ISLAMABAD, MAR 9 (DNA) – The Competition Commission of Pakistan (CCP) while concluding an enquiry has issued a show-cause notice to M/s Hyundai Nishat Motor (Pvt) Limited for, prima facie, deceptive marketing practices in the marketing campaign for its new SUV, “Hyundai Tucson,”, in violation of Section 10 of the Competition Act, 2010.
The CCP took a suo motu notice of the advertisements published in print media and on various social media platforms publicising the ‘introductory price’ of Hyundai Tucson with a disclaimer, ‘for a limited period only’. In these advertisements, though the ‘introductory price’ was visibly printed in large font size, yet the disclaimer was not easily noticeable as it was printed much smaller font size.
Moreover, it was also brought to the CCP’s notice that the initial booking period for Hyundai Tucson with the ‘introductory price’ lasted for less than 24 hours, and then the price was raised by PKR 200,000. Within 24 hours of the initial bookings, the company declared that all units of Tucson at the introductory price were booked and the introductory price list was removed from its website, Facebook, and Instagram pages.
The CCP’s Office of Fair Trade (OFT) in its enquiry found the advertisement to be problematic in that the position of the disclaimer could potentially mislead the consumers. Moreover, the advertisement left the overall impression that the company did not clearly indicate to consumers: (i) the period in which the introductory prices would apply, and (ii) the number of vehicles that were available at that price point, thereby, prima facie, violating provisions of Section 10 of the Competition Act.
On the enquiry’s recommendations, a show cause notice has been served on M/s Hyundai Nishat Motor (Pvt) Limited company and the company has been given 14 days to respond.
CCP is mandated under the Competition Act to ensure fair competition in all spheres of commercial and economic activity to enhance economic efficiency and to protect consumers from deceptive marketing practices including deceptive marketing practices.=DNA
LAHORE/SAN FRANCISCO, MAR 9 /DNA/ – Pakistani technology startup RemoteBase, has raised almost 220 million rupees funding in its seed round of investment so that it can enable Pakistani software engineers and developers to get international exposure. RemoteBase finds, hires, trains and places Pakistani software engineers and developers in Silicon Valley startups. Famous Silicon Valley startups include Google, Facebook and Apple.
This investment by Pakistan based Indus Valley Capital and US Billionaire Tim Draper in RemoteBase are considered to be a huge boost in Pakistan’s tech ecosystem since it reflects a growing trend of Pakistani tech startups raising millions of dollars.
Dr Umar Saif, former chairman of Punjab Information Technology Board (PITB) and founder of Plan9, a tech incubator that gave Pakistani startups exposure to investors in Silicon Valley said: “I am super proud of Qasim and his team on the fundraising. Having seen him work in the past, I can see Remotebase playing a pivotal role in placing Pakistan on the global map.” “As companies go remote, they are looking to hire software engineers from all over the world and Pakistan can benefit from this immensely.
Pakistani engineers are some of the most talented engineers I have worked with in the past. All they require is good training and direction, and I can see Remotebase doing that.” The founder of RemoteBase, Qasim Asad Salam who has also worked closely with Umar Saif and Plan9 said that his only goal is to help Pakistani engineers compete internationally and that remote working during COVID-19 made it possible.
Qasim further added, “Pakistani talent has always amazed me. Engineers from Pakistan are on par with the best engineers in the world. They just don’t have the right direction or the right opportunities. With Remotebase, we want to change that.” “Remotebase is all set to completely disrupt how work is done. Being a remote worker for most of my life I was always passionate about enabling people to build companies entirely in the cloud and giving them access to top talent from all around the globe. Where better to start the company from than Pakistan, a country where I have personally witnessed an immense amount of talent, and super hungry individuals just looking for opportunities to learn and grow,” Qasim said. RemoteBase currently has 40 software engineers but the company plans to hire 150+ Pakistan engineers by the end of 2021 after gaining this investment.
US billionaire Tim Draper, who has invested in Skype, Twitter and Hotmail has backed this Pakistani startup and believes that it has the potential to significantly disrupt the tech ecosystem of the world. Tim Draper said, “Remotebase’s mission is to create a world with no physical boundaries and help engineers in emerging markets have the same access to working with innovative companies as those in developed nations.”
