DNA

KARACHI, SEPT 30 – First Women Bank Limited (FWBL) signed an MOU with Sehat Kahani-one of the fastest growing health tech companies in Pakistan, to Launch an E- Health Financing Loan to female health workers to allow them to set up their clinics, where patients can get connected to a doctor through the Sehat Kahani application. The MoU was signed by Mr. Ali Raza Head Business FWBL and Dr. Sara Saeed Khan CEO Sehat Kahani.  Ms. Shahida Javed Acting President FWBL, Ms. Faiqa Naseem Deputy Director State Bank of Pakistan and other officials of both companies also attended the ceremony.

Under this partnership, the healthcare providers can get loan-based financing through First Women Bank Limited facilitated by Sehat Kahani. This will allow health workers desirous of starting or scaling digital health services to open e-health/telemedicine clinics.

On this account, State Bank greatly appreciated the efforts of Sehat Kahani and First Women Bank Limited, as they expressed “State Bank commends the collaborations between First Women Bank and Sehat Kahani for uptake of SBP subsidized refinance facility for loans to female nurses and health care workers, to upgrade their clinics into Sehat Kahani enabled Telemedicine centers. This is a true example of Two Women Led Organizations coming together to help more women stand up on their feet and help many patients get qualified healthcare in Pakistan”

Sehat Kahani is a health Tech Organization that connects a large pool of female doctors to patients who need health care using a telemedicine based platform creating E- Clinics in low-income communities and a mobile application for the masses. Sehat Kahani has a network of 27 clinics all across Pakistan and has provided consultations to 250,000 plus patients till date through its clinics and mobile application.

First Women Bank Limited’s team is also very delighted with this partnership as they express “FWBL takes pride to be a part of this great initiative in health sector from Sehat Kahani’s platform and hope that this partnership will lead towards development of women entrepreneurship and social uplift of low income communities by providing them affordable E-Health services at their doorsteps.  We look forward to this partnership between Sehat Kahani & First Women Bank Limited and hope this will be a steppingstone in facilitating women healthcare providers.

Dr. Sara Saeed Khurram, CEO and CoFounder Sehat Kahani is overwhelmed with this collaboration, she added that this would allow health workers to become E- Health franchisees to Sehat Kahani and take more ownership of their clinics, increase their productivity and create long term partnership with Sehat Kahani. COO and Cofounder, Dr Iffat Zafar highlighted the importance of this partnership as she expresses it will greatly help in rapidly expanding the E- health Clinics network as setting up of clinics will allow a greater number of people to be benefitted from Sehat Kahani’s vast network of doctors.

DNA

ISLAMABAD, SEPT 30 – The British High Commission in Pakistan is strongly encouraging Pakistani women from across all fields and from across Pakistan to apply for the Chevening scholarship 2021/22.The online Chevening application window is now open to receive applications until 3^rd November 2020 for the academic year 2021/22.

The UK Government’s Chevening Scholarship enables outstanding emerging leaders across Pakistan to pursue fully funded one-year master’s degrees in the UK; and is a unique opportunity to develop leadership potential,  network with students from across the world and experience the best of the UK’s first class education offer.

The Head of Communication and Public Diplomacy at the British High Commission, Fouzia Younis said: “I am delighted for the first time in the history of the Chevening Pakistan programme that this year nearly 60% of our selected scholars were talented and inspirational Pakistani women who are committed to making a difference. This forms part of our ambition to have at least an equal split of male and female scholars and I would love to see the same again for the next academic year.”

Chevening alumni, Amna Abbas – Chief Legal Officer and Company Secretary, Telenor Microfinance Bank, said: “The Chevening Scholarship is truly a life changing milestone. It not only enables you to gain a postgraduate qualification from a prestigious university along with the enriching experience of life in the UK, but it also provides opportunity to access key networks and grow your career. It has proven to be extremely advantageous to my profile. I strongly encourage all capable professionals to apply for the scholarship that truly implements gender equality, and will serve as a huge leap in your career growth”.

