion by 2034 if left untouched. As higher-income users exit, the bill for idle thermal plants lands on those who cannot afford to leave. This is where the energy policy and the climate policy are pulling in opposite directions. One hand runs the Off-the-Grid Levy, an @IMFNews benchmark pushing industry back onto the grid, climbing to 20% by August 2026. The IMF has tied relief on that levy to one condition: grid demand must not fall. On the other hand, watches solar do exactly what the levy is built to prevent.⚡ The budget floated an 18% levy on solar. Retreated to 10% under public pressure. The move from 10 to 18 to 10 is its own admission. The government wants the clean energy transition its NDC promises, and it wants the grid revenue solar erodes. The FY 2026-27 has not resolved that tension. It has priced it. Full analysis in The News 👇 thenews.pk/print/1421457-… #Pakistan #SolarEnergy #EnergyTransition #ClimatePolicy #PakistanBudget #GridReform #NDC #EnergyPolicy #FiscalPolicy #Tabadlab

The FY2026-27 budget projects roughly Rs 2 trillion from climate and green-linked levies. Petroleum Levy alone accounts for Rs 1.68 trillion. Add the Climate Support Levy, the EV Adoption Levy, the Gas Development Surcharge, and oil and gas royalties. Against all of that, the budget tags Rs 214 billion in direct climate spending. The state collects roughly ten rupees in the name of climate action for every rupee it commits to it. The rest funds the treasury. The composition makes it starker. Adaptation spending, the money that prevents damage before it happens, fell 17.5% to Rs 70.5 billion. Mitigation collapsed by nearly 80%. Disaster spending rose 132% to Rs 116 billion, with a reconstruction line that did not exist last year. The budget is now better funded to clean up after a flood than to prevent one. Pakistan tells the world it needs USD 40 to 50 billion a year to adapt. @WorldBankGroup puts the wider climate investment bill at USD 348 billion by 2030. The adaptation Pakistan funded this year is approximately USD 0.25 billion. When the finance minister asks Bonn or Belem for more, the obvious question follows him into the room: What happened to the Rs 2 trillion you raised? Full analysis in @thenews_intl 👇 thenews.pk/print/1421457-… #PakistanBudget #ClimateFinance #FY2027 #ClimateAdaptation #FiscalPolicy #ClimatePolicy #Pakistan #Tabadlab

Pakistan may see a modest improvement in its 2026 Global Gender Gap Index score. Projections based on updated data suggest that Pakistan’s score could increase from 𝟬.𝟱𝟲𝟳 𝘁𝗼 𝟬.𝟱𝟵𝟴 𝗶𝗻 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲 - an estimated 5.5% improvement. The projected improvement is driven by progress across three key dimensions: 📈 Economic participation and opportunity 🏛️ Political empowerment 🎓 Educational attainment The gain may be nominal, but reflection in international benchmarks matters. Recognition of progress could help drive momentum, sharpen policy focus, and keep gender equality firmly on the development agenda. The @wef Global Gender Gap Report, 2026, is expected to be released this month and will show whether these projected gains are realised, and if they result in improved rankings. Read the 2025 WEF Global Gender Gap Report here 👇 weforum.org/publications/g… 𝘗𝘳𝘰𝘫𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘱𝘶𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘥 𝘥𝘢𝘵𝘢 𝘴𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘤𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘣𝘢𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘞𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥 𝘌𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘰𝘮𝘪𝘤 𝘍𝘰𝘳𝘶𝘮’𝘴 𝘎𝘭𝘰𝘣𝘢𝘭 𝘎𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘎𝘢𝘱 𝘐𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘹 𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘥𝘰𝘭𝘰𝘨𝘺. 𝘈𝘴𝘴𝘶𝘮𝘱𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘭𝘶𝘥𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘥𝘰𝘭𝘰𝘨𝘺 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 2025 𝘎𝘎𝘎𝘐 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘶𝘱𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘶𝘱𝘥𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘰𝘧𝘧𝘪𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘭 𝘥𝘢𝘵𝘢 𝘣𝘺 𝘭𝘰𝘤𝘢𝘭 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘥𝘢𝘵𝘢 𝘳𝘦𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴. #GenderGap #Pakistan #DataForPolicy #WomenEmpowerment #GenderEquality #Tabadlab

