PTA Renews Cellular NGMS Licenses of Three Operators in AJK & GB

Islamabad: The cellular license renewal ceremony for Azad Jammu & Kashmir and Gilgit Baltistan was held today at PTA Headquarters, Islamabad.

Three Cellular Mobile Operators i.e. Telenor Pakistan, PMCL (Jazz) and PTML (Ufone) have deposited payment (50% of the PTA determined license fee) amounting to PKR 3.19 Billion against their license renewal fee with PTA.

The event was attended by Federal Secretary for IT & Telecommunication, Dr. Muhammad Sohail Rajput, Chairman PTA, Major General Amir Azim Bajwa (R); Member Finance PTA, Muhammad Naveed and Member Compliance & Enforcement PTA, Dr. Khawar Siddique Khokhar; Executive Director, Frequency Allocation Board (FAB); Joint Secretary Gilgit Baltistan Council; Deputy Secretary (Finance) and Deputy Secretary (Welfare & Development) AJ&K Council and senior officers of PTA. CEOs of Telenor, Jazz and Ufone along with senior representatives of CMOs also attended the event.

On the occasion, Chairman PTA lauded the efforts of the cellular operators for playing a crucial role in providing connectivity across these regions.

He also appreciated the tireless efforts of concerned officials of PTA, FAB and MoIT for timely conclusion of the renewal process.

He further stated that AJ&K and GB are the prime areas of tourism in Pakistan and the license renewal will pave the way for provision of 3G/4G and Next Generation Mobile Services to the consumers of these areas as well to the tourists.

Continuous efforts are being made to bring state of the art telecommunication services to far flung areas enabling access to a multitude of opportunities for businesses, education and health.

On this occasion Secretary IT & T, Dr. Muhammad Sohail Rajput congratulated the mobile operators on renewal of licenses.

He said that AJ&K and GB have immense importance in government policies, and it is the government’s priority to provide advanced telecom services in these regions.

He said that there are vast opportunities for public-private collaboration in various sectors including telecoms.

It is pertinent to mention that due to license renewals, this will not only contribute towards uninterrupted provision of better telecom services to the people of AJ&K and GB but will also help in promotion of competition and investment in the telecom sector.

Facebook launches financial education initiative for women-led businesses in Pakistan

Karachi: Facebook is expanding its women-empowerment focused initiative, ‘SheMeansBusiness’ to bolster financial inclusion and resiliency of women-led businesses in Pakistan.

Implemented in partnership with State Bank and the USAID Small and Medium Enterprise Activity (SMEA), the program’s new component, ‘Business Resilience through Financial Education (BRFE)’ aims at improving financial management skills to enhance the resilience and sustainability of women-led small and medium businesses (SMBs) in the country.

The US Embassy Islamabad Chargé d’affaires Lesslie Viguerie and Deputy Governor, State Bank of Pakistan, Ms. Sima Kamil virtually inaugurated BRFE at an official event, with a number of senior government officials and representatives of Facebook, Chambers of Commerce, USAID, Ministry of Commerce and Pakistan Poverty Alleviation Fund (PPAF) in attendance.

Director of Policy Programs and Government Outreach for Asia Pacific at Facebook and Global Head of SheMeansBusiness, Beth Ann Lim delivered the keynote speech, shedding a detailed light on Facebook’s objectives of ‘SheMeansBusiness’ and the newly launched Business Resilience through Financial Education (BRFE) component in Pakistan along with other Asia Pacific countries.

She said ‘SheMeansBusiness’ is operating in 21 countries around the world, including Pakistan and more than 1 million women have been trained in digital skills worldwide by Facebook and its partners.

Facebook piloted BRFE with USAID SMEA, targeting the alumni of SheMeansBusiness digital marketing training program.

The two partners have implemented the SheMeansBusiness program in Pakistan since May 2020, to enhance the digital marketing and financial literacy skills of diverse groups of female entrepreneurs from across the country.

In a video message, Chargé d’affaires Lesslie Viguerie highlighted that the US Government holds the economic empowerment of women as a key pillar of its development efforts in Pakistan and across the world and firmly believes that investing in women’s empowerment can help eradicate extreme poverty and build vibrant economies.

In her video message, the Deputy Governor State Bank Ms. Sima Kamil appreciated the efforts of Facebook and other partners for socio-economic uplift of women in Pakistan.

She said it is crucial for women led small and medium businesses to achieve a degree of sustainability and resiliency through skill enhancement and access to finance.

She said initiatives like BRFE will enable and empower Pakistani women to enhance their impact in the process of nation building.

Sharing her thoughts, Beth Ann Lim said: “Financial education is crucial for sustainability of women-led businesses in Pakistan and elsewhere.

SheMeansBusiness mirrors Facebook’s long-term commitment to supporting the economic development of women in the APAC region, with a strong focus on sustainability of women-led businesses.”

The event also featured two panel discussions. One with representatives of the Ministry of Commerce, State Bank of Pakistan, USAID and another with the graduates of the pilot program of BRFE.

The panelists discussed the importance of financial management skills for women SMBs with special focus on challenges and opportunities and exchanged ideas for fostering financial inclusion of women by overcoming the existing barriers.

Mobilink Microfinance Bank, CARE International Pakistan sign MoU to Strengthen Entrepreneurial and Financial Ecosystem

Karachi: Pakistan’s largest digital bank, Mobilink Microfinance Bank (MMBL) has joined forces with leading global humanitarian and development non-governmental organization, CARE International in Pakistan (CIP), through a recent Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), to foster financial inclusion for small and medium businesses, especially those led by women to support their sustainable development.

President and CEO MMBL, Ghazanfar Azzam, and Adil Sheraz, Country Director, CIP signed the MoU in Islamabad, in presence of senior officials from both organizations.

The partnership will facilitate financial inclusion, and business development skills and linkages for Pakistani entrepreneurs especially women, to positively strengthen Pakistan’s economy, in line with the Government of Pakistan’s national development objectives and the National Financial Inclusion Strategy (NFIS).

Under the collaboration, MMBL and CIP will benefit from shared expertise and experiences to enhance access to finance for entrepreneurs, foster entrepreneurship development, promote mentorship initiatives, adoption of digital wallets and digital business mechanisms whilst enabling entrepreneurs to access information more efficiently, create linkages and grow their businesses.