Tim Draper further said that: “Knowing Qasim and having seen him work right outside my office, I can say that he and his team are going to take Remotebase to the moon. We are so proud of what they have achieved so far and are looking forward to helping him and his team on this incredible journey.” The Co-founder of RemoteBase, Talha Masood said, “No individual should be discriminated against in terms of race, colour, nationality or gender and the world should be made more inclusive as a whole.”
“Working remotely my entire life with Silicon Valley companies has been an incredible ride. I had immense freedom, meaningful work and I got to learn from the best companies in the world. One went on to become a multi-billion dollar startup. I want other Pakistani engineers to have the same experiences and opportunities I had,” Talha said. With this fresh round of funding, Remotebase aims to hire more engineers, power Remotebase hackathons, and encourage women to get into tech through Remotebase for Women.
A former senior executive at popular business networking app, Linkedin, Aatif Awan from Indus Valley Capital expressed excitement about investing in a new Pakistani startup. Aatif said: “Remotebase has been crushing it. Growing 28% month over month since they started in April, and crossing $1 million in Accounting Rate of Return (ARR) in less than a year.
We are super excited to be partnering with them and helping Pakistani engineers receive global recognition.” Pakistan’s tech ecosystem has been growing at a rapid pace and has the potential to earn significant foreign currency whilst also providing lucrative employment opportunities for the youth of Pakistan. It will also boost the economy of Pakistan.
ISLAMABAD, MAR 9 (DNA) – House Business Advisory Committee (HBAC) of the Senate met here at the Parliament House on Tuesday. The Committee, presided over by Chairman Senate Sadiq Sanjrani, discussed in detail legislative business to be transacted during the 308th Session of the Senate.
Besides legislative business, the session would take up discussion on current situation of important national and international issues. The HBAC decided that the current session would continue for three days. However, this would be the last Session of the current Parliamentary Year.
The outgoing Senators would be provided ample opportunity to express their views and share experiences with their colleagues to make the House more robust and dynamic in resolving issues of public concern. The HBAC paid rich tribute to the outgoing Senators, especially the services of Leader of the Opposition Raja Muhammad Zafar ul Haq and extended warm wishes for their future life.
The meeting was attended by Deputy Chairman Senate Saleem Mandviwalla, Leader of the House Senator Dr. Shehzad Waseem, Leader of the Opposition Senator Raja Muhammad Zafar ul Haq, Senator Sherry Rehman, Chief Whip in Senate Senator Sajjad Hussain Turi, Senator Mir Kabeer Ahmed Shahi, Senator Molana Abdul Ghafoor Haideri, Senator Dr. Jehanzeb Jamaldini, Senator Usman Khan Kakar, Senator Syed Muzaffar Hussain Shah, Minister for Railways Muhammad Azam Khan Swati, Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Ali Muhammad Khan, Secretary Senate Mohammad Qasim Samad Khan and other senior officers of the Senate Secretariat.
ISLAMABAD, MAR 9 (DNA) – Justice (RETD) Javed Iqbal, Chairman NAB has chaired a meeting to review the performance of the Awareness and Prevention Division at NAB Headquarters.
Chairman NAB took notice of not submitting the details of contracts of over Rs50 million projects by some public sector departments to the Bureau for scrutiny under section 33-B of NAO, 1999 and directed all regional bureaus of NAB to ensure submission of copies of such projects by the relevant departments to Awareness and Prevention Division as per law.
Chairing meeting at NAB Headquarters to review overall Awareness and Prevention Division of NAB, since he took over the responsibilities of Chairman NAB, has said that all public sector departments are duty bound to submit the copies of contracts of Rs50 million or above to NAB for scrutiny under its prevention regime.
The chairman NAB said that the policy of Accountability for All is being followed in letter and spirit across the board and now accountability of big fish is being seen to be done. The corrupt are being dealt with iron hands as eradication of corruption from the country is the top priority of NAB.
