Contents March 15 - April 15, 2018

10 | EDITOR’S NOTE
Editorial
11 | READER’S RESPONSE
Letters to the Editor
INTERVIEWS
18 | LUMS' initiative to help educated underprivileged students
Dr Anjum Fayyaz
Assistant Professor, Suleman Dawood School of Business
26 | PPP Cell plays vital role in public-private partnership
growth
Agha Waqar Javed
Head Public Private Partnership Cell, Government of Punjab
33 | CIELO CASA offers unique, innovative kitchen concepts
Saud Saeed Ch
Director Marketing, CIELO CASA Pakistan

TELEPEDIA
17 | PTA set to plug leaking user date from public Wi-Fi hotspots
25 | Vivo unveils AI powered HDR feature to enhance mobile
photography

COVER STORY COVER 28

28 | OPPO handsets land in Pakistan 'without paying'
STORY
customs duty

INSIGHT / TECH
12 | Pakistan acquires another satellite for DTH services
44 | US embassy sponsors entrepreneurship boot camp

EVENTS
16 | Ufone promotes sports to engage youth in healthy activities
17 | Jazz runs digital buses to promote Super 4G Service
20 | Meizu rolls out new product line at bloggers meet-up
22 | Huawei launches P20 series with three lens, AI-powered
camera Ufone promotes sports to engage
23 | With powerful features Galaxy S9, S9+ arrive in Pakistan 16 youth in healthy activities
34 | China’s Ant Financial makes foray into Pakistan thru
Telenor deal
37 | Infinix launches advanced selfie smartphone S3 in Pakistan
46 | Momentum bridges gap between ideas, investment

ECONOMY
36 | Manage your energy bill with Orient ecomfort technology
38 | Myth vs Facts
50 | ‘Dar’s wrong policies unraveling’

SOCIAL
13 | Hurrah! Pakistanis are a happy lot!
30 | MBS dragging Saudi Arabia into modern era
32 | Yayvo.com does a lot for cricket's revival in Pakistan
40 | Lives of ride-hailing captains in grave peril!
42 | Of ‘dubious’ PhD, M Phil programmesa
48 | What the morning shows should promote? Jazz runs digital buses to Meizu rolls out new product
17 promote Super 4G Service line at bloggers meet-up 20
MOSAIC
52 | National Mosaic

NEWS
54 | National News

Interview
Agha Waqar Javed
Head Public Private
Partnership Cell, Yayvo.com does a lot for
8 26 Government of Punjab cricket's revival in Pakistan 32
 Editor’s
March 15 - April 15, 2018

Note
Surge in
atrocities in
held Kashmir
Spike in violence in Indian held Kashmir, with the deaths of
over a dozen people in the first week of April, has once again
brought to the fore the pressing need for the world to pressure
India into holding a UN-backed plebiscite to let Kashmiris decide
their own fate for the better.
Flare up in the atrocities committed by the occupying Indian
army has left Kashmiris bruised and agitated, yet infusing a new
vigour in them to step up their campaign to seek liberation from
Zubair Kasuri Editor-in-Chief 0321-519 7777

the New Delhi’s yoke. Yasir Rasheed Senior Sub-Editor

What is surprising at the moment is that world powers,
particularly the United States, are keeping a mum over the
Usman Yaqoob Director Marketing 0300-400 0640

brutalities against the innocent people. It seems that the US has

Syed Farhat Ali Manager Marketing 0300-055 2656

thrown its weight behind New Delhi to suppress genuine

aspirations of the Kashmiri people, hence the Indian troops
getting all the more brutal in their campaign against an unarmed
Zafar Khan Afridi Senior Graphic Designer

people. Azhar Javed General Manager

The US backing of India is apparent from the fact that

Washington is aggressively pursuing efforts to put Pakistan under
Haji Akram Zaki Pattern-in-Chief

pressure to ban Kashmiri specific groups on the pretext of

Chairman, All Pakistan Public Transport
Owners Federation
committing terrorism despite the fact that such groups have
nothing to do with militancy and terrorism.
Umair Shafqat Advocate Legal Panel

There is heightened feeling in Islamabad that New Delhi

emboldened by Washington’s support is hell bent on isolating Lahore Office
Pakistan at the global level, using the excuse of terrorism. House# 46 J-Block Gulberg III, Lahore-Pakistan. Ph: +92-42-35880183

The Modi-led government in New Delhi does not seem to be

Kasur Office

pursuing a pragmatic policy towards Pakistan, which has often

Allah Dita Town, Kadi Wind Road, Kasur. Phone: 0321-307 9999

stated clearly that Islamabad won’t shun moral and political

Arifwala Office

support to Kashmiris’ freedom movement. However, its calls for

Qaboola Chowk, Arifwala. Ph 0457 830900

India to come to the negotiating table to help resolve the thorny Ali Hassan Manager Social Media 0323-497 2029

issues, including the core Kashmir dispute, through talks, have

Ahmed Ali Manager Marketing Mix FM 100 0300-055 2653

fallen on deaf years in New Delhi.

Rizwan Farooq Manager Circulation Islamabad 0321-554 7009

It’s a well-established fact that the freedom struggle in Kashmir

Farrukh Sumeer Manager Production, Mix FM Team 0334-366 9911

is genuinely a non-violent movement, but the brutal tactics of the Registration No. PCPB/105

India army have forced the people to take up arms. To call the
freedom movement in Kashmir terrorism is solely aimed at
(Vol. 14 Issue:3) | Price Rs: 300

denying the people of the occupied state their bright right of self-
w w w. f l a r e.pk | Email: flare.mag@gmail.com

determination. Colour Sepration:

Pakistan needs to be steadfast in its support to Kashmiris’

Fotoscan Process, 25-C Lower Mall, Lahore. Ph: 042-37111906, 37234042

inalienable right to be masters of their own fate, and should not be

pressurized into banning the groups, which have been extending
support to the Kashmiris’ cause.
On its part, the UN should step up efforts to rally the world
nations around in calling for implementing the world body’s
resolutions in the occupied state. Keeping people of Kashmir
hostage to the Indian forces’ brutalities any more can’t keep them Zubair Ahmed Kasuri, (Editor-in-Chief) publisher of FLARE Business News
from pursuing their struggle to get freedom. Sacrifices of Magazine, printed it from Akkaz Printers
thousands of Kashmiri youth, women and children are destined to 29-27-B Shama Plaza, 72-Ferozepur Road, Lahore and published from

bear fruits now matter how the odds. 46J, Gulberg III, Lahore.

