Safepay and UBL to accelerate online payments system
United Bank Limited (UBL) and Safepay have entered into an agreement for the provision of digital acceptance solutions for retail businesses and SMEs, a relatively underserved segment in terms of ecommerce enablement.
With this partnership, Safepay and UBL will be working towards the common agenda of ‘cash to cashless’ for businesses in Pakistan. Safepay with its payment gateway platform and merchant-focused features will enable retail businesses to go beyond cash acceptance and connect with their domestic and international customers through multiple online payment options.
Having a settlement Bank is a fundamental requirement for any regulated payment service provider (PSP), and the Stripe-backed Safepay has partnered with UBL, where this synergy will serve the online needs of their common target market.
Safepay co-founders Ziyad Parekh and Raza Naqvi shared, “We’ve spent the last year investing in the right relationships that will not only create a sustainable platform for Safepay but more importantly ensure businesses in Pakistan have access to a simple and smooth onboarding journey. UBL understands this vision and we’re happy to partner with them in creating the solution that the market needs to unlock the next age of e-commerce growth.”
Speaking at the occasion, Sharjeel Shahid, Group Executive, Digital Banking, UBL said, “UBL believes in creating partnership platforms, where we encourage new players entering into the ecosystem because addressing the needs of the underserved can happen best when the forces are combined for a common cause.”
The e-commerce base in Pakistan will continue to witness exponential growth in the coming years and to foster this growth it is imperative that traditional and neo players come together to enable and provide access across all layers, something where UBL and Safepay intend to take the lead.
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CarFirst and Habib Metropolitan Bank join hands for fleet disposal solution
CarFirst, Pakistan’s largest used car trading platform, signed an MOU with HABIBMETRO, at CarFirst’s regional office in Karachi to trade the fleet vehicles under HABIBMETRO’s ijarah financing option. Under this arrangement, CarFirst will be offering inspection and evaluation services of the fleet vehicles of HABIBMETRO Bank.
CarFirst and HABIBMETRO’s collaboration aims to mutually benefit both parties with a transparent and hassle-free car trading service. CarFirst will purchase cars owned by HABIBMETRO at the discretion of both parties.
CarFirst is catering to the rising demand of the used cars market by providing efficient solutions to individual customers and corporations to sell cars. By entering strategic partnerships with leading financial institutions like HABIBMETRO, CarFirst aims to meet the needs of potential sellers in the best possible way.
Commenting on this collaboration with HABIBMETRO, Shahbaz Saeed, Head of Marketing at CarFirst, said, “CarFirst is driven towards simplifying the lives of its customers and continuously pushing Pakistan’s used car industry forward through innovative solutions and progressive partnerships. This new joint venture is likely to prove fruitful for both Carfirst and HABIBMETRO in terms of an effective and seamless disposal solution of the corporate fleet.”
Salman Ali, Head of Consumer Partnerships at HABIBMETRO, said, “We look forward to strengthening our partnership with CarFirst in the future.”
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Dawlance supports Pakistan climate conference 2022 as platinum sponsor
The #1 Home-Appliances brand of Pakistan – Dawlance was the ‘Platinum Sponsor’ of the ‘Pakistan Climate Conference’ 2022, recently organized by the OICCI in Karachi.
This initiative by Dawlance is in sync with the sustainability-vision of its parent-company – Arcelik, which is the second largest manufacturer in Europe. Dawlance has a strong commitment to protect the Earth’s environment and prevent climate-change for a brighter future.
The ‘Pakistan Climate Conference’ will lay the foundation for a dialogue on climate-change, engaging many resourceful stakeholders and creating awareness among the common citizens. A long-term action-plan will follow this forum, to help Pakistan meet its ecological commitments and ensure sustainability.
Since global Climatic-Targets and best-practices have been adopted by these two responsible corporate citizens, this insightful conference will be a great milestone, on their journey towards socio-economic growth, while keeping the planet safe and healthy for the future generations. Renowned experts and stakeholders were invited to showcase the protective policies and actions implemented by the OICCI member companies to avert the industries’ impact on climate. Many products made up of ‘Recyclable’ materials were also exhibited at the venue.
The Chief Executive Officer of Dawlance – Umar Ahsan Khan expressed his pleasure on being part of this unified effort for sustainability. He stated that: “We will continue to support such great opportunities and initiatives that can help Dawlance play its role towards climate and humanity. This is another powerful initiative by OICCI, inspiring Pakistan to meet its global climate-commitments, while enhancing human-development and industrial performance.