The Chairman NAB directed all DGs of NAB to ensure submission of copies of all contracts of Rs 50 million or above from public sector departments comes under their areas of jurisdiction to NAB as per law. Strict action would be taken against the failure officers as per law. Chairman NAB directed operations, prosecution divisions and all regional bureaus to make all-out efforts to conclude all ongoing complaint verifications, inquiries and investigations within the prescribed time frame after collecting concrete and solid evidence as per law.=DNA
Pakistan, one of the most naturally beautiful country on the planet,the only requisite is that, its tourism and hospitality industry needs to showcase its hidden diversity and rich heritageand colorfully attractive cultural. Good news is that, the Tourism in places like the scenic northern areas and the historical region of Punjab and Sindh has amplified in the past few years, due to the fact, many big hotel chains of the world had shown interest in building projects countrywide, reasoning thecareful steps taken by the contemporary government of Prime Minister.
Serena Hotels, that enjoys the luxury of being Pakistan’s big name in the hospitality sector has alsobecome anexemplary in promoting activities that fall within the framework ofCorporate Social Responsibility (CSR), a concept under which companies integrate social and environmental concerns in their business operations and interaction with their stakeholders. Serena Hotel has a fair history of empowering communities by consistently implementing a comprehensive program to strengthen efforts of the Government in promoting causes of the country and addressing central concerns of the communities.
Among other CSR projects, Serena Hotels’ “Karighar” a vocational center that established back in the year 2016, has been making a significant contribution to provide entrepreneurship training to various segments of communities mainly women in Gilgit-Baltistan region of Pakistan,for a sustainable growth and quality of life. Karigharprovides skills trainings to locals, thereby empowering them to supplement the household income.
Initially Karighar was set up to facilitate and develop a value chain where women are the primary actors, but later a new initiative namely “Honey Bee-Farming” took place under the banner of Karighar, that involve both men and women.Since Gilgit Baltistan is naturally blessed with an abundance of flora and honey bee farming has traditionally been a primary source of income for many inhabitants in the area. The Karighar Honey Bee Farming project aims to empower people involved in honey bee farming by providing them with professional trainings and subsequently purchasing their production at a premium price with guaranteed purchase, hence promoting sustainable livelihood in these remote regions, thereby meeting some of the unique challenges of the region.
Gilgit-Baltistan widely beautiful, land of fairies, djinn and gigantic marvelous mountains and beautiful landscapes however remote as well, the region is somehow a lonely planet, reasoning the topographical, environmental and strategic reasons. Located in north of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, Gilgit-Baltistan borders Afghanistan, Azad Jammu & Kashmir, Indian Occupied Kashmir and China.Gilgit-Baltistan is the meeting point of three high altitude mountain ranges namely the Himalayas, Karakoram and Hindu Kush. The topography and climate, therefore, are not conducive to economic activity, particularly during the winter season, which is marked by extreme weather conditions. Moreover, the area doesn’t have much facilities, even there are a few areas where one can have the ease of transport and communication.
Here Serena Hotels operated by Tourism Promotion Services (TPS) of Agha Khan Development Network (AKDN) have taken the pioneer step, in building the luxury hotels, that not only contributed in heightening the tourism of Pakistan in international market but also provided employment along with education and trainings to the communities, that resulted in a drastic increase in literacy rate, financial uplift of communities, empowering of locals, along with elimination of corruptions. On my visit to the region, I was surprised and equally happy to find out that in Gilgit-Baltistan region the Corruption rate is zero percentage, moreover I even failed to witness any beggar here and there, since the communities there are self-sufficient and empowered.
Karighar the CSR project of Serena Hotel aims to empower communities by providing them with education and training related to the bee-farming, besides stitching and embroidery, also supporting in setting up their own small business houses, which is the success story for the institution.Furthermore, Serena Hotel has attempted to hire the most deserving of the skilled trainees and they include a widow and a girl living with disability.
Besides, Karighar goes beyond simply providing skills trainings, as the center creates distribution channels and develops supplementary sources of income through the sales of the unique, handmade products and raw honey.