10

 P Pakistan acquires
INSIGHT | Flare Report

akistan Space and Upper Atmosphere Re-

another satellite for

search Commission (SUPARCO) and
China Great Wall Industry Cooperation
(CGWIC) signed a contract for the acqui-
sition of communication satellite PakSat Multi-

DTH services
Mission Satellite (PakSat-MM1) in Islamabad
recently.
This communication satellite PakSat- MMI has
already arrived at Pakistan’s geostationary orbital
location of 38.2 East on February 27.
Member Space Electronics ShakeelZahid on be-
half of SUPARCO and Chairman CGWIC
LluQlang signed the contract.
Federal Minister for Planning, Development &
Reforms Ahsan Iqbal and Ambassador People’s Re-
public of China Mr. Yao Jing, were present to wit-
ness the signing ceremony.
Chairman SUPARCO QaiserAneesKhurram
along with officials from Planning Commission,
SUPARCO and CGWIC were also present on the
occasion.
This event marks a major milestone as Pakistan
has now secured another geostationary orbital slot
along with precious frequency resources ensuring a
continuous and expanding foothold in space.
Under the agreement, China will develop Pak-
Sat-MMI, and most probably provide launch serv-
ices and operate the satellite as well, since China
tends to provide end-to-end services. The satellite
will provide Direct To Home (DTH) services, along
with other uses that have not been mentioned.

According to Pakistani officials, PakSat-MMI

will be a geostationary satellite, and that the orbital
slot has already been secured. The issue of orbital
slots is of particular concern to Pakistan, which saw
a spate of orbital slot crises in the 1990s and early
2000s; in 2001, it was forced to lease Indonesia’s
Palapa-C1 due to an inability to secure a slot for its
PakSat-1E satellite.
China and Pakistan have had a longstanding re-
lationship in space, beginning with China’s launch,
Pakistan’s first communications satellite, Badr-1A,
in 1990. In 2011, China launched PakSat-1R, which “ In this connection, Pakistan Space and Upper Atmosphere
is still operational today. Later this year, Pakistan is
expected to launch Pakistan Remote Sensing Satel-
Research Commission and China Great Wall Industry
lite (PRS), a dual-purpose Earth observational and Cooperation signed a contract for the acquisition of com-
munication satellite PakSat Multi-Mission Satellite in
optical satellite. The satellite, which will presum-
ably be launched by China, will be used to monitor
projects along the China-Pakistan Economic Cor-
ridor (CPEC). Islamabad recently. ”

12
Hurrah! Pakistanis
are a happy lot!
“ The UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network’s
annual survey report ranked Pakistan on the 75 spot among
156 countries. The ranking was based on six indicators: in-
P
come per capita, life expectancy, social support, freedom,
generosity and corruption. ”
akistanis may find themselves facing a
host of problems, but the 2018 United
Nations report on happiness reveals that
Pakistan ranks much better than neigh-
bouring countries, including India.
According to the sixth World Happiness Re-
port, Pakistan is 58 points ahead of its arch-rival
India, 11 points ahead of all-weather friend
China, 31 of Iran, and 70 points ahead of
Afghanistan on the ranking table of happiness.
The UN Sustainable Development Solutions
Network’s annual survey report ranked Pakistan
on the 75 spot among 156 countries. The ranking
was based on six indicators: income per capita,
life expectancy, social support, freedom, generos-
ity and corruption.
The report declared Finland the world’s hap-
piest country whereas Burundi bagged the last po-
sition; Bangladesh was ranked 115, down 40
points compared to Pakistan; Sri Lanka was
ranked 116; China 86; Iran 106; India 133; and
Afghanistan was ranked 145 on the index.
Norway, Denmark and Iceland clinched the
second, third and fourth position, respectively.
The report, released ahead of the International
Day of Happiness on March 20, combines eco-
nomic, health and polling data compiled by econ-
omists.
In a George Orwell 1984-like move, Madhya
Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh had created a ‘min-
istry of happiness’ in 2016 and 2017 respectively.
But as reports have found, in Madhya Pradesh
where chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan
holds the portfolio of the happiness ministry, the
happiness programme has been floundering and
has no real win to cheer about.
Scroll reported that “social activists and jour-
nalists believe that the idea of a happiness de-
partment is nothing but a publicity stunt” and
wrote how nothing much has been achieved by
such departments of happiness.
Maharashtra has become the next state to
jump onto the bandwagon, and is planning to set
up a similar department.
Finland is the happiest country in the world.
Norway, last year’s winner, came in second place
in the 2018 report. It’s followed by Denmark, Ice-
land and Switzerland. The United States landed
in 18th place, dropping four spots from last year.
Japan came in 54th place, Russia came in 59th
place and China came in 86th. People in Burundi
are unhappiest with their lives, according to the
survey of 156 countries, followed by Central
African Republic (155), South Sudan (154), Tan-
zania (153) and Yemen (152).
Why is India so unhappy?
Of course, it isn’t exactly surprising. India is a
developing nation and has a more than just a few
problems on its plate. We may be famous for our
tenacity, but the World Happiness ranking takes
into account factors like “GDP per capita, social
support of having someone to count on in times
of trouble, freedom to make life choices, healthy
life expectancy, generosity and perceptions of cor-
ruption”.
From corruption to banking fraud, the farmer
Flare Report | SOCIAL
crisis, a slow justice system, gender parity, bad in-
frastructure, non-existent or expensive healthcare,
social disparities, and the endless stream of lies
from those who represent us, any list to prove
what may have India’s spirits at such an extreme
low is at the tip of everyone’s tongues.
In fact, as one person quipped, perhaps Pak-
istan is happier because in the very least, the
country took action against those named, and
forced prime minister Nawaz Sharif to step down.
The court’s ruling stated that Sharif had been dis-
honest in not disclosing his earnings from a
Dubai-based company in his nomination papers
during the 2013 general election.
In India, no real action appears to have been
taken with regard to the Panama or the Paradise
Papers. A bunch of agencies have been charged
with the task of cracking down on these individ-
uals and firms, but as expected, it will be slow and
steady unless the political climate of cronyism is
deflated.
A few figures also prove that Indians are not a
merry lot. Since 2014, over 26,000 students have
killed themselves, fraught with worry over exam
results, young love and other factors. This roughly
translates into a student taking his or her own life
every hour.
In fact, according to a 2012 Lancet report,
India has one of the world’s highest suicide rates
for youth aged 15 to 29. Maharashtra, Sikkim and
West Bengal report the most student suicides.
More than 58 million Indians suffer from de-
pression. According to the Global Burden of Dis-
ease Study, depression became India’s
tenth-biggest cause of early deaths in 2015.
Professional health isn’t easy to find either –
India has an 87pc shortage of mental health pro-
fessionals. To add to it, there is a social stigma at-
tached to seeking help too. Even when troubled
souls confess their plight to friends or family, they
usually get a slap on the back and are told to put
their chin up and keep running the rat race.
There are huge gaps in treatment as National
Mental Health Survey, conducted by the National
Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences
According to the sixth World
Happiness Report, Pakistan is 58
points ahead of its arch-rival In-
dia, 11 points ahead of all-weather
friend China, 31 of Iran, and 70
points ahead of Afghanistan on
the ranking table of happiness.
(NIMHANS), found. There are only 43 govern-
ment-run mental hospitals across India to provide
services to more than 70 million people living
with mental disorders. There are 0.30 psychia-
trists, 0.17 nurses, and 0.05 psychologists per
100,000 mentally ill patients in the country.
With the upcoming drama of the 2019 Lok
Sabha polls yet to unleash itself on the populace,
it looks like India’s gross national happiness (a
concept created by Bhutan to replace GDP) isn’t
likely to be soaring high any time soon. n