The two partners aim to leverage the power of digital banking solutions to facilitate access to finance for micro-entrepreneurs and organize joint sessions for the capacity uplifting of women entrepreneurs as well as borrowers.

The arrangement will also facilitate information dissemination on digital financial services and mobile wallet account opening for target micro-entrepreneurs.

In addition, MMBL women borrowers can participate in any training such as business management, entrepreneurship, and financial literacy organized by CARE in their outreach areas.
Speaking at the occasion, President & CEO MMBL, Ghazanfar Azzam said: “Promoting financial inclusion and contributing towards the socio-economic uplift of financially underserved segments, particularly SMEs and women-led businesses and enterprises, is a key priority for MMBL.

Through our collaboration with CARE International in Pakistan, we want to build upon each others’ strengths, amplify our joint efforts and benefit the maximum number of SMEs and women entrepreneurs across the country through our combined outreach.”

The Country Director of CIP, Adil Sheraz said, “Our primary focus has always been to promote women’s economic empowerment through accessible financial resources and increased business skills.

CIP has implemented several projects which address challenges around equal access and control of economic assets. CIP’s economic empowerment projects in Pakistan strive towards unleashing the power of growth-oriented entrepreneurs which in turn will contribute to a resilient and inclusive economy.

The partnership with MMBL is pivotal for women empowerment as it will serve as a bridge to open up financial and technological access for women entrepreneurs, thus benefitting them in terms of business capacity and skills enhancement.”

Through this latest arrangement with CARE International in Pakistan, MMBL will continue to expand its groundbreaking digital and financial solutions to enable and empower underserved segments in remote and hard to access areas.

Emirates ramps up operations over summer to serve strong demand

Karachi: Emirates is ramping up its operations and expanding services across its network to meet strong leisure travel demand over the summer, as entry restrictions ease for travellers.

The airline has been gradually and safely rebuilding its route network and advancing its strategy to optimise its presence in key markets to serve leisure and growing business travel demand, as well as segments of travellers visiting friends and relatives.

Today, Emirates serves 115 global passenger destinations, and by the end of July, it will have recovered close to 90% of its pre-pandemic network, operating 880 weekly services across 124 cities.

The airline will resume services to seven cities in July including: Venice on 1 July; Phuket, Nice, Orlando and Mexico City on 2 July; Lyon on 9 July and Malta on 14 July.

Emirates will also launch flights to Florida’s second largest city and one of the world’s most popular holiday spots, Miami, starting 22 July.

His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Emirates Chairman and Chief Executive said: “Emirates is committed to keeping Dubai, businesses and communities around the world connected and we are working hard to rebuild our network and secure access to more destinations in partnership with various authorities and stakeholders.

We are encouraged by the latest developments as many countries have begun to turn the page and reopen for international visitors, and we are seeing strong signs of pent-up demand wherever restrictions have eased.

Emirates is nimbly matching up flight services and identifying opportunities to grow our footprint, and provide customers more opportunities to safely get where they want to go this summer, offering best-in-class service, greater convenience and more choice.”

Across its network, the airline will boost capacity and expand its schedules by layering on frequencies for the summer, connecting more customers with popular destinations and adding more choice and convenience as they plan their long-awaited holidays.

Emirates will be adding frequencies to 12 cities across Europe, Africa and North America as more destinations re-open for international visitors, and offer quarantine free travel.

Emirates destinations with enhanced schedules for July and August include: German cities Munich, Dusseldorf and Hamburg; Zurich; Vienna; Prague; Madrid; Stockholm; Brussels; Lisbon; Chicago and Tunis.

In Europe, the airline currently flies to more than 30 cities in 20 countries including popular holiday destinations Greece, Spain, Italy, France and Malta, which offer quarantine free arrivals.

In the United States, with rapid vaccine rollouts and the reopening of air travel at a rate outpacing the world, Emirates will continue to build its presence.

With the addition of Miami to its network in July, Emirates will operate over 70 weekly flights to the US, offering over 26,000 seats across 12 gateways including Boston, Chicago, New York (JFK and Newark), Houston, Dallas, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, Washington DC and Orlando.

The airline is also ramping up its trans-Atlantic operations Milan-New York and Athens-Newark to meet large passenger volumes and high demand across its premium cabins.

Emirates customers can rest assured this summer while travelling that their health and safety continued to be a top priority with the latest health and safety measures in place.

When flying out of Dubai, customers can take advantage of contactless technology at nearly every step of their journey for an added layer of safety.

The airline will also be boosting its digital verification capabilities, providing its customers even more opportunities to utilise the IATA Travel Pass this summer, and customers flying out of Dubai can also enjoy a paperless experience when verifying their Covid-19 related medical records as part of the airline’s tie-up with the Dubai Health Authority.

Emirates leads the industry with customer centric solutions that make travel planning stress free with even more generous and flexible booking policies, an extension of its multi-risk insurance cover, and helping loyal customers retain their miles and tier status.

Govt of Pakistan and Facebook Partner to Fight COVID Misinformation

Karachi: The Government of Pakistan has partnered with Facebook in their fight against COVID-19.

In Pakistan, over 32 million people received authoritative information regarding COVID prevention and vaccination through social media messaging campaigns conducted by the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Information’s Digital Media Wing (DMW) in partnership with Facebook.

Facebook provided Marketing Partner Support and Ad Credits for these campaigns and helped the government increase its engagement rates with the public on these posts between March 16 and April 6, 2021.

As part of these campaigns, Facebook and the Ministries focused on creating videos and messages on boosting greater Vaccine Confidence amongst the nation.

The messaging campaigns helped the Ministry of Health increase its total number of page likes to 470,000 – increasing the government’s ability to connect with and provide information to its stakeholders.

As COVID-19 vaccines are becoming more readily available to larger groups, Facebook launched new Facebook profile frames in partnership with the Ministry of Health that allow users to share their support for getting vaccinated with their family and friends.

Research shows, when people see others who they know and trust getting the vaccine, they will be encouraged to do the same. This can be particularly effective when it comes to encouraging those who were otherwise unsure about getting themselves vaccinated.