Serena Hotels provides the women with raw material and purchases the finished products to use in Serena Hotel’s properties, showcasing them for the much wider audience of guests. Through cottage industry production, local women are empowered to reach national and international market. Thus, in addition to supporting the community Serena Hotels is able to provide its own properties with unique products, such as linens, corporate gifts, carpets, bathroom amenities and others, that are not only tailor-made but handmadealso, depicting the rich cultural heritage of Pakistan and showcasing the uniqueness of the crafts of Gilgit-Baltistan. By now, Karighar is making the uniforms, bedding and Food & Beverages Linen for Serena Hotels properties all across Pakistan.
Hence, it can be contemplated that, by such CSR initiatives, highlighting “Krighar” Serena Hotel is proving to be helpful inintroducingthe financial independence and empowering of communities. And on the broader end Serena Hotel is helping in strengthening the economy of Pakistan.
I believe, the CSR activities by Serena Hotels are worthemulating and there are reasons to believe that economic and social landscape of Pakistan can change for the better if other companies too initiate their corporate social responsibility with the same zeal as is being done by Serena Hotels.
Peshawar, MAR 9 – Pakistan & Turkey relations enjoy the very cordial friendship and relation goes date back generations before the establishment of the two states, to further enhance peoples to peoples interactive relations, a Pak-Turk Friendship Association formed and shortly a proper launching ceremony will be held, this was stated by Mr. Salim Saifullah Khan, Honorary Consul-General of Turkey while talking with group of students of University of Peshawar lead by Mr. Muhammad Abbas Jehan including Ms. Aiman Bashir, Umar Khan & Ms. Laraib Farhat.
The visiting Students brief Turkish Honorary Consul General Mr. Salim Saifullah than about proposed Pak-Turkey Youth Club (PTYC) under the auspicious of Community Services Programme University of Peshawar for further strengrhening Pakistan and Turkey relations in education, cultural and establishment of Research Institute.
Mr. Salim Saifullah Khan appreciate the idea and offer all possible support to the cause and advise the visiting Students to further work on the modalities on order to achieve the desired results and taken these relations to new heights of understanding each other.Mr. Salim Saifullah Khan while appreciating the initiative of visiting Students, advised for more organized efforts. There are many opportunities for collaboration between the two brotherly nations.
All opportunities can be explored by improving people to people contacts, intellectuals, academicians, traders and industrialist of the two countries. Media can play even more important role to bridge the both sides. Hope, the fruits of these interactions will be trickled down and people of two nations will be end beneficiary.
ISLAMABAD: Foreign Minister of the Republic of Uzbekistan, Abdulaziz Kamilov, will visit Pakistan for bilateral consultations.
Foreign Minister Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Qureshi will hold consultations with Foreign Minister Kamilov, covering the entire gamut of bilateral relations and exchanging views on regional and international issues.
Consistent with the leadership’s vision, Pakistan’s focus would be on building an enhanced economic partnership centered on peace, development and connectivity.
Relations between Pakistan and Uzbekistan are based on common faith, shared history and cultural affinities. These linkages provide a strong foundation for increased bilateral cooperation in myriad fields. Both countries have been closely collaborating at regional and international fora, especially at the UN, OIC, ECO and SCO.
The two countries are also closely cooperating to enhance regional connectivity, especially by early construction of Trans-Afghan Railway Project between Pakistan, Afghanistan and Uzbekistan.
The Adviser to the Prime Minister on Commerce and Investment, Mr. Razzak Dawood, visited Tashkent on 1-3 February 2021. During the visit, a Roadmap on construction of Trans-Afghan Railway Project was signed by the three countries.
The visit of Foreign Minister Kamilov will add to the momentum created by the recent high-level bilateral interactions and provide an opportunity to further strengthen and deepen the existing bilateral cooperation in all areas of common interest.
KARACHI, MAR 9 – Patron-in-chief of Pakistan Hindu Council Dr Ramesh Kumar Vankwani has sought the attention of Sindh government towards the poor education situation in Tharparkar. In a letter submitted to the Chief Secretary Sindh, prominent member parliamentarian Dr Ramesh Vankwani requested the authorities for taking necessary action in the best interest of the public. According to details, the meeting was held in a pleasant and cordial atmosphere.