As a result of the British High Commission’s consistent efforts to ensure gender equality, this year the number of female scholars from Pakistan has increased by 20 points from 2018-19.

The British High Commission is also organising a Chevening promotion webinar for candidates on Monday 5^th October 2020 from 16:00 – 17:00. The webinar will feature Fouzia Younis, Head of Communication and Public Diplomacy at the British High Commission and will include top tips for the candidates considering the scheme. Interested professionals can join the webinar through the link, which will be mentioned on the British High Commission’s social media platforms.

The call for new applicants follows the selection of 53 scholars from Pakistan, who won an award to study at a UK university this year. Successful applicants have been sharing their stories through the#ChosenForChevening hashtag on Twitter and Instagram.

LUCKNOW : In a ruling in a 28-year-old case of Babri Masjid demolition, all 32 accused including senior politicians LK Advani and Murli Manohar Joshi have been given clean chit by a special CBI [Central Bureau of Investigation] court in Lucknow in India.

The 32 accused including BJP’s founder-members LK Advani, Uma Bharti, former chief minister of Uttar Pradesh (UP) Kalyan Singh, Murli Manohar Joshi and others were acquitted in Babri Masjid demolition case as the court found ‘not enough’ evidence against them.

The verdict was announced by Special Judge SK Yadav which stated that the demolition of Babri Masjid by ‘unlawful elements’ ‘was not pre-planned’ while the BJP politicians, LK Advani and Murli Manohar Joshi, had tried to stop it.

The judge observed that Babri Masjid demolition in 1992 was not a criminal conspiracy.

While the verdict being announced, strict security measures were made around the special court in Lucknow.

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) lawmaker Dr Ramesh Kumar Vankwani and the patron-in-chief of Pakistan Hindu Council (PHC), said the top court in Pakistan gives verdict on rights of the minorities, whereas, the Indian Supreme Court is going to construct temple after demolishing a mosque. The lawmaker said that it was a wrong decision to construct a temple at the site of Babri Masjid.

This verdict was followed by the ruling of India’s Supreme Court in November last year which stated that the Hindus will get Ayodhya land and an alternate piece of land should be allotted to Muslims to balance the claims of the both communities.

The unanimous verdict on the long-running Ayodhya land dispute had been announced by a five-member bench of the Indian apex court headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi. The bench also comprised of Justices S. A. Bobde, D. Y. Chandrachud, Ashok Bhushan and S. Abdul Nazeer.

The bench its decision observed that there was enough material to prove that the Babri Masjid was not constructed on a vacant land. There was a structure there and it was not an Islamic structure, bench said.

The Supreme Court bench had declared demolition of Babri Masjid in 1992 as a violation of law. It also said that Sunni Waqf Board has not been able to establish its claim of adverse possession as evidence shows that Hindus were not barred from entering the premises before 1857.

DNA

ISLAMABAD, SEPT 30 – The Foreign Minister addressed the Group of Friends of the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC) at a high-level virtual meeting commemorating its 15^th anniversary. The event was co-hosted by the Foreign Ministers of Spain and Turkey, and chaired by the High Representative of UNAOC.

The Foreign Minister commended the work of the Alliance of Civilizations in advancing mutual respect for diverse cultures, traditions and religious beliefs. He reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to the promotion of inter-faith and inter-cultural harmony. Its recent manifestation was the opening of the Kartarpur Corridor, the world’s largest Gurdwara, allowing easy access to our Sikh brethren from the neighbourhood and all across the world to practice their religious rites.

The Foreign Minister cautioned that the sounds of ‘Clash of Civilizations’ were still reverberating around the world. He expressed anguish at the exploitation of COVID-related fears to stoke racism, xenophobia, Islamophobia, stigmatization, and violence against vulnerable minorities, including in our own neighbourhood.

The Foreign Minister also highlighted the disturbing rise in Islamophobia, evident in the manifestos of far-right and neo-fascist parties, the politicization and censorship of the hijab, cow vigilantism, burning of the Holy Quran, deliberate vandalizing of Islamic symbols and holy sites, and attempts at incitement through the publication of hurtful caricatures. He urged the international community to build bridges and respect each other’s religions and beliefs.