Speaking in regard to the support extended by Facebook Dr. Faisal Sultan—Special Assistant to the Prime Minister (SAPM) on Health said, “We are appreciative of the support extended by Facebook in our fight against COVID-19.

We reached 76% of our target population through our social media messaging campaigns. The pandemic has brought to the forefront the importance of using digital tools for transmitting critical health information to citizens and keeping them safe and healthy.”

Throughout the pandemic, Facebook has worked closely with the two ministries to direct people to authoritative COVID-19 information.

A campaign to create awareness about spotting COVID related misinformation on social media was also launched in Urdu for the Facebook community in Pakistan in partnership with the Ministry of Information’s Digital Media Wing.

Fawad Chaudhry, Minister for Information & Broadcasting stated, “We appreciate the hard work put in by the Ministry of Health and the Digital Media Wing of Government of Pakistan in bringing together an engaging campaign in partnership with Facebook. It is crucial to differentiate between information and misinformation in the age of digital communication.

Facebook has supported the spread of accurate information through their drive of removing misinformation and fact checking of news. We hope to partner with Facebook in the future to ensure that the people of our nation are provided with accurate information.”

Facebook has worked to take aggressive steps to remove harmful misinformation and connect people to resources from health authorities.

Since the start of the pandemic in March 2020, Facebook removed more than 16 million pieces of content from Facebook and Instagram globally for violations against our policies on COVID-19-related misinformation and harm.

Between March and October of 2020, Facebook displayed warnings on about 167 million pieces of content on Facebook worldwide based on COVID-19 related debunking articles written by our fact checking partners.

Globally, Facebook has connected over 2 billion people to resources from health authorities through the COVID-19 Information Center and pop-ups on Facebook and Instagram with over 600 million people clicking through to learn more.

On WhatsApp, over 3 billion messages have been sent by governments, nonprofits, and international organizations to citizens through the WhatsApp government chatbots on COVID 19.

Sehar Tariq, leading Public Policy for Pakistan at Facebook, said: “By working closely with the Ministry of Health and Ministry of Information’s Digital Media Wing in Pakistan we’re doing our part to help the users in Pakistan in getting credible information.

We would like to express our gratitude to Honorable Fawad Chaudhry, Minister of Information and Broadcasting and Dr. Faisal Sultan, SAPM on Health for the tireless coordination and support they have extended to our team throughout.

We at Facebook will continuously work towards making the fight against the pandemic easier for the Government and our community in Pakistan and across the globe.

We hope to keep extending our support and expertise where possible in the Government of Pakistan’s fight against COVID. It is so important that we come together as a community to protect ourselves and each other through credible health information and support vaccine confidence in our community.”

Imran Ghazali, General Manager at Digital Media Wing (DMW), said: “One of the important step to win the battle against COVID19 is to create awareness among masses with the latest and authentic health information and at the same time fight the disinformation on social media.

In this regard, our partnership with Facebook has played a critical role in reaching the masses with information related to vaccine registration, following of SOPs and we will continue to work with Facebook to reach and engage more citizens across Pakistan”.

“The Balochistan Sphinx” opened at Alhamra Museum

Lahore: The six-day-long exhibition titled” The Balochistan Sphinx” Miniature Sculpture by famous Ayesha Arshad Shahnawaz kicked off here on Saturday at Alhamra Museum, Gaddafi Stadium Lahore.

Shafqat Mehmood, Federal Minister for Federal Education, Professional Training, Federal Minister for National History and Literary Heritage, inaugurated the show.

On the occasion, Federal Minister Shafqat Mehmood congratulated Ayesha Shahnawaz for her successful show. Shafqat said that all the provinces of Pakistan have the same importance.

He further said that the exhibition of this magnificent historical heritage of Balochistan in Punjab is a commendable effort by the Artist to create an atmosphere of harmony between the provinces.

The PTI government values this country’s historical heritage and plays its best role in taking the necessary steps for its projection. Hence, promotion and restoration, he added.

Executive Director Lahore Arts Council Farhat Jabeen praised Ayesha Shahnawaz for putting on display brilliant work.

Jabeen stated that artists are extraordinary human beings who portray an accurate picture of society through their artistic skills. Such events are a must to highlight the country’s soft image around the globe, she added.

Ayesha Shahnawaz said I am thrilled to display my work at Alhamra Art Museum first time. Talking about her work, she said that I present a miniature representation of the Baluchistan Sphinx in all its imposing glory in sculptural form.

Making this Sculpture was a matter of urgency because Balochistan is an asset of our country, which has been neglected to date. At the same time, this region is unique in every respect.

She stated that after the exhibition here for six days, it would be sent to Balochistan, where it will be installed.

Shahnawaz expressed that the exhibition’s primary purpose is to acquaint the people living in Lahore, Punjab, with this glorious national heritage.

This initiative would strengthen national harmony and create a soft image around the world.
People from different walks of life attended the exhibition and appreciated the efforts of the Artist. The show will continue till the 19th to 24th of June 2021.

NIC LUMS seeking applications from aspiring entrepreneurs and experienced professionals

Lahore: The National Incubation Center at LUMS, Lahore (NICL) has launched applications for its eighth Cohort with the aim to inspire, engage, enable and facilitate innovative entrepreneurs ready to solve critical problems for Pakistan.

NICL’s goal is to partner with visionaries, intuitive problem solvers and business enthusiasts to incubate a greater percentage of businesses that address a large commercial opportunity and attract investment capital for growth.

Through their focused approach towards providing training and networking support to tech-based change makers in Pakistan, NICL serves as a launching pad for start-ups, bolstering the nascent entrepreneurial ecosystem of the country.

“With a keen focus on high-impact sectors such as education, healthcare, agriculture, finance, and the environment, NICL aims to channel the power of new technologies such as artificial intelligence, cloud, blockchain, 3D printing, and the Internet of Things NICL to enable real-world impact and scalable business success,” commented Saleem Ahmad, Chairman, NICL. “Our renewed vision envisages greater participation from corporate leaders and experienced professionals who are seeking value creation and problem solving by pivoting their expertise to entrepreneurship.

We can facilitate them with requisite resources to fill any gaps in their effort to create a business around their idea such as training, mentor connectivity or partnerships with co-founders and teammates”, he added.