Dr Ramesh Kumar, while sharing details of the meeting with the media, informed that previously the situation of health throughout Tharparkar was too critical. “As a result of my appeal, the Supreme Court has taken notice, and now I am glad to say that today the condition of public hospitals in Tharparkar is very much satisfactory,” he stated, lauding the contributions of Justice Amir Hani Commission, constituted by the Supreme Court. Dr Ramesh Vankwani was of the view that due to the positive role of the Supreme Court, today every corner of Tharparkar consists of qualified doctors, available to serve patients. “I am quite hopeful that the Chief secretary will take action on my request and issue directions accordingly for the promotion of education in the Tharparkar district,” he said, adding that the option of approaching the Supreme Court in this regard is still available. Dr Ramesh further highlighted that unqualified and blue eyed elements, having political influence, are responsible for poor condition of education. According to him, all appointments must be on merit purely on the basis of ‘right person at right place’ principle.
Dr Ramesh Vankwani also emphasized that Tharparkar district, consisting of 1.6 million population, is spread in the largest geographical desert area of Sindh. However, he regretted that Pakistan’s largest desert area population is 90% poor and all basic social indicators are lowest amongst other districts of Sindh. “Unfortunately, Tharparkar district is also facing the worst situation of girl’s education, and it is on the lowest priority of the public sector institutions,: he wrote. Most girl’s schools of the Government of Sindh are closed in Tharparkar and have very little priority than boy’s schools. Dr Ramesh stated.
Dr Ramesh, in his letter, highlighted that according to SEMIS Census 2013-14, the district has a total of 4,045 schools, out of which 973 are closed. Out of a total of 3,751 primary schools in the district, there are 1,758 mixed schools, 1,399 boy’s schools and only 594 girls’ schools. Similar disparities are observed in the number of female vis-à-vis male teachers. While there are 3,649 male teachers in primary schools, the number of female teachers is only 508. The rural part of the district has the largest number of schools, most of which are single-teacher schools in addition to a large number of closed and dysfunctional schools. For instance, out of the total number of 587 girls’ schools in rural Tharparkar, 243 schools are closed.
According to Dr Ramesh Kumar, the baseline reports of different organizations depict the key reasons of dysfunctional schools (Boy’s and Girl’s) are given as under; a)- Lack of school basic physical infrastructure and student sitting facilities. b)- The Student Teacher Ratio STR is not being properly followed by district authorities. c)- The concerned authorities have allowed teachers to work on nearby schools instead of the original place of posting using the terms of deputation, allowed to work, work detailement or local arrangements. d)- Because of above mentioned favor to teachers by district authorities, far flung area’s schools are either closed or disturbed as majority of schools are single-school teachers. e)- Female teachers who are not performing their jobs at their original place of posting are accommodated in cities and nearby towns.
“I sincerely hope that you will look into the matter on priority basis and issue directions accordingly,” Dr Ramesh concluded in his letter to the Chief Secretary Sindh.
ISLAMABAD, MAR 9 (DNA) – Tariq Mehboob, Chairman, Chainstore Association of Pakistan (CAP) along with a delegation visited Islamabad Chamber of Commerce & Industry and held a meeting with Sardar Yasir Ilyas Khan President and his team to discuss options for making collaborative efforts to resolve the key issues of the business community and push the government for formulating more conducive business and economic policies. Asfandyar Farrukh Senior Vice Chairman, Members Irfan Iqbal Sheikh and Mardan Ali Zaidi, Shafiq Ahmed Secretary General CAP, and others were in the delegation.
The CAP delegation informed that they have held productive meetings with FBR and FBR has reduced the WHT from 4.5 percent and 2.5 percent to 0.25 percent and turnover tax from 1.5% to 0.25 percent for retailers, wholesalers, distributors, and dealers of FMCG, sugar, cement, edible oils and fertilizer sectors, which would provide great relief to the business community of these sectors and help in accelerating the pace of business activities.
