Post by Dr. Ikramul Haq

The sordid story of mafia-like operations of tobacco companies in Pakistan exposes the efficacy of State. Pakistan aptly fits in the concept of a “soft state”—famously articulated by the Nobel Laureate, Swedish sociologist Gunnar Myrdal in his 1968 three-volume work, Asian Drama: An Inquiry into the Poverty of Nations. It is a broad based assessment of the degree to which the state, and its machinery, is equipped to deal with its responsibilities of governance. The more soft a state is, the greater the likelihood that there is an unholy nexus between the law maker, the law keeper, and the law breaker. #Tobacco #taxevasion #healthtax #FBR #illicittrade #smoking # #pakistan