Induction to the NICL program is a competitive process. Applications are reviewed by members of NICL’s Foundation Council, which includes successful entrepreneurs with a diverse range of experiences who have themselves raised significant capital for growth, as well as angel and venture investors active in Pakistan.

Once the start-ups with the most potential for impact and success are selected, they are exposed to a meticulous curriculum offered by NICL’s top tier LUMS faculty and international experts.

The course content comprises essential knowledge for budding start-ups with modules on design thinking, strategy and business modelling, marketing and market research as well as the legal and financial aspects of entrepreneurship.

They are also given access to state-of-art labs to facilitate prototyping of their solutions. This applied focus, complemented by bespoke workshops and mentorship by LUMS alumni, is instrumental in sculpting abstract ideas into tangible reality.

The program paves the way for the capstone Investor Summit, where start-ups are given the opportunity to pitch their ideas and interact with early-stage venture investors.

This is an exclusive opportunity for passionate problem solvers and courageous entrepreneurs looking for the right guidance to catapult their ideas to success.

HOPE Consortium eyes to supply Covid-19 vaccines to Pakistan

Karachi: HOPE Consortium, Abu-Dhabi group, will supply vaccines of different producers to Pakistan ensuring sustainable management of end-to-end supply-chain and efficient storage system across the country.

Speaking to a group of journalists at a virtual press roundtable, Dr Omar Najim Executive Director Department of Health, Abu Dhabi said that HOPE Consortium is working with Pakistan authorities responsible for vaccination program at the national level to provide logistic support and the last mile solutions to ensure that vaccines supplies to the centers.

Pakistan is contracted with Covex, a global body bringing equitable access of vaccines to various countries around the world on purchasing vaccines of different brands.

With HOPE Consortium plugs in, we will ensure timely delivery of vaccines from the manufacturing companies to the anywhere in the country. he added.

Pakistan is presently facing a shortage of vaccines at various cities as the supplies at major hospitals and centers have been exhausted in the rapid response of immunization drive by the general public.

The country has administered 20 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines so far with a planned vaccination of over 100 million people by July 2022.

The shortage of supplies at the vaccination center could be attributed to the lack of tracking facility of the vaccination process, enhanced storage facilities, and weak coordination and disruption among the departments.

Countries from different size of population and economies whether they are categorized as developed or developing countries are facing various common challenges such as temperature, distribution, capacity and storage challenges, said Robert Suttan, Head of Abu Dhabi Ports Logistics Clusters.

HOPE will work with partners in Pakistan to develop systems including central storage systems extending digital supply chain solutions capability while providing a ground facility system.

The group can provide medical staff including doctors and nurses, instruments, PPE along with vaccines based on the requirement of the particular, he added.

The region needs an estimated 2 billion doses of vaccine but capability and capacity to store doses is in thousands. This is where HOPE Consortium will provide technical support ensuring timely delivery of vaccines at a regulated price.

Our role is to ensure the end-to-end supply chain in collaboration with local and global partners.

Many countries in the world including Pakistan are facing few challenges in terms of their geography, temperature, volume, and penetration.

We need to go to the communities in remote points to make sure that everyone is vaccinated. And this is something which cannot be done in the isolation but with collaboration.

HOPE Consortium is working to extend its value chain to provide vaccines to people across the globe at the lowest rates at the fastest possible time.

HOPE Consortium has handled over 27 million vaccines across 31countries so far, including those in the MENA Region, Asia, Africa, Europe and the CIS.

Other speakers also highlighted the importance of safe immunization process through the use of modern available systems and technology for the rapid vaccination drive in the world to preventive masses from the deadly pandemic and its related socio-economic fallouts.

Authorities concerned that vaccinations doses are likely to be arrived in the country shortly from various donors however streamlining a centralized system is indispensable at a national level which will not only ensure the supplies of vaccines to the dedicated centers but also expedite the inoculation process at a rapid pace.

The dilemma of English communication

Amreen Mir

The dilemma of English communication has been inherited from Britains since Pakistan appeared on the world map. From the struggle for independence till to-date as an independent nation, we have failed to overcome this petty issue.

It is beyond comprehension despite Urdu being declared as our national language, the state has failed to incorporate it fully. No matter the announcements, recruitments or whatsoever any other decree, it’s done in English language.

Everytime the issue of English language understanding has been highlighted at every forum along with dying quality of Education prevailing in the country, but it feels a sense of achievement by still keeping English language as merit guage meter for Pakistani society.
It is an undeniable fact that learning English is inevitable.

However, if the country understands its national language better and runs its day to day affairs in the same language, why does failing in an international language become an obstacle to secure the place in administrative department? Let’s go the other way round where failing English language is a no-win situation in Pakistan.

The issue has been taking the headlines every other day. But, unfortunately, the education system seems to be on its last legs. Being the birth-mate, India, has progressed in all spheres socially, politically, and economically.

It will be surprising for you all to know that all of their public institution recruitment tests are given an option to be either attempted in English or in their own national language.

Moreover,in Pakistan, the state’s failure to comply with the quality standard education to its citizens has given rise to the mushrooming low cost private schools and innumerous academy culture in the state.

It is no lesser than adding insult to the injury where rise of such institutions have no other objectives than commercializing.

Let’s be evaluative of our history. In 1960s, Pakistan was titled as Asia’s fastest growing economy leaving India behind.

The sole reason behind it was its powerful administrative structure. The education system was improving, leaders were visionary, and the system overall was on its way to stability.

Afterwards, the vested interests of the leaders dominated the national interests and development of the state. Every department was pushed to stagnation due to bad governance and corruption.

However, one thing that never changed was measurement scale for the English language. Rather, it became even tough, resulting in massive failures of the candidates in all sort of examination, let alone be competitive exams.

The lowest administrative tier of the state is hired on the basis of competitive exam, heir to Britain imperialism in the subcontinent.

Despite the interaction of the public servants with the general masses is in their regional language, yet they are to be entitled as “pure angraiz” to reach that seat.

The irony is all the officers in the top tiers have started a side business in the name of guidance. Just because they passed their test, they tend to feel as if they have achieved mastery in the relevant subject.

As a result, it has robbed the future of millions of expert teachers. Miserably, our nation is more tempted to see the highest cadre achievements of a person than to assess the knowledge and expertise of the teacher in the relevant subject.