Pakistan depends on water for agriculture, food systems, energy supply, and livelihoods. But it can store only enough to last roughly 90 days. 💧 Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal Chaudhary (@betterpakistan ) has called for a shift from crisis management to a coordinated national water security framework. Climate change is accelerating pressure on an already depleted system. And India's recent suspension of its Indus Waters Treaty obligations adds a geopolitical layer to an already strained picture. In its 2024 conference, Water: Conflict and Cooperation, @tabadlab mapped the structural fault lines driving Pakistan's water insecurity: ➡️ A weak data and monitoring regime that limits integrated resource management ➡️ Inequitable access, with some regions facing chronic water stress ➡️ Governance fragmentation across federal, provincial, and community levels ➡️ Population growth placing mounting pressure on already depleted resources Watch the full panel discussion here: Water Conflict: Trends and Trajectories for 2024 and Beyond 👇 youtube.com/watch?v=FcTKnr… #WaterSecurity #ClimateChange #WaterGovernance #FoodSecurity #WaterConflict #Pakistan #Tabadlab #WaterResilience #WaterScarcity #ClimateResilience

Can tech help student retention? Can AI help improve education systems? And can these solutions overcome behavioral frictions? 📚🏫 Let’s explore this together at #Glocal Evaluation Week, a global knowledge-sharing event organised by the Global Evaluation Initiative to advance #MonitoringAndEvaluation practice worldwide. As part of #Glocal2026, Tabadlab is hosting the event “Keeping Students in School: Behavioral and Tech Solutions from Pakistan.” In this online session, the panel will discuss findings from the Middle School Transition Study, supported by Data and Research in Education (DARE), and explore how behavioural science, technology, and AI can support education systems and improve post-primary school enrolment in Pakistan. Speakers: Riffat Jabeen | Dr Umar Taj | Umar Nadeem | Khadija Hammad Moderator: Zainab Latif 📅 Tuesday, June 2, 2026 | 6:30 PKT Sign up here: glocalevalweek.org/event/keeping-… Global Evaluation Initiative | DARE - Research Consortium #Education #AI #BehaviouralScience #Pakistan #Evaluation #EdTech #DARERC

Eid Mubarak from the team at Tabadlab! 🌙

Women in Pakistan are 25% less likely than men to use mobile internet. But closing the usage gap is only the beginning of the story. 📱 Pakistan's digital transition is not one experience. For women especially, it is shaped by compounding barriers: affordability, family norms, safety concerns, and a digital ecosystem that was not designed with them in mind. The woman in Mardan who sees digital tools as an economic opportunity but cannot afford a smartphone. The female adopter in Islamabad who worries about fraud and harassment, not connectivity speeds. The recent adopter in KP, whose sense of what digital can do is defined by what those around her have already tried. 🌐 Access without safety, skills, and institutional support does not close the gender gap. It relocates it. Pakistan's digital transformation is a systems challenge. Connectivity matters. So do institutions, digital skills, trust, and the specific conditions that let women convert access into opportunity. Read more in Tabadlab's Digital Now 👇 tabadlab.com/digital-now-a-… #DigitalInclusion #DigitalTransformation #5G #Pakistan #DigitalEconomy #GenderEquity

In 2025, a USD 27.2 million reduction in Global Fund allocations halved TB monitoring activities in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, reduced diagnostic support, and placed tens of thousands of patients at risk of delayed or missed treatment. TB cannot be managed on commodities alone. When funding recedes, it takes with it the monitoring, the diagnostics, and the clinical pathways that keep patients from falling through the cracks. Tabadlab's video series on ODA cuts documents how these disruptions are taking shape on the ground, drawing on voices from across Pakistan's health sector. What will it take to maintain these functions once external support is gone? #PublicHealth #PakistanHealth #ODA #HealthFinancing #GlobalHealth #AidCuts #Tuberculosis #HealthSystems #Policy #Tabadlab

For years, development partners have supported family planning commodities, last-mile logistics, and community-based counselling. As ODA contracts, access to reliable family planning services is becoming harder, particularly for low-income and rural women. These cuts not only affect commodities. They weaken the systems and community networks that connect women and families to information, care, and choice. Tabadlab's latest video series captures the human stories behind the ODA cuts shaping Pakistan's health system. Drawing on voices from across the sector, it documents the lived realities emerging as external support recedes. This is the first video in the series. #PublicHealth #PakistanHealth #ODA #HealthFinancing #GlobalHealth #AidCuts #FamilyPlanning #HealthSystems #Policy #Tabadlab

Half of Pakistan's federal budget goes into debt servicing. What remains is expected to fund the development needs of a country of 240 million. The SDG financing gap sits at $60 billion. This is not an abstraction. It means 26 million children are out of school. It means 38% of children are stunted. It means female labour force participation remains stuck at 25%. At the first session of the Debt-to-Development roundtable series, "From Pressures to Pathways", Mohamed Yahya put it plainly: every rupee spent on debt servicing is a rupee not spent on education, health, or climate adaptation instead. The full roundtable episode drops next week. In the meantime, hear @Momalindi on why this conversation matters. 📌 #DebtSustainability #Pakistan #SDGs #FiscalPolicy #DevelopmentFinance #PublicFinance #Tabadlab #UNRCO