 T PTA set to plug
TELEPEDIA | Flare Report

oday many, if not most, people carry some

leaking user date from

form of Internet-enabled device with
them, whether it is a phone, laptop, tablet
or some other technology. To get online,
and avoid extra expenses by using a cellular connec-

public Wi-Fi hotspots

tion, many opt to use free Wi-Fi internet connections
which are often widely available. However, there are
many potential risks involved in using public Wi-Fi.
Users are often not aware of exactly whose network
they are joining, what data they are sharing or how
they may be subject to a cyber
attack.
Anyone can set up a wireless hotspot and name it
as they wish. By setting their own network name (Ser-
vice Set Identifier or SSID) to a common or com-
mercially used SSID, someone running a rogue
hotspot can attract connections from users who think
they are joining a legitimate network. Some devices
will automatically join networks with familiar SSIDs.
It is safest to assume that no public Wi-Fi is se-
cure. Airports are particularly risky locations due to
the high concentration of targets that may not have
access to a domestic cellular network and may have
an urgent need to get online. Need often outweighs
any perceived risk.
Any encrypted data sent through a Wi-Fi network
can be monitored and collected. You may be poten-
tially giving away information such as passwords,
email content and web searches.
With the increasing number of Wi-Fi hotspots at
public places in Pakistan, Pakistan Telecommunica-
tion Authority (PTA) has come up with regulations to
facilitate service providers and its users through
proper checks and balances.
The regulator issued a draft of “Data Retention
of Internet extended to WiFi-Hotspots Regulations,
2018″.
These regulations shall apply to Access Providers
and Class Licensing Registration licensees with the
mandate to register, maintain and retain information
of people using data services through Wi-Fi Hotspots
at public places as prescribed under these new regu-
lations.
All Wi-Fi Hotspot service providers are required
to retain information/data of users from public Wi-
Fi hotspots.
Service providers/Licensee(s) will have to provide
this user information to the Authority or its autho-
rised officer(s) as and when required.
Licensee(s) are required to devise a mechanism so
“ With the increasing number of Wi-Fi hotspots at public
that minimum information is required from the users

places, Pakistan Telecommunication Authority has come up

via an automated mechanism:

These regulations shall apply to with regulations to facilitate service providers and its users
Access Providers and Class Li- through proper checks and balances.”
censing Registration licensees with Mobile Number within three months of the notification of these reg-
the mandate to register, maintain Date & time of login ulations.

and retain information of people

using data services through Wi-Fi
hotspots at public places as pre-
Date & time of logoff Licensees are required to make all necessary
IP address allocated to the user arrangements (if any) to ensure the overall imple-
MAC Address
Internet Access Log e.g. Http, POP, IMAP,
mentation of these regulations in true spirit.
In case of non-compliance with these regula-
Skype, etc tions, the data services provided by the licensees as

scribed.
Full name of the user
CNIC number/passport numbers (in case of for-
eigners)
Mobile number [shall be used as Login ID]
Acceptance of Terms and Conditions to use such
Data Services facilities
Generation of password through SMS.
Licensee(s) will have to observe technical expert-
ise and arrangements, as provided in Class Licensing
Registration Regulation, 2007, the draft of PTA reg-
ulation stated.
The owner of a public Wi-Fi hotspot will be re-
quired to maintain a log of the following user infor-
mation for a minimum six months:
Full Name of the user
CNIC number/passport numbers (in case of for-
eigners)
14
Licensees will have to carry out a media cam-
paign to create awareness amongst the existing pub-
lic Wi-Fi hotspot providers to make requisite
arrangements for compliance of these regulations,
public Wi-Fi hotspot will be terminated/discon-
nected.
The licensees shall comply with all regulations,
decisions, guidelines, procedures and instructions is-
sued by the Authority for the establishment of Wi-
Fi Hotspot as well as facilitation to the consumer,
including all applicable law in force in Pakistan.
PTA’s draft intends to seek comments of all
those interested on the subject, so as to introduce a
mechanism for the registration, maintenance and re-
tention of information of persons using data serv-
ices through Wi-Fi hotspots in public places. All
interested are requested to send their comments and
views on this draft latest by 30th March 2018.
Currently, there are free public Wi-Fi hotspots
running in the following cities, Bahawalpur, Faisal-
abad, Lahore, Multan, Rawalpindi/Islamabad, Sar-
godha, Sialkot, Charsadda, Havelian, Kohat,
Mardan, Peshawar, Swabi, Dadu, Hyderabad
Karachi and Rahim Yar Khan. n
 Ufone promotes sports to
EVENT | Flare Report

engage youth in healthy activities

“ Aqua FC Quetta clinches Ufone Balochistan Football Cup title at a thrilling final after
beating Noshkal Baloch FC Noshki 2-1. The championship took place in six cities,

