While the world media attention Pakistan has been receiving in recent months is largely centred on Islamabad's military operation against the pro-Taliban militants in the North Western Frontier Province and the Federally Administered Area (FATA), the country is also beset by a low-key but potentially dangerous insurgency in Balochistan.

The International Monetary Fund has been one of the few beneficiaries of the global economic crisis. Just two years ago, it was being downsized, and serious people were asking whether it should be closed down.