Over the years, Dawlance has developed many technologies that ensures energy-conservation along with their best performance. One of these remarkable product is the Dawlance ‘Dishwasher’ which also promises great water-saving, as it conserves an estimated 85000 liters of water, annually. The sponsorship of the Climate Conference is a part of the “Dawlance for Humanity” programme, which continues to undertake large-scale initiatives to support: Healthcare, environment and much more.
On an international level, Arcelik is also a winner of the prestigious “Terra Carta” seal, which is awarded to highly sustainable enterprises, for driving innovation, leadership and sustainability within their industry. This world-renowned initiative for ‘Sustainable Markets’ is working in cohesion with the Corporate Knights (CK) – an institution for ranking the 100 most sustainable corporations in the world.
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Shell Pakistan announces financial results for 2021
The Board of Directors of Shell Pakistan Limited (SPL) announced financial results for the year ended December 31st, 2021. The company posted a profit after tax of PKR 4,466 million for 2021 compared to the loss of PKR 4,821 million in 2020.
2021 saw significant recovery with a profit after tax in comparison to a tough last year. The encouraging turnaround is driven by factors that include the government’s initiative to switch pricing formula to Platts indexes aligning with international pricing, improved business performance, sale of differentiated fuels and lubricants, and running safe and efficient fuel operations. In addition, the rights issue was fully subscribed by shareholders at the beginning of the year that provided financial support to business plans.
During 2021, lubricants business marked a significant growth compared to the previous year. In collaboration with Health and Nutrition Development Society (HANDS), a COVID-19 vaccination drive was organized deputing Mobile Vaccination Units in Karachi, Lahore and Multan for customers and surrounding communities near retail stations, through which 12,810 people were vaccinated.
Shell Pakistan continues its focus on driving competitive business plans to deliver top quartile business performance and play a key role in developing Pakistan’s energy future.
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Zahid sees steep decline in wheat production
Chairman of National Business Group Pakistan, President Pakistan Businessmen and Intellectuals Forum, and All Karachi Industrial Alliance, and former provincial minister Mian Zahid Hussain on Friday said due to unavailability of urea, reduction in farmer’s profit and mismanagement, wheat production is likely to decline sharply.
Import of wheat should not be deliberately delayed like in the past as it will pave way for a serious crisis, he said.
Mian Zahid Hussain said that wheat imports from Ukraine may not be possible this year due to the war.
Talking to the business community, the veteran business leader said that the export of maize should be banned immediately to reduce its price in the market.
The price of flour and bread is already very high and it should not be allowed to become more expensive, he said, adding that taking advantage of the shortage of wheat profiteers will try to increase the prices of rice and maize which need to be stopped.
Mian Zahid Hussain said that almost half of rice production is exported from Pakistan. Some reduction in rice exports will reduce its price which will benefit the masses and the intensity of the wheat crisis will be tackled to some extent as it is also a staple.
He noted that the rupee has been depreciating continuously for many years which is a reflection of the state of the economy while it has put an indescribable burden on the people and the business community.
This should be stopped or else the local currency will become tissue paper and new records of inflation will be set in the country.
The record depreciation of the rupee has led to an unbearable increase in the volume of loans. Such a drastic depreciation of the rupee had happened only once in the past when the country was divided.
Mian Zahid Hussain further said that along with the economic situation, political chaos is also causing the rupee to depreciate while important economic decisions are not being made in time which is sending a negative message to investors.
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Syngenta Pakistan appoints Tabbish Mahmood as head of digital services, business development
Syngenta Pakistan Limited is the leading agriculture inputs company, providing Crop Protection products and Seeds all over the country. Effective 21st March, 2022, it has appointed Tabbish Mahmood as its new Head of Digital Services & Business Development.
This announcement is followed by the recent appointment of Zeeshan Baig as the Country General Manager, who is driving the digital agenda in addition to leading the existing business of Syngenta in Pakistan, since January 2022.
In this new role, Tabbish will lead the digital roadmap for the business which includes introducing digital & technological innovations, digital ecosystem engagements and public-private partnerships, while also identifying new business opportunities. He will be working towards building and strengthening the Digital Operating System (OS) for Syngenta Pakistan.
The Country General Manager – Zeeshan Baig stated that: “Syngenta Pakistan is one of the largest agriculture inputs providers in Pakistan for Crop Protection and Seeds, and has aggressive plans for digitalization. With over 14 years of diversified technical and commercial experience, Tabbish brings strong leadership and Agri-tech expertise to the company. Therefore, he will be instrumental in leading our digital agenda which will enable farmers to grow more efficiently and sustainably, improve their livelihoods, and contribute to food security.”