Addressing the delegation, Sardar Yasir Ilyas Khan, President, Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry welcomed the positive decision of the Federal Government, especially FBR, and hoped that the tax department would make reductions in other high taxes that would bring down the cost of doing business and help in generating more economic activities.
Sardar Yasir Ilyas Khan said that high tax rates in Pakistan and complicated tax system were the major hurdles in promoting business and investment activities up to the real potential of the country and emphasized that FBR should rationalize tax rates in consultation with chambers of commerce & Industry and other trade bodies. He said that tax-to-GDP ratio was quite low and one of its main reasons was high tax rates that were encouraging tax evasion in the country. Therefore, rationalization of taxes was the way forward that would help in broadening the tax base and improving the overall tax revenue of the country as with low tax rates, more people would come into the documented economy.
Both sides also stressed that the government should focus on formulating a new tax strategy to give a clear direction to the business sector so that businessmen could make plans for business expansions and make new investments with more confidence.
ICCI President took CAP delegation on board for organizing Islamabad Shopping Festival in the coming months and invited them to take active part in this important event. The delegation assured that they would participate in the Festival by making sure that all 200 of their retail members would extend all possible cooperation and would participate in the event.=DNA
ISLAMABAD, MAR 9 (DNA) – “It is high time to usher a new era of collaboration with the partner countries to promote tertiary education, joint research endeavours, and student exchange programmes.”
This was stated by Executive Director Higher Education Commission (HEC) Dr. Shaista Sohail while addressing opening ceremony of the 4th Edition of Higher Education and Research Online Meeting of the Franco-Pakistani Institutions, a four-day event organised by the Embassy of France.
The event features thematic webinars on the topics of Engineering Sciences, Agriculture, Environment, Information Technology, Economics, Business and Management, Political Sciences, Social Sciences, Art, Design, Fashion, Gastronomy, and Tourism. As many as 18 top-ranked French universities and 17 Pakistani universities are participating in the event to showcase their research programmes.
Dr. Shaista welcomed the participating delegates from French educational institutions and hoped that the mutual collaboration will turn into a strategic partnership to gain broader benefits for Pakistani universities and scholars. She underlined that HEC was executing three scholarship programmes, including Overseas Scholarship Programme, Master’s and Doctorate scholarships for Engineering students, and scholarships for students of Balochistan, with an aim to enhance access to higher education for young Pakistanis.
She informed the participants that HEC, since 2007, facilitated 815 scholars to earn their Master’s and Doctoral degrees from top-ranked French universities. Out of 815 scholarship awardees, 653 have completed their doctoral and master degrees in last 11 years. “The higher education and research work are of vital importance for socio-economic development of a country in this modern era,” she stated.
Addressing the ceremony, Ambassador of France Mr. Marc Barety said that the Franco-Pakistani cultural, scientific and academic and technical cooperation was long-standing. He noted that higher education and research were the essential elements of bilateral cooperation between Pakistan and France. He underlined that France was determined to strengthen the academic relations with Pakistan, as mutual academic and scientific development will help ensure better understanding of each other.
The Ambassador highlighted the role and efforts of Campus France, a French public institution under the dual supervision of the Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Higher Education, Research and Innovation, to enhance the educational cooperation. He said that Campus France promote French higher education in Pakistan, implemented scholarship and mobility programmes, facilitated the arrival of Pakistani students and researchers in France, animated the network of Pakistani alumni in French higher education, and offered Pakistani students a path to success through higher education in France.
He also mentioned the scholarship programmes funded by the French Embassy and managed by the Cooperation and Cultural Affairs Department. He also shed light on the services of Hubert Curien Péridot partnership, Pak-France Alumni Association (PFAN) and France Alumni Pakistan. He said that France and Pakistan had also been cooperating in the archaeological field since the late 1950s.
The session also contained a presentation on the HEC scholarship programmes by Adviser Human Resource Development, HEC, Dr. Hassan Jalil Shah. Dr. Shah highlighted the HEC’s human resource development initiatives, including the details of HEC’s partnership with the French higher education institutions. This was followed by presentations on study in France, scholarship and research programmes; PHC Peridot Research Programme; Erasmus+ Programme; and, the PFAN Alumni Association.=DNA