A
including Quetta, Pishin, Khuzdar, Chaman, Loralai and Noshki. The championship had
30 teams, five from each city and engaged 450 young footballers ”
qua FC Quetta claimed the title and lifted Earlier on in the first half, Aqua FC Quetta played This year the championship took place in six
this year’s Ufone Balochistan Football a defensive knock in the first ten minutes of the game cities, including Quetta, Pishin, Khuzdar, Chaman,
Cup’s trophy at a thrilling final after beating while Noshkal Baloch FC kept attacking. However, Loralai and Noshki. The championship had 30
Noshkal Baloch FC Noshki 2-1 here in after the initial defense Aqua FC geared up the ag- teams, five from each city and engaged 450 young
Quetta recently. The both teams showed their skill in gression and made several attacks on the Noshkal’s footballers.
the final at Railway Ground Quetta was attended by a goal but could not get the ball past the goal post. No The championship signifies the company’s com-
large crowd including general public, dignitaries, media goals were scored in the first half. mitment in promoting sports and engaging the
and management of Ufone. Secretary Sports Balochis- Noshkal Baloch FC’s Abdul Malk scored earlier in youth in healthy activities. It believes the champi-

tan Manzoor Ahmed was the chief guest. He handed
over the trophy to the winning team. On the occasion,
Ahmed said: “It is a great initiative from Ufone. These
kinds of activities not only promote good health but
also help build confidence in the youth and provide
them a competitive opportunity.”
the second half to take the lead in the match. After a
gap of 15 minutes Sher Hassan from Aqua FC
scored an equalizer to keep club’s hopes alive for the
title. It was not until the last few minutes of the
game when Aqua FC’s Nasrullah scored on a
penalty to ensure his team wins the trophy for this
year’s championship.
onship has helped promote football in the province
and proved to be a great platform for the emerging
young players who learnt and displayed excellent
footballing skills. The initiative shows Ufone’s com-
mitment to the people of Balochistan, which enunci-
ates with the company’s tagline “It’s all about U.”

Secretary Sports Balochistan

Manzoor Ahmed said it is a great
initiative from Ufone. These kinds
of activities not only promote good
health but also help build confi-
dence in the youth and provide
them a competitive opportunity
16

J
azz has commenced a nationwide experience
bus tour in promotion of its Super 4G Service.
Three Jazz branded buses have begun a two-
month-long tour of universities and public
places in the north, central and southern regions of
the country. For this purpose, a launch ceremony
was held at Jazz Digital HQ in the presence of
Aamir Ibrahim, the CEO Jazz.
Speaking to the employees, Mr Ibrahim reiter-
ated how Jazz is fully committed to its digital
agenda and sees 2018 as the year of high-speed data,
as per rising consumer demand. He ensured that
once people experience Jazz Super 4G through the
experience bus tour, they will desire to be part of the
Jazz family.
The idea of this activity is to raise awareness
among the public of how a super-fast, always on 4G
connection can change one’s digital experience. For
this purpose, all three buses offer customers a fully
immersive experience of Jazz 4G through virtual
games and a photo booth.
“People today expect a super-fast, reliable inter-
net connection which compliments their on-the-go,
social lifestyle. Jazz Super 4G offers exactly that and
through our experiential bus tour, we are looking to
ensure people realise that their digital lifestyle is
Flare Report | EVENT
about to change,” said Kazim Mujtaba, Head of
Marketing, Jazz.
Each bus has a virtual puzzle game, where the
player needs to finish the entire puzzle within two
minutes to receive a prize. Another game pits play-
ers against each other in a virtual cricket game
played through VR headsets. Winners receive prizes
as mementos from the entire experience.
Jazz Super 4G is available on Jazz 4G SIMs,
Jazz wi-fi device and Jazz 4G wingle, all of which
are available at Jazz outlets and franchises nation-
wide. The telco is also offering affordable monthly
data bundles of 15GB, 36GB, and 75GB. n

 INTERVIEW | Flare Report

Flare: LUMS is said to be the leading university

of Pakistan. In your opinion how is it contributing in
revolutionising existing education in the country?
Dr Anjum Fayyaz: The unique selling point of
LUMS is that it is modelled and structured on the Har-
vard Business School which allows our graduates to
think critically. The executive development department
that has been recently formed focuses on connecting
LUMS to the outside world in hopes of generating ed-
ucational transactions between LUMS and other enti-
ties. The department relentlessly works towards
creating opportunities for the students, the faculty and
other schools and colleges, especially from remote
areas. This in turn creates a network of educational-
ists closely working with various industry leaders na-
tionally and internationally who are all trying to
operate on a mutual platform. Moreover, studying at
LUMS is altogether a different experience since the stu-
dents get immersed in a rich social and cultural expe-
rience. We at LUMS believe in an equal opportunity
for all and therefore we have introduced the National
Outreach Programme (NOP) so that no student is de-
prived of quality education because of financial limi-
tations.
Flare: How is the MBA programme offered at
LUMS different from those offered at other univer-
sities and what is the competitive advantage that the
LUMS MBA graduates have over other MBA grad-
uates?
Dr Anjum Fayyaz: The LUMS MBA is different
from other locally offered MBAs simply because it is
inspired by international MBA programmes offered at
the world’s leading universities like Harvard, Stanford
and INSEAD university to name a few.
LUMS like all these universities has developed and
designed a curriculum that strictly focuses on the case
method technique and field immersion a.k.a field,
which we at LUMS, refer to as the experiential learn-
ing component. The programme is broadly divided
into three steps. In the initial step, students are linked
to a particular industry that helps them understand the
business canvas as they work on real projects. The sec-
ond semester is an entrepreneurial venture which is a
‘My Startup’ exercise that helps them evaluate and un-
derstand the risks associated with new businesses.
The third component is a 10-week condensed con-
sulting exercise where each student is assigned to a
company as a consultant and is expected to solve any
prevailing crisis.