In his previous role, Tabbish led the largest Agri-Tech venture in Pakistan — BaKhabar Kissan, where he and his team built a truly disruptive, data-driven platform, focused on empowering and transforming the lives of millions of farmers, who used to be either misled or uninformed previously. During his tenure at BaKhabar Kissan, his small team grew into a resourceful pack of 100+ AgriTech professionals, nurtured with a wealth of global experience in agriculture, data & technology.
BaKhabar Kissan’s robust platform enables “remote farm-management” through proactive written, audio and visual advisories. Tabbish helped to setup the Weather, Crop, Livestock and Remote sensing operations centers and the largest omni-channel based platform enabling any and every stakeholder in the Agri value chain to interact and transact.
Prior to that, Tabbish had led several large-scale ICT projects with Huawei Middle East, HP APAC, Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited (PTCL) and Telenor Pakistan. He holds an MBA degree in International Management (Finance) from Royal Holloway, University of London and a Bachelor’s degree in Telecom Engineering.
Tabbish Mahmood said that: “Pakistan’s massive agriculture market is ripe for disruption. I believe that; now is the time to deploy innovative digital solutions, to revolutionize the agriculture ecosystem. I am very sure that a company like Syngenta with its large footprint across the country through its Naya Savera program, can truly transform the lives of millions of farmers and revolutionize the agriculture ecosystem of Pakistan. I am committed to the vision of Syngenta as it aligns well with my personal goals to work for the prosperity of my people and my country.”
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ACCA co-hosted 1st Pakistan Petrochemical Symposium in Islamabad
ACCA, as an organization and one of the most forward-thinking accountancy bodies of the world, places a special focus on driving the sustainability agenda. Sajjeed Aslam emphasized on this and said, “Now more than ever, organizations and industries need to champion sustainability in growth. Embedding sustainability in business practices is a continuous journey that needs actions from all stakeholders whether it is the investors, supply chain, clients, talent- it is important to address the topic in a short-term perspective to future proof all businesses.”
The event was attended by industry leaders, foreign delegates, c-suite executives, policy makers and government officials and was also broadcasted live on ACCA Pakistan’s Facebook, LinkedIn & YouTube pages.
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Standard Chartered united youth league successfully concludes
Standard Chartered-Karachi United Football League concluded at Kings Football Ground, Ayub Park Rawalpindi, by Standard Chartered Bank Pakistan Limited in collaboration with the Karachi United Youth Football Club.
This league was launched in Islamabad in December 2021. Featuring 113 thrilling matches, among 29 teams, it comprised more than 435 young male & female players, who showed great performances, till the vibrant closing ceremony was held recently. Sponsorship of this tournament was a part of Standard Chartered Bank’s resourceful social-development initiative to promote healthy-sporting activities in the country.
The winning team in the girls’ competition was SMURF FC, while the victorious squad in the under-14 boys’ competition was POPO FC. The under-16 boy team contest was won by NISHTAR FC. The tournament inspires enthusiastic participation by children hailing from different football clubs and academies from Islamabad and Rawalpindi.
Standard Chartered has been sponsoring this league since 2017. Initiated with engaging 600 children from underserved communities, today the tournament has exceeded the headcount to over 3200 children, who have been supported through sports to become productive citizens. Otherwise, many of these youngsters may have been engulfed in self-injurious activities such as violence or drugs.
Ms. Khadija Hashimi, Head, CABM, AME & Country Head, of Standard Chartered Pakistan commenting on the sponsorship said, “It is a moment of pride for us to see the growth of the Standard Chartered-Karachi United Youth Football League over the past five years. We launched the league in Islamabad late last year and the response received has been overwhelming. True to its promise, the league has enabled us to create opportunities, build healthy competition and inculcate self-confidence and respect in local communities, whilst breaking barriers across class, genders, and abilities, through sport. We hope that through this effort we can continue to bring a positive change in the society by providing an equal playing field for children across the city.” She added.Commenting on the league Mr. Imran Ali, Director Youth and Community, at Karachi United said: “We must give huge credit to Standard Chartered and its leadership team, for understanding the benefit of such a platform for our youth and communities. We are now witnessing the fruits of this investment on development of children and communities. Some of these players have gone on to represent Pakistan national teams at different levels, whilst others are pursuing higher education and enrolling in coaching programs.”
He further said: “We will leverage these talented players within communities, as role models and future-makers, to strengthen our impact. Through the Liverpool ‘Train the Trainer’ program, we have delivered coaching to over 6000 children, who now understand Liverpool’s coaching philosophy. None of this would have been possible without the continued support of Standard Chartered. We are so grateful to this socially-responsible bank.”
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Sustainable growth for Pakistan discussed
ACCA successfully completes leadership conversation in Islamabad, Karachi and Lahore
ACCA (the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants) Pakistan, in collaboration with SEED Ventures, closed a successful series of its flagship conferences Pakistan Leadership Conversation (PLC 2022) in Islamabad, Karachi and Lahore respectively.