The Foreign Minister reiterated the call made by Prime Minister Imran Khan to universally outlaw wilful provocation and incitement to hate and violence, and to designate an International Day to Combat Islamophobia.

The Alliance of Civilisations was established in 2005 as a leading UN platform for inter-cultural dialogue to promote understanding between diverse nations and communities. Pakistan is part of its “Group of Friends” which meets on a regular basis to discuss UNAOC’s current programmes, new initiatives and other activities.

DNA

Islamabad – Sept 30 :United Kingdom throughKarandaaz’s Risk Participation Facility with Meezan Bank, Pakistan’s first and largest Islamic bank is financing the development and production of a High Flow Nasal Oxygen (HFNO) device, which can also be used as a Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) device, by Alsons Group, Pakistan’s premier precision engineering company. 

Karandaaz, funded by the United Kingdom’s Office of Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), has established a USD 50 million financing programme with Meezan Bank, which enables vendors and distributors of participating corporates and other eligible SMEs access to finance.

The HFNO device is very important for hospitals to treat Covid-19 patients with lung infections and also other serious respiratory diseases and has been approved by the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP), to help manage oxygen levels. The device is currently in the prototype production phase and commercial production is expected to begin by the end of this month. Alsons is also working to indigenously design and develop a ventilator, which once approved, will be locally in production in the near future.

Annabel Gerry, Country Director Development, British High Commission in Pakistan, said, “Pakistan’s response to the COVID-19 challenge has been commendable. The United Kingdom is pleased to be supporting Pakistan in its effort to tackle the pandemic. Our financing assistance through Karandaaz to support breathing devices will be an important element in easing the burden of serious disease in the country.”

Ali Sarfraz, CEO Karandaaz, said, “With more than 300,000 cases of COVID-19 in Pakistan and well over 25.6 million globally, the demand for breathing devices and ventilators has grown exponentially. This pioneering capacity enhancement by Alsons, as they have started producing breathing devices will help Pakistan meet its domestic demand for critical medical equipment and will also open an avenue for exports in highly lucrative international markets.”  

Navid Goraya, CIO Karandaaz said, “PKR 50 million financing under the Risk Participation Agreement with Meezan Bank will support Alsons financial requirement for capacity enhancement to produce ventilators for both local and export markets. The financing is well aligned with Karandaaz’s focus on the demonstration of sustainable investment models and job creation in Pakistan.”

Ariful Islam, Deputy CEO of Meezan Bank said, “Meezan Bank is committed to supporting organizations that are working to tackle the impact of Covid-19. We believe that this financing will help alleviate some of the pressures on the country’s healthcare sector. We are thankful to Karandaaz Pakistan for enhancing their partnership so the Bank could materialise this as a priority.”

Abdul Rehman Allana, Chairman Alsons Group said, “Alsons has over 65 years of manufacturing experience in the machining of mechanical components from bars, plates, forgings and castings; and CNC plastic injection moulding, stamping, and assemblies in the fields of hi-tech engineering, aerospace, automotive, oil & gas, and power and energy. We already had capital from Karandaaz and Meezan Bank risk participation facility injected into our auto parts manufacturing unit. With this new investment we are able to diversify in the medical equipment domain and are proud that we are playing a role in helping battle the pandemic.”

According to GlobalData, a data and analytics company that specializes in medical transaction and clinical information, about 880,000 ventilators are required globally amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Since the outbreak of the pandemic, the world has faced an acute shortage of essential medical supplies, especially ventilators that are used to pump oxygen into the lungs of patients experiencing breathing difficulties. To meet the financing gap in the medical supplies and equipment manufacturing sector in Pakistan, the State Bank of Pakistan has also expanded the scope of the Refinance Facility to Combat Covid-19 (RFCC) to manufacturing sector producing medical equipment and accessories. Karandaaz is also focusing to specifically mitigate the financing needs of medical, diagnostic, and pharmaceutical industries in the country and through direct investment in Excel Labs to carry out an estimated 500 tests daily and more than 10,000 tests a month.