This is one of the sole reasons behind the dwindling education sector and the failure of a maximum number of candidates in any exam.

English isn’t a hard nut to crack, but sensationalising the very subject in all sorts of educational and professional setting across the country has infused fear and terror amongst innocent aspirants.

Government must revamp its testing services and assess the merit-base on knowledge and expertise via national language as its medium, not English.

Pakistan is losing on the economical fronts with one reason being the wastage of talented youth, which fails to convince examiner in English.

We have amazing people in all the fields if they are hired based on their qualification and hands-on experience which can help Pakistan develop economically, socially, and politically.

Systems Limited wins Lahore Chamber of Commerce & Industry IT Award

Islamabad: Systems Limited humbly announced another winning moment. The Lahore Chamber of Commerce & Industry (LCCI) awarded Systems Limited with the President IT Award.

The LCCI IT Awards were held at Aiwan-e-Sadr, Islamabad, and aims to appreciate the efforts of Pakistan’s information technology companies and their contributions towards the well-being of Pakistan’s economy.

LCCI recognized Systems Limited’s dedication, innovation, and continuous growth in the IT industry.

The chamber appreciated all the hard work that Pakistan’s leading technology organization is doing to strengthen the digital landscape in this country.

Systems Limited maintains a keen focus on innovation, reinvention and meaningful investments in startups and collaboration with organizations such as TCF to pave a pathway of growth and digital innovation for future generations.

President IT Award by LCCI is a testament to the company’s dedication to the IT sector.
Previously, System Limited was awarded Forbes Asia’s Best Under A Billion and PSEB’s Top IT Exporter 2019 and Top IT Consultancy Services Exporter.

These achievements, according to the company’s leadership, are a clear representation of the talent that makes it possible for the Systems.

The company acknowledges the importance of attracting and nurturing the industry’s brightest minds and takes pride in being one of Pakistan’s employee-centric companies.

The LCCI Award and other accolades are a continued recognition of the dedication of Systems Limited’s highly skilled workforce.
Mr. Asif Peer, CEO/Managing Director at Systems, expressed his gratitude on this auspicious occasion, “I am extremely humbled and thankful to the President of Pakistan, his grace, Dr. Arif Alvi, the government, and the Lahore Chamber of Commerce & Industry (LCCI) for this auspicious recognition awarded to Systems Limited. I want to extend my gratitude to the entire Systems team and leadership.

I ensure you that we are collectively working towards creating more employment opportunities in Pakistan, growing our global footprint, and expanding our workforce and offerings.” He recognized its employees as the mainstay for this noble achievement.

“The investment opportunities are growing in Pakistan, especially for the IT industry. Credit goes to the government for focusing on ICT as it has resulted in a growth in IT exports, and the entire nation is benefitting.

I would like to thank the government for extending its support for the startup ecosystem; we look forward to working closely with the government in this great initiative of supporting startups and incubations.

The IT industry is attracting Venture Capitalists, investing in the industry, which is most likely to benefit the domestic business and result in an increased influx of foreign exchange.

The government’s attention to the digitization of the domestic industries is very crucial, especially in the capacity building for SMEs to have different solutions.

I would also like to extend my gratitude to our colleagues, stakeholders, and partners”, said Asif Peer.

Asif Akram, COO at Systems Limited, received the accolade and stated, “It is humbling to be at the receiving end of this huge honor, but we must highlight our end goal, which is the advancement and well-being of our economy.”

He further shared, “Together, we will continue to strive to make the IT industry one of the biggest Pakistani industries and go all-out to introduce our country as the most cost-effective and resilient country for outsourcing IT-enabled business processes.”

Covid-19 and the future of 22.8 million out-of-school children in Pakistan: Hisham Khan

Karachi: The writer is a development practitioner, currently working with Pakistan Youth Change Advocates (PYCA) to ensure universal secondary education in the country.

“There are 22.8 million children out of schools in Pakistan”. We have been repeatedly hearing this statement on the dismal Pakistani education statistics for the better half of the last decade.

With the addition of the unprecedented and difficult situation created by Covid-19, it is speculated that another 1 million children are at risk of dropping out-of-schools by the end of the pandemic.

While the situation is alarming for Pakistani children as a whole, it creates an even bigger risk for girls whose access to education was many times less than that of boys even before the pandemic.

Pakistan is currently going through the third wave of Covid-19 and simultaneously schools in most parts of the country have seen a third phase of closures in the past one year.

While there’s no denying that school closures were imperative to curtail the spread of the deadly contagion, one must also take a moment to reflect on the deep, adverse impact that they’ve had on students’ access to education and learning at all educational levels.

Needless to say, children hailing from unprivileged backgrounds have remained most affected during this period of uncertainty. For many girls, even in urban Pakistan, the challenge has been far greater as social and cultural barriers restrict their access to smart devices and the internet.

These challenges are very tangible and are posing a very real threat in terms of rolling-back an entire decade’s worth of gains made vis-à-vis access to education in Pakistan.

And so, the question here is that should the Covid-19 pandemic only be treated as a health emergency and the collateral damage it has caused to sectors such as education not be accounted for? The answer is an obvious, “No.”
While the health sector will and should be the biggest recipient of government support – both financial and otherwise – until the emergency subsides, the response effort must, under no circumstances put our children’s constitutional right to free and quality education on the back burner.

More than ever before, Pakistan’s feeble education system needs a new lease of life that would allow it to mitigate colossal learning losses incurred during the pandemic and protect past gains on one hand and on the other pilot and mainstream hybrid learning solutions that would make it disaster resilient going forward.

For any of this to materialize, education in Pakistan needs enhanced investment. One would consider this reminder especially important in light of a recent white paper, “Public Investment in Education: COVID-19 & Other Past Emergencies” which sufficiently establishes that Pakistan’s education development expenditure is routinely shown the axe both during emergency and non-emergency years.

With Pakistan a few weeks shy of budget announcements for the next fiscal year, the federal and provincial governments must not deprioritize the already underfunded education sector and for once pay heed to the fact that education truly is our country’s best bet against any and every future shock.