The fourth edition of PLC centered on the theme “Rethinking our world: Sustainable growth for Pakistan” and brought together leading policy makers, thought leaders, corporate influencers, academia and business operators for a dialogue centered on the power of digital, sustainability/ESG, ethics and future ready workforce.
In Karachi, Dr. Shamshad Akhtar, Mr. Nadeem Hussain, Founder Planet N Group of Companies/Chairman Pakistan Fintech Network attended the event as Guest of Honour. Speaking on the topic of Accelerated Financial Inclusion, he said, “Digitalization plays an imperative role in enhancing social mobility and these shifts can not be made without understanding the customer need and creating the simplest customer journey.”
Muhammad Ali Tabba, CEO Lucky Cement Limited as the Guest of Honour shared his thoughts on Opportunity and Size – Fast Tracking the investment landscape saying, “The distribution of energy, its mix and privatization is imperative for our growth agenda. Moreover, enabling make in Pakistan environment will help import substitution fueling employment, self-reliance and sustainable economic growth driven by exports.
As a part of her keynote address, Dr. Shamshad Akhtar, Chairperson PSX and PICG spoke on Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, while Re-calibrating our Practices for Sustainable Growth she said, “As Pakistan sets to become part of global economies through BRI / CPEC and export focused, strategy – relevance of diversity, equity and inclusion is extremely critical for all stakeholders to achieve the recognised global standards of performance and excellence.”
The first session, titled, “Diversity, Equity & Inclusion: Re-calibrating Practices for Sustainable Growth” featured Ahsan Jamil, CEO, Pakistan Institute of Corporate Governance; Farrukh H. Khan, Managing Director & CEO, Pakistan Stock Exchange; Maheen Rahman, CEO – InfraZamin Pakistan; Mohammad Shoaib, CEO – Al Meezan Investment Management Limited; Navid Fazil, CEO – Interloop Limited moderated by Sadia Dada, Chief Marketing and Communications Officer, K-Electric.
The second session was led by a key note address from Sadia Khan, Commissioner – Securities & Exchange Commission of Pakistan who shared her thoughts on the topic, “Ethics, Technology, ESG – Accelerating national economic transformation”. She said, “Ethical behaviour is at the core of good governance and sustainability. The importance of ESG and sustainability has been rightfully amplified in a short time with increased focus in the areas of financial reporting, investing and business practices.” Adding on to the guidelines issued by SECP on CSR, she added, “We introduce voluntary guides to enable good business practices that add value to the community”.
The talk was moderated by Hena Sadiq, Partner Audit and Assurance – Yousuf Adil Chartered Accountants; Rana Nadeem, Partner – KPMG Taseer Hadi & Co; Saquib Ahmad, Country Managing Director – SAP Pakistan; Shahzad Shahid, Group CEO – TPS Online; Zeeshan Shahid, Director Risk and Compliance – BYKEA.
Mr. Sharif Tabbani, Owner & Principal – Tabbani’s School of Accountancy also joined the event and spoke on the Talent, Technology & Transformation.
In Lahore, Salman Shah, Advisor to the Chief Minister of Punjab on Economic Affairs and Planning & Development attended the event as the Guest of Honour. Speaking on the topic “Re-thinking Sustainable Investment Landscape in Pakistan”, he said, “Government has shifted greater focus on sustainable development and enabling upskilling of businesses to benefit from e-market places like Amazon and Ali Baba. Clean and renewable energy is another imperative to the growth of our economy”. He further added, “Creating business hubs in Punjab with demographic sectoral focus is a key government priority to help create job opportunities, enhance economic activity and increase exports”.
Also present as the Guest of Honour was Hashim Jawan Bakht, Finance Minister, Government of Punjab who shared his thoughts on – Talent, Technology & Transformation, he said, “Sustainable and inclusive economic growth is dependent upon agile, data driven and resilient government decision making. Recent policy improvements for technology sector is set to help bring in valuable foreign exchange. We must continue focus on digitalization and amplify ease of doing business to sustain the growth momentum.”
The first session discussed, “Putting Pakistan on the Global Digital Map — Leapfrog into the future”. The discussion was led by a key note by Fatima Asad-Said, CEO, Abacus Consulting. The panel included Badar Khushnood, Fishry.com E-commerce Platform & Bramerz | x-Google, Facebook & Twitter; Chairman P@SHA; Ahmer Mallick, CEO, PBIT; Sajjad Syed, Chairman, Excellence Delivered; Muhammad Awais, Partner, EY Ford Rhodes and was moderated by Omer Zaheer Meer, Chair MNP & Tax Committee ACCA Pakistan.