“ Flare panel talks to Anjum Fayyaz, Assistant Professor,

Flare: How is LUMS MBA faculty on the leading
edge of teaching and research?
Dr Anjum Fayyaz: The faculty for the business
school comprises of 60 members, out of which 47 are
PhDs. Teaching, research and service are the respon-
sibilities allocated to the faculty.
We have put in place a Rausing Executive Devel-
opment Centre, social enterprise, governance and pub-
lic management, Islamic finance and China-Pak centre
to facilitate the faculty to conduct research, stay con-
nected to relevant stakeholders as consultants, to write
cases and learn to carry out executive teaching.
Flare: It is a common perception that the LUMS
MBA is for the elite class. What sort of scholarship
does LUMS offer to its MBA students and what is the
process for it?
Dr Anjum Fayyaz: Students are enrolled strictly on
merit. If a student is selected, we ensure that he/she is
not dropped out due to financial limitations. For this
funds are particularly generated in one way or the other.
Financial plans are put in place to facilitate all sort of
support. These include student loans and sponsorships.
Flare: Recently LUMS introduced women’s
scholarship for MBA candidates. Can you please shed
some light on that?
Dr Anjum Fayyaz: Keeping in view the potential
that many females in our society have, we felt that it is
our social responsibility to attract more females to the
MBA programme so they can reposition themselves as
they make more than 50 per cent of our population.
Additionally, since we were unable to achieve more
than 20pc females in our MBA class; a much lower
percentage of females as compared to our bachelors’
class; we are trying to attract more females for our
MBA.
18
Suleman Dawood School of Business, who has more than 24
years of teaching, training, research and consulting experience
in Pakistan, India and Iran. He joined LUMS in 2009 as
Director, Rausing Executive Development Centre (REDC),
and is currently serving as an assistant professor and the
director, Strategic Sectors Research Centre (SSRC). ”
Flare: Is there any data that explains why a lot of
females aren’t applying to the MBA programme?
Dr Anjum Fayyaz: No, we don’t have any data for
that but in my opinion and based on my experience,
females need to get pass the socio-cultural barrier,
which is not encouraging towards further education.
I feel the need of counselling females regarding the
importance of higher education so they can move up
the hierarchy of the business world and are able to
contribute effectively.
Flare: What types of career opportunities are
available to these students graduating from the
MBA programme and if possible can you please
mention some noteworthy success stories of the pro-
gramme?
Dr Anjum Fayyaz: There are almost 2,200 LUMS
MBA and more than 300 EMBAs graduates who have
done commendably in their careers. Some of them
have become entrepreneurs; others have gone to
media, sports and other sectors like MNCS and
FMCGS. For example, Shahzad Saleem is Chairman
of Nishat Chuniyan, Duraid Qureshi from Hum TV,
Dr Usman Bhatti is Director Marketing at Nestle, Ali
Naqvi is Owner of Islamabad United cricket fran-
chise. Our alumni constantly contribute by giving do-
nations, coming as speakers, creating employment and
internship opportunities for students and helping
LUMS in the recruitment process as they feel the
LUMS MBA changed their lives.
Flare: Does success come to all these notable
alumni over time?
Dr Anjum Fayyaz: Our MBA gives the students
the leverage to move up the ladder relatively easily
compared to the MBA students from other schools. In
my experience, even in the MNCS and FMCGS,
where the career paths are predefined, our MBAs are
repositioned in one to two years’ time which means
that they add value to the companies they are em-
ployed at.
Flare: What are the next five year plans of
LUMS MBA to adjust to the constantly changing
business landscape of the world?
Dr Anjum Fayyaz: The plan is to connect the in-
dustry to the academics so it can influence policy mak-
ing decisions. By doing this, our graduates can be a
part of the public sector as well and can be reposi-
tioned in MNCs and FMCGs and other projects
like CPEC. n
 Meizu rolls out new product line
EVENT | Flare Report
at bloggers meet-up
“ Fraz M Khan says this special blogger meet-up event has been designed to impart
M
knowledge related to various touch and display technologies and to introduce local bloggers
to innovations in the lineup of mobile phones being introduced to the Pakistani market.”
eizu, an industry innovator in elec-
tronics and affordable mobiles, or-
ganised a bloggers meet-up event at
Imperial Hall, Nishat Hotel in La-
hore recently. Through this meet up, Meizu
aimed to enrich relationships with the bloggers
community in the region and inform them more
about how Meizu came into being, its current
product offerings and its future plans.
Meizu introduced its spectacular lineup of
mobile phones that included a hands-on experi-
ence of Pakistan’s first ever dual screen and dual
touch phones, Meizu Pro 7 and 7 Plus, along
with the standard Meizu M6 and M6 Note. These
smartphones will be available soon in the market
with warranty of Green Tech and customers care
network.
The M6 is primarily targeted at the budget
market with low specifications and price. The
phone features a 5.2-inch 720p display along with
a quad-core MediaTek processor. It has 3GB
RAM, 32GB storage as well as a 13MP rear and
an 8MP front-facing camera. The Meizu M6 is
powered by a 3,070mAh battery. The bigger M6
Note has a larger 5.5-inch 1080p display, a Snap-
dragon 625 processor, 4GB RAM and 64GB stor-
age. The M6 Note features dual 12+5MP
cameras on the back with a 16MP camera on the
front, with a 4,000mAh battery. Fast charging is
20
also available via an 18W fast charger.
The Meizu Pro 7 and Pro 7 Plus, starts with a
5.2-inch Amoled screen with a 1080p resolution
while the Pro 7 Plus has a bigger 5.5-inch QHD
(2560 x 1440) resolution display. Featuring a sec-
ond 1.9-inch screen at the back, the Pro 7 phones
Willy Cui says in the past Infinix
has done successful online part-
nerships with Daraz.pk and
Yavo.com.pk. This time Infinix
is very confident that the partner-
ship will be another milestone in
the long journey to the bright fu-
ture ahead and visions to achieve
great heights of success.
boast a unique design, showing notifications,
weather and other useful features for ease of ac-
cess. On the inside, the Pro 7 has an octa-core
MediaTek Helio P25 processor while Pro 7 Plus
has a deca-core Helio X30. The Pro 7 has 4GB
RAM along with 64GB storage while the Plus
model has 6GB RAM (same storage). Both
phones have a dual 12+12MP camera setup on
the back and a 16MP shooter up front. The
smaller Pro 7 has a 3,000mAh battery while the
Pro 7 Plus has a 3,500mAh unit. Fast charging is
supported via Meizu’s mCharge tech.
As part of its global vision Meizu wishes to
enhance the awareness of its latest technologies
and developments among various customer seg-
ments.
The event featured presentations from promi-
nent technology specialists to highlight the capa-
bilities and features of Meizu’s latest cellular
devices. The bloggers enthusiastically partici-
pated and greatly benefited from the insights into
the latest technologies at the event.
Speaking on the occasion, Fraz M Khan,
Country Head, Meizu Pakistan, said: “This spe-
cial blogger meet-up event has been designed to
impart knowledge related to various touch and
display technologies and to introduce local blog-
gers to innovations in the lineup of mobile
phones being introduced to the Pakistani
market.”
Meizu believes that communication technol-
ogy has progressed at a rapid pace transforming
the concepts of connectivity on a global scale.
Meizu’s smartphones resonate with millennials
due to their need for a customised user experi-
ence, high performance and feature rich capabil-
ities at affordable prices.
Flare Report | EVENT