USD 50 million investment announced by CCI Pakistan for 7th Production Plant in meeting with PM

Karachi: A delegation of Coca-Cola Beverages Pakistan Limited (CCI Pakistan), GM Ahmet Kursad Ertin met with the Prime Minister of Pakistan and announced an investment of USD 50 million for a Greenfield project the company plans to set up in Haripur district, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP).

This will be CCI’s 7th production facility in the country. Construction of this new state-of-the art plant site is scheduled for completion by the first quarter of 2022. It will mainly cater to the beverage needs of northern Pakistan.

During the meeting, Mr. Ahmet Kursad Ertin presented the company as a leading member of Pakistan-Turkey Business Council and one of the largest private Turkish investors in Pakistan, which is paving the way for other Turkish investors.

According to the delegation, the proposed project will not only bring major investment to the region but also create direct and indirect employment opportunities and revenue generation for the Government as well as for third party suppliers, vendors & distributors.

A report on the socio-economic impact of CCI’s business was also presented to the Prime Minister. The report reveals that CCI Pakistan’s value chain adds a staggering PKR 865 billion income to the country’s GDP annually – which is about 1.95% percent of the national GDP.

Further, CCI’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) projects were also highlighted, which include Paani Project (Water Filtration Plants) across Pakistan, COVID-19 Relief of USD 1 million and recently signed MoU of planting 50,000 trees across Pakistan.

The ambassador of Turkey to Pakistan, H.E. İhsan Mustafa Yurdakul accompanied the CCI Pakistan delegation. Other delegation members included Syed Omar, Director Public Affairs and Communications and Mr. Basit Pirzada, Public Affairs Manager.

Government officials present at the meeting included Federal Minister Industries and Production, Advisor Commerce and Investment, Federal Secretary Board of Investment and Chairman Federal Board of Revenue (FBR).

CCI, mainly owned by Anadolu Group – one of Turkey’s leading industrial conglomerate – is a multinational beverage company operating in 10 countries with 26 plants.

CCI Pakistan, a subsidiary of CCI, produces, distributes and sells sparkling and still beverages of The Coca-Cola Company in Pakistan. It currently serves a consumer base of 208 million with 6 productions plants and a workforce of 2,500 employees across Pakistan.

Child marriage in Pakistan

Rukhsar Inam

Under child marriage restraint act 1929 (No XIX) child marriage is legally prohibited extent in Pakistan. The minimum age for marriage of a man should be 18 years while 16 years for a female (Section 2).

According to a Unicef report in 2013 21% of the girls were married before the age of 18 in Pakistan.

In 2017 the demographic and health survey (DHS) showed that women in Pakistan in their early twenties 39.5% were married before the age of 18.

Addressing the issue of child marriage in Pakistan is challenging because of its links to tradition and religion.

In Provinces like Sindh, Pubjab and Khyber Pakhtoon Khowa a father and grand-father typically take the decision while a mother can only influence the decision, and propose a suitable husband.

The decision is considered crucial to the family yet it is difficult for a girl to decide as well. In some rural families the infant girls are often engaged the time when they are born.

Marriages in Pakistan is affected by social norms. In fact, marriage is regarded a’ Sunnah – an obligation and religious scripture exploring the right moment for marriage – Though in ways open to interpretation.

In addition to this, young woman is the symbolic of her family’s honour, typically in Sindh, child marriage is said to mitigate the risk of harming the family’s honour particularly if the girl has experienced sexual result, pre-marital sex and out-of-wed lock pregnancies.

Child marriage is most common in Sindh/Khyber Pkhtoon Khowa, most of the girls are drop-out from school, especially in cultural setting where girls are raised for a lifetime confined to household occupation and are expected to marry very young.

Most of the family think marriage is a way to ensure that their daughters are “protected” as parents feel their daughter will be better off financially and will be saved from sexual abuse or illicit sexual contact if they are married. The child marriage is the cultural practice among some communities in Sindh/Khyber Pakhtoon Khowa.

Besides this, girls are deprived of making choices as they remain illiterate and undeveloped throughout life. Child marriage is practiced in some parts of Pakistan, with the highest prevalence in the Sindh Province.

To record this article 65 girls under the age of 18 have been married each year and 12 million girls are married before the age of 18 and nearly one every 3 seconds.

Govt has announced a national agriculture emergency program which is a welcoming step: Waheed Ahmed

Karachi: The Federal Government has announced the budget stating that it would support the farmers by providing pesticides, fertilizers and agricultural machinery with a view to modernize and uplift the agriculture sector.

All Pakistan Fruit and Vegetable exporters importers and merchant association Patron-In-Chief Waheed Ahmed said in his statement that the GoP has acknowledged that to control inflation and food security it is imperative that the agriculture sector should be developed on modern lines to improve yield per acre.

Since Pakistan being an agricultural country is importing food on a large scale and thus the country faces a stiff challenge of shortage of food which indicates our failure in meeting our foods’ requirements.

The Government has announced a national agriculture emergency program which is a welcoming step.

The government has allocated a fund of Rs.12 billion for development of the agriculture sector which is inadequate.

It is strongly recommended that for development of the agriculture sector a minimum of Rs.50 billion should have been allocated which should be enhanced to Rs. 100billion subsequently.

For Pakistan to be self-sufficient in food the Research and Development (R&D) is essentially required. There is a dire need to develop new varieties of foods, agri-produces, edible oil seeds and new varieties of cotton which should have potential to encounter challenges of climatic changes while these new varieties should have high yield per acre.

Similarly, irrigation systems are also required to be developed on modern lines with the introduction of modern technology.

The Government should announce a special package by allocating substantial funds for the development of the Horticulture sector which should include greenhouse, controlled atmosphere(CA), hydroponics and drip irrigation.

Overall, the Federal budget is balanced and the Government has taken necessary steps to reduce the cost of the manufacturing sector, while the textile industry has been zero rated and no new tax has been imposed.

In the backdrop of severe financial impact on the economy due to COVID-19 by announcement of a balanced budget, it would certainly assist in the economic growth leading to economic stability.

It is felt that the Provincial Governments should allocate more funds in the budget for development of the agriculture sector compared to the federal government because after the 18th amendment it is the sole responsibility of the provinces to develop the agriculture sector.

The Federal Government has announced a national agriculture emergency program in which provinces must actively participate so that this program can pay a substantial dividend.