The second panel discussion talked about, “Accelerated Financial Inclusion: Ethics, Emerging Technologies and Social Impact”. The key note address was delivered by Dr. Amjad Saqib, Founder and CEO, Akhuwat Foundation. The panel included Zia Ul Mustafa, President ICMA Pakistan; Qasif Shahid, Cofounder & CEO, Finja; Jahanzeb Khan, CEO, FINCA Microfinance Bank Ltd.; Roshaneh Zafar, Founder & Managing Director, Kashf Foundation; Mohsin Khawaja, Director, Mahmood Group of Industries & President, EO Lahore and was moderated by Arif Masud Mirza, Regional Head of Policy ACCA (MESA).
Helen Brand OBE, Chief Executive, ACCA Global joined the PLC 2022 virtually and highlighted ACCA’s contributions and continued commitment to sustainable development, saying, “For ACCA, as accountants and as leaders, it’s about driving good well-considered decisions and business strategies, that consider people and the planet, as well as profit. It’s about a new way of keeping score in business, a new way of measuring success and counting value that considers wider measures than the financial bottom line. It must include impacts on the environment and impacts on society too.”
Speaking at the event, Assad Hameed Khan, Head of ACCA Pakistan shared his thoughts on Pakistan’s path to a sustainable economy, ‘‘ACCA is committed to positively influencing governments, policy makers and regulators on sustainability matters, and develop the profession in alignment with the SDGs. ACCA and ACCA members continue to contribute, collaborate and converge thought leaders to bring conversations that explore high impact action items to drive an inclusive social and economic growth for a sustainable Pakistan.”
ACCA also hosted another ceremony in the evening for their newly qualified ACCA members and High Achievers titled, ‘New Members and High Achievers Ceremony 2022’ that celebrated their achievements as they continue to embark on their professional journey, committed to contribute to a sustainable Pakistan. In Karachi, the guest included Atif Kaludi, CFO Lucky Cement and Asim Siddiqui, Country Managing Partner EY Ford Rhodes. In Lahore, Senator Walid Iqbal attended the event as the Chief Guest.
Orla Collins, President, ACCA Global sent in her message where spoke about her own experiences, saying, “No matter how the landscape changes in the years to come – and change it will – you know that ACCA will be there with you. ACCA will be there for you – offering all the help, advice and support you could need or want.”
Starting in 2017, PLC has now become an important annual event for those who want to stay up to date with the ever-evolving business world and accountancy profession. It has also cemented ACCA’s role as a super connector for key stakeholders. The event was broadcasted live on ACCA’s social media pages with over 2 million followers as well as ACCA’s global audience which includes 233,000 members and 536,000 future members.
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Atyab Tahir Named as CEO Jazzcash
Jazz, Pakistan’s leading digital operator (part of VEON Group NASDAQ: VEON, Euronext Amsterdam: VEON), announces the appointment of Atyab Tahir as the CEO of JazzCash effective May 1, 2022.
Atyab, currently serving as Country Manager MasterCard Pakistan & Afghanistan, has over two decades of international experience in banking and consulting. Atyab has also held senior positions at Fidelity Investments, HBL, Telenor Bank and easypaisa. He holds a BA from Dartmouth College and an MBA from Babson College.
Commenting on Atyab’s appointment Aamir Ibrahim, CEO, Jazz said: “While mobile phones and payment solutions have accelerated financial inclusion in the country, a significant portion of Pakistan’s adult population remain unbanked. I am confident that under Atyab’s dynamic leadership JazzCash will help boost financial inclusion across the board through innovative and customer-centric products.”
“JazzCash is at the forefront of Pakistan’s digital revolution processing more than 5 million transactions every day and accounting for almost 7% of Pakistan’s GDP. Our aim is to build a world-class fintech serving every single Pakistani, from youth, SMEs, freelancers, with a very strong focus on the unbanked and the underbanked. I look forward to joining the Jazz family and collaborating with our partners in the telecommunications and financial services sector to unlock the true potential of Digital Pakistan.” said Atyab.
A division of Jazz, JazzCash has grown rapidly to become a leader in the country’s marketplace for digital financial services. As shown in VEON Group’s FY21 results that were released on 28 February 2022, JazzCash has 15.2 million monthly active users (+24.9% YoY) and 130,800 monthly active merchants (up by 2.3 times YoY).
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Women’s nutritional needs are crucial at each stage of their life
Nutritional needs of women are greater than those of men and change at different life stages. Women nutrition needs were discussed at a seminar organized by Nutrition International in collaboration with Health Services Academy (HSA), to commemorate International Women’s Day 2022. The expert speakers from renowned institutions stressed the need for equitable access to optimal nutrition for women to realize the dream of a healthy and prosperous Pakistan.