21
 Huawei launches P20 series with
EVENT | Flare Report
three lens, AI-powered camera
“ Richard Yu, CEO, Huawei Consumer Business Group,says, we look for inspiration from
artists to continuously evolve our approach to design and innovation. The Huawei P20
series builds on the legacy of our collaboration with Leica. With a breakthrough triple
camera on the Huawei P20 Pro, an advanced dual camera on the Huawei P20, and pow-
H
erful artificial intelligence on both, today’s most vibrant consumers can capture and share
the brilliance of the world around them. ”
uawei Consumer Business Group un-
veiled the much-anticipated Huawei
P20 and Huawei P20 Pro at an exclu-
sive launch event held at the iconic
Grand Palais in Paris recently.
Richard Yu, CEO of Huawei's Consumer Busi-
ness Group took the stage to present their new latest
smartphones P20 and P20 Pro. Huawei's latest
smartphone boasts a three lens, AI-powered camera.
The Huawei P20 Pro features the world’s first
Leica triple camera and both devices include un-
precedented AI advances, combining technology
and art to bring to life a groundbreaking smartphone
experience.
Huawei set new expectations for smartphone
photography with the launch of the Huawei P9, the
first Leica dual camera. With the debut of the
Huawei P20 series, Huawei makes capturing pro-
fessional quality images a truly effortless experience
for everyone.
“We look for inspiration from artists to continu-
ously evolve our approach to design and innova-
tion,” said Richard Yu, Chief Executive Officer,
Huawei Consumer Business Group. “The Huawei
P20 Series builds on the legacy of our collaboration
with Leica. With a breakthrough triple camera on
the Huawei P20 Pro, an advanced dual camera on
the Huawei P20, and powerful artificial intelligence
on both, today’s most vibrant consumers can cap-
ture and share the brilliance of the world around
them.”
Achieving DxOMark’s highest overall scores1,
the Huawei P20 Series includes advanced, intelligent
camera systems that bring consumers features that
ultimately enhance every part of the smartphone
photography experience.
The P20 series devices have a very different de-
sign from their predecessors such as the P10 the
phone. Instead of a metal body, they have glass
backs, just like the Huawei Mate 10.
The P20 Pro has a unique camera system with
triple cameras which utilises AI to enable even the
22
most novice of photographers to take better quality
pictures. The Huawei P20 is powered by the HiSili-
con Kirin 970 system-on-chip which is the same as
the Huawei Mate 10.
The Kirin 970 features four ARM Cortex-A73
cores clocked at 2.36GHz and four ARM Cortex-
A53 cores clocked at 1.8GHz, paired with the Mali-
G72MP12 GPU. The SoC has a dedicated NPU
(Neural Processing Unit). The chip is a competitor
to the Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 and not the
newer Snapdragon 845 (which has the Cortex
A75/A55/DynamIQ/Adreno 630), which does
leave the P20 series with a disadvantage in terms of
performance. The SoC is paired with 4GB of RAM
and 128GB of storage, along with a hybrid mi-
croSD/dual SIM slot.
The most distinctive feature about the Huawei
P20 is its display, which has a notch. The phone has
a 5.8-inch Full HD+ (2240×1080) IPS display with
an 18.7:9 aspect ratio, a PenTile RGBW matrix, and
429 PPI. Unlike the Apple iPhone X, the P20’s dis-
play notch does not contain dedicated facial scan-
ning hardware. Instead, the notch contains the
earpiece, the proximity, and ambient light sensors as
well as the front camera. (The P20 still has face un-
lock, which uses the phone’s high-resolution front
camera. Huawei also states that the P20’s Face Un-
lock is 2x faster than the iPhone X’s Face ID.)
The Huawei P20 opts to go for a dual-camera
configuration. The dual cameras come with Leica
branding and are said to be the third-generation
Leica Dual Cam system. The phone has a 12MP pri-
mary RGB camera with a 1/2.3 sensor, 1.55 micron
pixels, f/1.8 aperture, a dual LED flash, and optical
image stabilisation (OIS). It includes 4-way autofo-
cus (laser, PDAF, contrast and depth detection), and
an infrared RGB sensor. The secondary camera is a
20MP monochrome sensor.
The camera can record 4K video. It also has
Super Slow-motion video recording as it can capture
960FPS in 720p resolution. The Huawei P20 has a
24MP front camera with “Light Fusion” technology
that can brighten the image content using the AI ca-
pabilities of the processor.
The Huawei P20 is powered by a 3400mAh bat-
tery. Both the P20 and P20 Pro have their fingerprint
sensors placed on the front of the device. It ships
with EMUI 8.1 on top of Android 8.1 Oreo, and it
comes in Black, Blue, Twilight and Pink Gold col-
ors. It costs €679 in Europe.
The P20 Pro uses the same Kirin 970 SoC as the
regular P20. The phone has 6GB of RAM with
128GB of storage, along with a hybrid
microSD/dual SIM slot. The differences between
the phones are pronounced when it comes to the dis-
play. The P20 Pro has a 6.1-inch Full HD+
(2240×1080) AMOLED display, and it has a notch
just like the P20. The display is 0.3-inches bigger
than the P20’s display, and the display type is differ-
ent as well (AMOLED vs. LCD). n
 EVENT | Flare Report
S
amsung Electronics Co Ltd introduced the
Samsung Galaxy S9 and S9+ at a launch event
in Lahore recently. The smartphones re-imag-
ine the way people communicate, share and
experience the world. Made for an age in which con-
sumers increasingly communicate and express them-
selves more with images, videos and emojis, the
Galaxy S9 and S9+ drive innovation with Samsung’s
advanced camera. Redesigned with a new dual aper-
ture lens that powers an innovative low light camera,
super slow-mo video capabilities and personalised AR
Emoji, the Galaxy S9 and S9+ ensure users do not
miss a moment and make their everyday epic.
The Galaxy S9 and S9+ deliver an enhanced en-
tertainment experience with powerful stereo speakers
tuned by AKG, immersive audio with Dolby Atmos
24