Likewise, higher education commission, there is a dire need to formulate a national research council in the agriculture sector as well so that research and development conducted in the agriculture sector on the federal and provincial level can be shared will all provinces while the provinces like Baluchistan or KPK having inadequate technical skills and shortage of resources can also take advantage of R&D.

Haleeb Foods Partners with SOS Village on World Milk Day

Lahore: Haleeb Foods Limited the pioneer dairy and beverages processor in Pakistan has partnered with SOS Village yet again, on the occasion of World Milk Day 2021.

This initiative is part of Haleeb Foods Health and Wellness awareness agenda. With the objective of ensuring sustainable CSR, milk supply equivalent to a month’s requirement were delivered at the SOS Village, Lahore.

Keeping in view that during the ongoing pandemic, immunity levels all around the world are dropping and Packaged Milk being safe, healthy and nutritious is highly recommended especially for children.

Expressing his thoughts on the World Milk Day, Mr. Syed Mazher Iqbal, CEO, Haleeb Foods said, “There are so many benefits of including milk and dairy in our lives – nutritionally, economically and environmentally.

Haleeb Foods since 1984 has been instrumental in nurturing Pakistan, Milk being high in nutrition, is the primary source of nourishment for all age groups.

We have partnered with SOS Village in the past also, and I urge others also to come forth and support the cause of the SOS Village for a healthier Pakistan.”

Thanking team Haleeb Foods on receiving the product donation Ms. Saba Faisal, National Director, SOS said, “Haleeb Foods has always been at the forefront when it comes to raising awareness on the importance of Milk in SOS village.

World Milk Day reminds us why milk is important for health. We at SOS village are grateful to Haleeb Foods for their generosity.”

NEPRA takes action on nationwide power outages

The national power regulator has stepped in as tempers flared across the country over protracted power disruptions in hot conditions, despite official promises of surplus electricity.

Previously, the country’s persistent power problem provoked summer protests – sometimes with deadly repercussions – but the existing administration claims to have resolved the shortages by establishing many power projects within the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).

The load-shedding was caused by a technical issue at a large hydroelectric power facility, as well as outages at a few thermal power facilities, according to the energy minister. He did, however, emphasise that the disruptions did not imply that the country did not have a surplus of energy.

Meanwhile, the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (Nepra) convened the CEOs of all power distribution firms, as well as K-Electric, on Friday to explain the causes for the hours-long outages and to emphasise the “remedial efforts to minimise protracted load-shedding.”

Nepra stated in a statement that all power distribution firms, including K-Electric – the power distribution firm that delivers energy to Karachi – are required under their licences to ensure uninterrupted and stable power supply to its customers.

The government asserts that Pakistan now has excess electricity as a result of the completion of various CPEC power projects. However, every summer, when consumer demand rises, all promises about overcoming load-shedding are revealed.

According to analysts, the demand for power is far higher than the government’s forecasts. Load-shedding is used by electricity providers in areas when they are losing a lot of money.

If these firms provide electricity to all users on an equal basis rather of using the “pay bills and get electricity” formula, overall power demand will be substantially greater. According to the Power Division, the demand for power is 24,100MW, while the supply is 22,600MW.

However, according to Federal Minister of Energy Hammad Azhar, there has been an average power shortage of 1,000MW over the last 48 hours owing to rehabilitation work on a large hydroelectric power plant and outages at a few thermal power facilities.

“Tarbela will go back online in four to six days (3,000MW), and attempts have been made to add 1,100MW from other plants by tonight to bridge the shortfall,” the minister said on social media. In a separate video message, he explained why the country has been subjected to load shedding for the past 48 hours.

He explained that one of the causes for the load-shedding is that the Water and Power Development Authority (Wapda) is performing normal maintenance on the Tarbela dam, which would be finished in two to three days. “Approximately 3,000MW of energy will be restored during the next few days.”

He highlighted that load-shedding does not imply that the country lacks extra electricity. He went on to say that the country has enough electricity to last the whole year.

According to officials, the government has enhanced gas supplies to Kot Addu Power Company (Kapco) in order to add 450MW of energy to the grid. They said that the severity of load shedding had been lowered and that the situation will be back to normal by tomorrow.

IATA announced a ‘Travel Pass’ app set to go live

Following a testing phase, the chief of global airline organisation IATA announced on Thursday that a digital travel pass for Covid-19 test results and vaccination certificates will go live in the coming weeks.

According to the International Air Transport Association, the ‘Travel Pass’ app will be available in a matter of weeks.

However, IATA claims that it has now updated the app to account for the fact that passengers are also scrutinized by immigration agents upon arrival.

“The response has been overwhelmingly good. We hope to exit testing mode in the next few weeks “Willie Walsh, Director General of the International Air Transport Association (IATA), said reporters at an online media briefing.

He further said, “around 60,000 people have been registered to test the system.”

COAS guarantees the business community of the full support

According to an official statement published by Inter Services Public Relations, Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa on Wednesday commended the contribution of the business sector in Pakistan’s economic development and reiterated the army’s full support (ISPR).

Members of the Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI) met with the army chief today, according to the military’s media wing.

The summit also examined FPCCI’s role in the development of commercial and industrial centres in Pakistan, as well as the shifting regional economic climate.

According to the official communiqué, the army commander praised the role of the business community in Pakistan’s economic development and reaffirmed the Pakistan Army’s full support.

The delegation also praised the Pakistan Army’s contribution and sacrifices in providing a safe enabling environment for economic success in Pakistan, according to the ISPR.

President Biden plans to ban TikTok and WeChat

President Joe Biden rescinded executive orders issued by his predecessor, Donald Trump, that sought to bar Chinese-owned smartphone apps TikTok and WeChat due to national security fears sources said.

Instead of banning the popular apps, the Biden administration would conduct a “criteria-based decision process and rigorous, evidence-based study to address the vulnerabilities” posed by internet applications owned by foreign actors, according to a White House statement.

Trump argued that Chinese-owned applications constituted a national security concern, and he attempted to force TikTok’s sale to US investors.

The Commerce Department and other government agencies are to draught standards “to protect sensitive personal data… including personally identifiable information and genetic information” against misuse, according to the new executive order.