Nutrition International and HSA signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to promote nutrition education, research, and capacity building of students & professionals in a concerted manner.
While addressing the participants of seminar, the Chief Guest, Dr. Nausheen Hamid- Parliamentary Secretary for National Health Services, stated that the government is now discussing nutrition sensitive policies. It is time that women nutrition should also become a part of these efforts. Pakistan has the highest neonatal mortality rates in the region and focus on adolescent nutrition shall go a long way in countering this problem.
Dr. Shabina Raza – Country Director, Nutrition International, stressed the importance and need for nutritional interventions for adolescent girls. More than half (57%) of adolescent girls, between the ages of 10-19 years in Pakistan are anemic, while overweight (11%) and obesity (5.5%) is growing concern among adolescent girls. She highlighted that adequate nutrition during critical adolescent period lays the foundation of a healthy & productive life. Weekly Iron Folic Acid Supplementation (WIFAS) is one of the globally recommended key interventions to address iron deficiency among adolescent girls. Nutrition International is piloting WIFAS for in-school adolescent girls in district Lodhran-Punjab, in collaboration with federal, provincial, district health and education departments.
Prof. Dr. Shahzad Ali Khan, Vice Chancellor – HSA shared that the Government of Pakistan is committed to address health and nutrition issues of women and has finalized “National Maternal Nutrition Strategy” that will be launched in the coming weeks. He also discussed avenues for nutrition sensitive policy making.
Dr. Samina Naeem, Associate Professor at Health Services Academy explained that maternal nutrition refers to nutritional needs of women before, during and after pregnancy. Although the adverse consequences of maternal malnutrition are well recognized and solutions have been identified, the progress in addressing nutritional problems of women and adolescent girls has been slow. Interventions include providing iron, folate, and calcium supplements to pregnant women, nutrition education and counselling on maintaining a healthy diet during pregnancy, and energy and protein supplements to undernourished women.
Malnutrition among older adults is often a neglected due to multiple reasons, said Prof Dr. Shamsa Rizwan – Head of Gynae Department, PAF Hospital. She informed that women become especially vulnerable to different kind of diseases after menopause and it is a time that needs special attention towards changing lifestyle; including regular light exercise and fulfilling depleting nutritional resources through supplementation and healthy food. Ensuring good nutrition at this stage can help avoid the risks of heart and bone diseases.
Highlighting the needs for gender equal access to food and nutrition, Dr. Syed Imran Haider – Chairman, Department of Sociology, Allama Iqbal Open University, Islamabad said that in Pakistan, at least 1 in 4 girls are married before 18 years of age and experience complications in childbirth. The complexity is manifold due to discriminatory gender norms, especially related to decision making and household level food consumption patterns. The solution is linked with increasing years of schooling for girls and provision of information regarding healthy food patterns. In addition, we need to engage communities, organizations, and policy makers for gender transformative initiatives for changing the harmful gender norms.
More than 100 participants – including parliamentarians, government officials, representatives of international development & civil society organizations, academia & research institutes, media, and public health students – attended the seminar.
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International Day of Forest 2022 commemorated
Pakistan Cables organizes children’s art contest
To commemorate the International Day of Forest 2022, a children’s art contest was organized by Pakistan Cables Limited for its employees’ children. The contest invited entries from contestants in two categories that included Why Forest are Important? (6-11 years old) and Forests and sustainable production and consumption (12-14 years old). Renowned artists, Ms. Durriya Kazi and Ms. Bina Ali were the judges for the contest.
The winners of the contest include:
Category 01
1st Prize: Syed Murtaza Hasan s/o Syed Muhammad Hasan (KHI)
2nd Prize: Syeda Zehra Hasan d/o Syed Muhammad Hasan (KHI)
3rd Prize: Aroush Akhtar d/o Fahim Akthar (KHI)
Special mention Appreciation: Mohammad Taha s/o M. Qasim Khan (LHR)
Category 02
1st Prize: Momina Salman d/o Rao Salman (KHI)
2nd Prize: Syed Mustafa Hasan s/o Syed Muhammad Hasan (KHI)
3rd Prize: Anjiya Mehboob d/o Rehana Mehboob (KHI)
Special mention Appreciation:
Warda Naeem d/o Naeem Akhtar (KHI)
All winners of the contest were awarded prizes at a colorful ceremony organized at the Pakistan Cables Urban Forest.
