Parchi economy keeps Pakistan running

Parchi economy keeps Pakistan running

If you stand at the heart of the Jodia Bazaar in Karachi or the bustling yarn markets of Faisalabad, you won't hear the sterile hum of servers or the clicking of bank tellers. Instead, you will hear the rhythmic scratching of ballpoint pens on tiny, torn scraps of paper and the frantic shouting of men in waistcoats. This is the sound of Pakistan's real economy — a multi-billion-rupee shadow world where the most powerful financial instrument isn'…