TikTok, which is owned by China’s ByteDance, is thought to have one billion users globally, with more than 100 million in the United States, and is particularly popular among youthful smartphone users.

WeChat is a highly popular “super app” that integrates social networking, messaging, e-commerce, and more. It is part of the Chinese computer company Tencent.

BTS comparison is a compliment, Alizeh Shah

Alizeh Shah, a TikTok sensation, recently shaved off her lengthy locks in favour of a short and entertaining hairstyle. Trolls were ready to lob harsh remarks at the actor as soon as she posted her picture on Instagram to show off her new hair, as expected.

An Instagram user linked Alizeh’s new style to members of the Korean supergroup BTS in one particular tag. The person remarked, “Alizeh Shah is ready to join BTS,” making a parallel between the actor and BTS member Jungkook.

The Ehd e Wafa actress has recently come under fire from industry insiders, with filmmaker and actor Yasir Nawaz and his wife, morning show personality Nida Yasir, describing her as “difficult to deal with.”

Yasir expressed his hesitation to resume acting in an interview, stating that the experience had been unpleasant for him. “Acting bothered me a little bit. There were numerous reasons behind this. It was just not my cup of tea. It was so horrible that I always regretted going into acting.”

Nida went on to describe the problems Yasir has had with co-stars in the past. “Yasir had some issues working with Alizeh Shah as an actress”

Even though Yasir gets along with everyone, there wasn’t enough synergy. But no one has ever bothered him as a director,” she explained, later adding, “You have to be careful who you work with.” You should look into who you’ll be working with.”

Feroze Khan, on the other hand, has rallied to Alizeh’s defence. “I’ve had the pleasure of working with Alizeh Shah. It was fantastic. He described her as a “very young lady” who had had no media training or instruction from her family or industry connections.

Hamid Mir issues an apology for his outburst

Hamid Mir, a prominent TV presenter and journalist, apologised on Wednesday for his contentious remarks on the Pakistan Army during a protest outside the National Press Club (NPC) in Islamabad.

The journalist stated that protests outside the NPC on May 28 were against attacks on journalists in a joint statement issued by the committee formed by Mir, Rawalpindi Islamabad Union of Journalists (RIUJ), NPC.

Mir went on to say that “I am fully aware of negative sentiment/narrative caused by my statements”. He further said that “some journalists used strongly worded statements” and mentioned, “without being under pressure of any kind and with full responsibility and consciousness” he did not “take anyone’s name”.

He also said that nor did he have “any animosity with the Pakistan Army.”

The veteran journalist said that “I felt honour in covering them” as he has personally witnessed troops’ sacrifices from Siachin to the Line of Control (LoC) and from FATA to Balochistan.


He did not want to hurt the sentiments of anyone, Mir said, and apologises “from the bottom of his heart” if he did so.

Mir also requested the federal government to take measures to stop attacks on journalists and to apprehend and prosecute those who have done so in the past.

He further urged the government to approve a bill protecting journalists as soon as feasible in parliament.

Careem partners with TOTAL PARCO to provide its Captains with speedy mobility solutions

Karachi: Careem, the Super App for the greater Middle East and Pakistan and Total PARCO Pakistan Limited (TPPL), signed an agreement to provide its Captains with TPPL’s mobility-related solutions at special discounts.

Through this partnership, Careem Captains receive a flat discount on purchase of TPPL’s fuels, lubricants and other services like car wash, oil change in selected service stations nationwide.

The solution will be integrated into Careem’s application where its Captains can easily access the offers. 

Other than being the region’s everyday Super App, Careem is also a leading mobility solutions provider in the region with a vast network of Captains in the ride-hailing and delivery services.

TPPL, similarly, has one of the largest footprints as an oil marketing company traversing the nation. This strategic partnership provides an effective solution to a significant client base through innovative solutions customized to meet the growing needs of Pakistan’s mobility sector.

Commemorating the partnership, CEO & Country General Manager of Careem Pakistan, Zeeshan Baig, says, “Captains are at the heart of what we do and we are always looking for ways to simplify and improve their lives.

Partnership with TPPL will undoubtedly benefit our Captains and ease their financial expenditure allowing them to provide better service quality.”

Speaking on the occasion, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of TPPL, Mehmet Celepoglu, says,

“Understanding and prioritizing our varied customer base by keeping their needs top-of-mind enables the company to create seamless user experience and stay abreast of ever-changing trends that would enhance customer loyalty. By partnering with prominent organizations such as Careem, TPPL furthers its ambition as a responsible energy major that aims to constantly create value product and service offerings to serve our customers.”

This partnership has strongly positioned TPPL to acquire new opportunities in the automotive segment.

The management teams of both organizations look forward to a successful collaboration and will explore other avenues of mutual interest.  

Pakistan to receive loan from IMF to retire debts in FY22

Islamabad: In the coming fiscal year, the government intends to borrow roughly $16 billion in gross foreign loans to cover maturing external public debt and finance the budget deficit.

According to Ministry of Finance sources, the expected $15.7 billion borrowings in fiscal year 2021-22 are roughly 10% higher than this year’s revised estimates of foreign economic assistance. They added that the final estimates may alter somewhat due to continuing discussions with the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

Over two-thirds of the foreign loans, according to the sources, will be used to repay maturing external public debt, excluding interest payments.

However, sources said that “The Ministry of Finance has estimated the gross receipts of $15.7 billion from bilateral and multilateral lenders, issuance of Eurobonds, the IMF, and commercial banks for fiscal year 2021-22.”

Moreover, “the new plan consists of floating $2 billion Eurobonds, contracting a record $4.9 billion foreign commercial loans and about $3.1 billion lending by the IMF has also been estimated.

Roughly $16 billion borrowings will be the highest-ever received by the country in a year.

Pakistan’s now $16 billion gross official foreign currency reserves held by the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) are chiefly consist of borrowings due to the inability to the increasing non-debt. A constant surge in foreign loans is a another factor that has weakened the debt bearing capacity of the country.

Moreover, the present government is planning to address issues of some portion of this yawning gap with the help of foreign borrowings for the coming fiscal year.

In its April report, the IMF forecast SBP reserves at $17.8 billion, which will be hard to achieve without borrowings due to no significant rise in exports or foreign direct investment in the coming fiscal year.

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