Speaking on the occasion, the judges encouraged young artists to continue expressing themselves through art with thought provoking creations. The judges appreciated Pakistan Cables for taking the initiative and promoting advocacy among children on environmental conservation. “Connecting with children and encouraging them to voice their views through art with nature is possibly the best way to create impact in the long run”, commented Fahd K. Chinoy CEO Pakistan Cables Ltd.
Pakistan Cables Urban Forest is home to over 50,000 trees located at Nooriabad. It is the first and largest Miyawaki based forest on an industrial estate in Pakistan. The first Pakistan Cables Children’s Art Contest 2022 was organized to invite employees and their children to create awareness and promote environmental advocacy.
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Delays in IMF loans damaging economy: Mian Zahid Hussain
Chairman of National Business Group Pakistan, President Pakistan Businessmen and Intellectuals Forum, and All Karachi Industrial Alliance, and former provincial minister Mian Zahid Hussain on Wednesday said IMF loan has been delayed many times during the last few years which has damaged the economy.
Now the agreement reached with the lender is being violated at a time when the economy is almost half-dead, he said.
Mian Zahid Hussain said that deviation from the agreement would tarnish the country’s image and could lead to a ban on the issuance of more loans which will be a doomsday scenario for Pakistan.
Talking to the business community, the veteran business leader said that very serious consequences could follow if the IMF suspends its existing program because of repeated violations.
He said that the different important officials of the present government have experimented so much with the economy that there is no room for further experiments.
On the other hand, global inflation has skyrocketed inflation while hoarding and poor governance have made life difficult for the people, he observed.
Mian Zahid Hussain further said that political uncertainty has caused concern across the country and the business community is fearful while the developments are affecting the investment climate.
Under these circumstances, borrowing more from international financial institutions will be a challenge without which the economy cannot function, he said, adding that at present political conflict is on the rise, the trade deficit is increasing, remittances and foreign exchange reserves are declining and problems for the economy are increasing.
In difficult economic times, tax breaks, reducing energy prices, and the IMF’s growing concern over the industrial package are some issues that must be tackled.
The government is not paying enough attention to the concerns of the international institutions community without considering that in case of separation from the IMF, loans will have to be taken from other costly sources.
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KE honors organizations serving Karachi at 2nd KHI awards
The organizations which make Karachi a vibrant and thriving city under their social welfare contributions honored in a special event of KE’s 2nd KHI Awards, held at the Governor House Sindh.
The chief guest of the event was Governor Sindh Imran Ismail, while Chairman NEPRA Tauseef H. Farooqi, and Muhammad Azfar Ahsan, Minister of State and Chairman of Board of Investment (BOI) were guests of honor for the event.
The initiative endorsed by NEPRA and launched in collaboration with #IAmKarachi. The KHI Awards addresses the problem of the Karachiites under the pressure time during Covid restrictions and hardship by providing an equitable and impartial avenue through which winners are awarded grants of PKR 40 million in the form of rebates on electricity bills. 40 winners from across 13 diverse categories from heritage & culture to sports, social service to safety and more were awarded in recognition for their efforts in driving societal change in Karachi.
While highlighting the importance of Karachi, Governor Sindh Imran Ismail stated the Karachi’s dynamism is a key driver of national growth, and we must all play our role to continue enriching its vibrancy. He further said that the federal government had taken series of initiatives for the overall development of Karachi. “In addition to Greenline BRT service, federal government pays special focus on development of the port city to overcome related challenges faced by the citizens”, he added.
Appreciating the KHI Awards, he said that Karachi Awards has emerged as a perfect forum for encouragement for the organizations working to uplift the society at large. While lauding other initiatives of the power utility he further said “Another project of K-Electric that needs to be encouraged is Roshni Baji, through which women are empowered by becoming safety ambassadors and going door to door for electrical safety awareness.” He also stressed upon other organisations to come up with similar initiatives to provide relief to the community and to bring betterment to the society.
Muhammad Azfar Ahsan, Minister of State & Chairman BOI said, “We must appreciate K-Electric as it honors those organizations today which are playing a critical role in bringing betterment to the city and remain committed to making it more livable and sustainable. Karachi being the economic hub of the country has tremendous potential to attract further foreign investment, improved state of the city however, remains a pre-requisite. Therefore, we need to make collective efforts to address this city’s challenges and prioritize its progress on every fronts.”
Chairman NEPRA Tauseef H. Farooqi congratulated the winners and appreciated KE’s initiative and said, “It is commendable to see that KE is finding innovative ways to take ownership of the communities it serves. We have to understand that creating meaningful relationships with customers and the environment is necessary to drive sustainable progress. This is why NEPRA introduced the ‘Power with Prosperity’ vision to galvanize the power sector, and we have seen sizable investment and job creation across Pakistan through CSR efforts.”