and a refined edge-to-edge infinity display – a key sta-
ple in Samsung’s design heritage. In addition, the
Galaxy S9 and S9+ will come with the new Smart-
Things app, which unites Samsung’s existing IoT serv-
ices into one single, smart experience.
“The way we use our smartphones has changed as
communication and self-expression has evolved,” said
Y J Kim, MD Samsung Electronics Pakistan, while
speaking at the launch ceremony.
“With the Galaxy S9 and S9+, we have re-imag-
ined the smartphone camera. Not only do the Galaxy
S9 and S9+ enable consumers to shoot great photos
and videos anywhere, it’s a smartphone that’s de-
signed to help them connect to others and express
themselves in a way that’s unique and personal to
them.”
Umer Ghumman, head of mobile division Sam-
sung Pakistan and Afghanistan, stated: “We are
proud to introduce this power-packed device, which
promises a whole new world of infotainment and
multi-tasking, with powerful global connectivity,
for the consumers aspiring to excel in today’s
highly competitive and fast-paced world. It em-
powers and inspires the user to do, what others
think they can’t do.
The launch ceremony was attended by influ-
encers from all walks of life. Guests at the event got
to experience the amazing new features Samsung
has introduced with the launch of S9 and 9+ in the
form of exquisite experience zones highlighting the
features of the phone such as slow motion video,
avatar and emojis and immersive audio.
Vivo unveils AI powered
Super HDR feature to enhance
mobile photography
“ Vivo grabbed a lot of attention at the beginning of the year by announcing the X20 Plus
UD carrying an under-display fingerprint sensor and later during MWC 2018 for Vivo Apex
V
with 91% screen-to-body ratio and sliding camera. Now Vivo revealed a “Super HDR” which
will be coming to future smartphones. ”
ivo announced its cutting-edge, AI-pow-
ered super HDR at a media event in China.
Following the previous breakthrough suc-
cess in backlit photography, Vivo is taking
mobile photography to new heights with Super
HDR’s auto scene detection to produce clearer pho-
tos, better colors, more details and better tones.
Super HDR follows the same principles as regular
HDR but merges more frames to resolve the problems
presented by contrasting strong dark and light tones
in a photo. Super HDR captures more frames and in-
telligently merges them to cater to more extreme light-
ing scenarios.
Great frames great flexibility
Super HDR’s dynamic range can reach up to 14
EV (Exposure Value). With just a single press of the
shutter, Super HDR will capture up to 12 frames, sig-
nificantly more frames than previously possible with
existing HDR technology.
This provides more image options for merging to
perfectly light all the parts of the eventual photo.
Optimized details under extreme light
To reduce the unnaturally processed look of reg-
ular HDR, Super HDR adapts to different scenes and
their dynamic range characteristics, selecting and
merging frames to best render the image’s highlights
and shadow details.
Super HDR then optimizes shadows to ensure the
complex photo’s highlights and shadows are balanced
and natural.
Get easy yet perfect people shots
Regular HDR might sacrifice lighting for the per-
son in focus for a better lit photo, but Super HDR en-
sures the person is clear and well-lit.
Super HDR employs smart scene detection to bal-
ance the lighting of the person and the background
to create a natural feel.
Advanced AI improves photos at all stages
The Super HDR leverages complex AI algorithms
to adapt to different scenarios. The moment the shut-
ter is pressed, the AI will detect the scene to deter-
mine the ideal exposure strategy and accordingly
select the frames for merging.
This process ultimately delivers a natural looking
shot which looks like it was captured by the
human eye.
Flare Report | TELEPEDIA
Advantages of super HDR
Highly adaptable: With a wider dynamic range
of 14EV, Super HDR can ensure perfect shots in a
broader range of lighting scenarios, even in adverse
ones. This results in image that shows the details of
the rock, grass, mountains and clouds despite the
back lit, high contrast scenario.
Accurate and smart exposure selection: At up to
12 frames, Super HDR has more lighting options for
its smart frame selecting strategies to correctly expose
all parts of the photo. This retains the natural con-
trast that is key to accent the features of this photo.
Intelligent identification: AI-powered scene de-
tection means that each part of the photo can be iden-
tified and isolated for processing to insure even
complex photos are perfected. The AI can perfectly
identify and expose the unique shapes of these rocks,
moss, waves and clouds in this shot.
Natural looking results: Super HDR produces
more natural tones by reorganizing and optimizing
the highlights and shadow portions of the scene when
merging the frames and ensures the photo naturally
matches the original scene as seen by human eye.
This shows the couple clearly and naturally despite
sun and umbrella creating such complex lighting.
Perfectly lit portraits: Super HDR prioritizes the
best lighting for the person in the photo and adjusts
the background exposure to produce an optimal and
natural portrait. Optimizing the lighting for the girl
and creating complimentary lighting of the sky and
flowers help accentuate her in the photo for a per-
fectly lit portrait.
Alex Feng, Senior Vice President at Vivo added
that, “Vivo continues to push the boundaries and pro-
vide the ultimate camera experience for consumers.
This goes beyond just adding powerful functions, but
to developing innovations that our users can imme-
diately enjoy. Today’s showcase of Super HDR is an
example of our continued commitment to mobile
photography, to enable our consumers to shoot pro-
fessional quality photos at the touch of a button.
Using intelligent AI, Super HDR can capture more
detail under any conditions, without additional de-
mands on the user.” n