Saad Amanullah Khan, President of the KHI Awards jury, was also delighted at the event, stating, “It has been a pleasure to be part of the KHI Awards for the second year running. Not only did we receive a higher number of applications this year compared to last, the quality and innovation of the projects proposed by the applicants also demonstrate the commitment they have towards Karachi. We are very pleased to present this year’s winners who are impacting millions of people with their services and look forward to growing the KHI Awards further.”
Chief Executive Officer K-Electric Moonis Alvi said “At KE, we believe in going beyond the provision of power to Karachi; we are committed to building great societies. For cities like Karachi, this is not a simple task and requires the contribution of hundreds of large and small organizations working around the clock. With the KHI Awards, we want to extend our support and create a platform that can lead the change in this megalopolis we call home. I am grateful to our auditors and our jury members for ensuring transparency and credibility in the process, and the Honorable Governor Sindh and Chairman NEPRA for joining us in this celebration.”
Famous Pakistani drama writer and lyricist, Anwar Maqsood also took the center stage and enthralled the audience with his dry humour and witticism. Celebrated Pakistani pop singer Shahzad Roy who was also the jury member at 2nd KHI Awards, rocked the events by singing a song which was composed for and dedicated to the welfare organizations operating in Karachi.
Winners of the awards also shared their excitement. Winners in each category are as follows:
Digital Accessibility & Financial Inclusion
SINA Health Education and Welfare Trust; Roshni Research and Development Welfare Organization; Kashf Foundation
Education
The Citizens Foundation; Indus Resource Centre (IRC); Developments in Literacy; Welfare Association for New Generation (WANG); Centre for Development of Social Services
Empowering Women
Orange Tree Foundation; Women Development Foundation Pakistan; Moosa Foundation
Heritage & Culture
The Citizens Archive of Pakistan; National Academy of Performing Arts
Inclusion
Karachi Down Syndrome Program; Disabled Welfare Association; Center for Autism Rehabilitation and Training, Sindh (C-ARTS)
Livelihoods & Vocational Training
Network of Organizations Working with People with Disabilities, Pakistan (NOWPDP); Marie Adelaide Leprosy Centre; Lady Dufferin Hospital; Aman Institute For Vocational Training
TAF Foundation
Public Health (Primary Healthcare)
SINA Health, Education and Welfare Trust; Karwan e Hayat, Institute for Mental Health Care EDUCAST (Pvt) Ltd
Public Health (Secondary or Tertiary Healthcare)
Zafar and Atia Foundation Charitable Trust; Layton Rahmatulla Benevolent Trust (LRBT); The Kidney Centre Post Graduate Training Institute; ChildLife Foundation Safety (Road, Fire, Home, Personal) CPLC – Citizens Police Liaison Committee; Aahung
Social Service
Ayesha Chundrigar Foundation; Sahara Public Rights Welfare; Baitussalam Welfare Trust
Sports
Karachi United Football Foundation Trust; Karachi Vocational Training Center IBP School of Special Education
Sustainability & Environment
TrashIt; Society for the Protection for the Rights of the Child (SPARC)
Uplifting Communities
Kiran Foundation; TAF Foundation
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Iqra University Islamabad confers degrees, awards
On 17th March (Thursday); Degree awarding ceremony of Iqra University Islamabad campus was held at the H-9 campus where Degrees, Gold Medals and Awards were conferred upon as many as 598 graduates of the university. The ceremony was marked with deep appreciation from teachers and parents.
The Minister for Defense Production Ms. Zubaida Jalal Khan was the Chief Guest of the degree awarding ceremony while the officials of Iqra University Chancellor Mr. Hunaid Hussain Lakhani, Vice Chancellor Dr. Waseem Qazi, Project Director Mr. Muhammad Ibrahim Khan and Vice President Dr. Muhammad Islam were also present on the occasion. Students from different departments including Fashion and Design, Social Science, Computing and Technology and Electronic Engineering received their degrees. Bachelors, Masters and PhD’s degrees were awarded out of which 59 were Gold medalist. At the end of the convocation, the Minister for Defense Production Zubaida Jalal addressed the congregation and congratulated the students and their parents. She referred to those students as future leaders of Pakistan and change agents for a better future of Pakistan and appreciated the efforts of the Iqra university for providing the high quality education in Pakistan.
In the second half of the ceremony Mr. Amer Ahmed Hashmi Chairman special technology zone authority addressed the ceremony where he pressed on the advancement of technology sector in Pakistan and encouraged the students to compete in the race of technology. He also congratulated the university for completing the milestone of 30,000 women graduates since Iqra University’s inception.