 INTERVIEW | Flare Report

Flare: Please tell us awarded projects worth

about yourself, educa- Rs79 billion in sectors
tion and professional like roads, afforestation,
life? housing, health and
Agha Waqar Javed: I transport. We have an
am basically a finance elaborate pipeline of ap-
professional, holding a proximate Rs200 billion
degree in MSc. finance worth of projects, which
from the University of is spread over almost 15
Strathclyde, Glasgow; an sectors, including, water
MBA from Bahauddin & sanitation, roads &
Zakriya University and bridges, food, recreation
Advance Corporate Fi- & tourism and number
nance course from Lon- of projects in health sec-
don Business School, tor and also looking into
United Kingdom. I carry developing more projects
a more than 20 years of in education sector.
domestic and interna- The ‘Lahore Ring
tional experience in man- Road’ (southern loop, SL
agement, banking and I & II) is one of our flag-
finance, policy reform, ship projects which has
privatisation and public- attracted an investment
private partnership. I of about Rs20 billion.
started my career in early ‘Kahna Flyover’ is an-
1997 with NCR Corpora- other key project under
tion, which primarily PPP mode. Similarly,
dealt with financial solu- ‘Vehicle Inspection Cer-
tions for the financial tification System’ (VICS)
markets. I moved to the in Punjab has been
Privatisation Commis- awarded to a Swedish
sion that was early year company, Opus Interna-
2005, where I stayed up tional. Under this proj-
till year 2010. ect, commercial vehicles
Thereafter, I went are tested for fitness and
abroad and worked for certification.
the International Union, Flare: How do you
up until year 2013. In see future of PPP proj-
year 2014, I joined as ects in Pakistan?
member P&D Board and Agha Waqar Javed: I
head of the Public-Pri- see a very promising fu-
vate Partnership (PPP) ture for PPP projects.
Cell. So it has been about The reason is that going
four exciting years at the forward, there is a huge
PPP Cell. In the past infrastructure develop-
three to four years, we to- ment demand, which is
tally revitalised the cell in to be met. We have, in
fact revitalised the PPP the past five years, done
initiative. a lot, as the government
Flare: Does the pri- done a lot in reducing

“ Flare panel talked to Agha Waqar Javed, Member Planning &

vate sector understand
what PPPs really are,
and are their expecta-
tions about PPPs reason-
able?
Agha Waqar Javed: I
the blackouts by provid-
ing more energy and as
Development Board and Head Public Private Partnership Cell, we go forward, we will be
providing energy at more
Government of Punjab. He says that he carries more than 20 years
cheaper and more afford-
of domestic and international experience in management, banking able rates, which essen-

and finance, policy reform, privatisation and public-private partner-

think private sector is now tially means that, you
more importantly begin- know, our exports and
ning to realize the benefits ship. “I started my career in early 1997 with NCR Corporation, our products will become
of these partnerships not
only for the government
which primarily dealt with financial solutions for the financial more competitive in the
international markets be-
but for itself. So it is a markets. I moved to the Privatization Commission that was early cause of the reduced cost
win-win situation for both
government and the pri-
year 2005, where I stayed up till year 2010.”” of production in terms of
inputs. I think there is a
vate sector. The reason is that the private sector gets parties which will finance a project totally from their huge infrastructure in terms of industrial estates,
the profitability and the government gets the service owner’s equity. road networks, more affordable electricity, renew-
delivery because our work starts from where the gov- Flare: What are the aims and objectives of able electricity and especially in the backdrop of
ernment finances end. Public Private Partnership Cell? CPEC also, when you know these routes will be-
Flare: Are public private partnership projects Agha Waqar Javed: It is extremely important come operational.
bankable? that we realise that governments have got everything Flare: Brief us about your future plans for
Agha Waqar Javed: I think this is an extremely to do with providing good governance, a level play- PPP Cell Punjab?
important question because the ‘bankability is at the ing field, the right investment environment and with Agha Waqar Javed: I think like I said, we un-
very heart of any successful PPP transaction’. Like providing the regulatory framework, in which busi- derstand the potential opportunities that are being
I said in response to your previous question that pri- nesses flourish and also providing the essential ele- created, like I spoke previously also in the back-
vate sector is primarily driven by profit motive and ments, which we call the public good, which no drop of CPEC, in the backdrop of the huge surge
unless they find profitability in any project, it is dif- private sector individual would intervene, e.g. in demand of infrastructure facilities that we are
ficult for them to justify their investments. And it roads/bridges, public schools and public hospitals. perceiving to be met in future. And I think, for that
also is a universal truth that private sector invest- These are not typically profitable ventures for the what we are doing is, we are working very closely
ments are not totally equity investments, so they private sector, so government has a role to develop with our development partners also. We are work-
have to have that element of debt into it and debt is this and to augment this role, the PPP Cell plays a ing with International Finance Corporation, the
provided by banks. So any project which we struc- role of a pivot in the whole development paradigm, World Bank and the Asian Development Bank to
ture has got bankability at the very, you know, cen- which is focused towards private sector-led growth. break the success story across the borders and in
tre of its development because without bankability, Flare: Share the achievements of PPP Cell? destinations where international investors come in
banks would not finance any private party and with- Agha Waqar Javed: We have completed a num- very regularly to look for investment opportunities,
out the banks’ finance available, it is very rare to find ber of projects worth about Rs30 billion and e.g. Dubai, Malaysia, Singapore. n
26
 C OV E R S T O RY | Zubair Kasuri

28
T
he Chinese mobile company, OPPO, has
been involved in ‘smuggling’ of handsets
into Pakistan in connivance with the cus-
toms officials and other authorities for
last many months, causing loss of millions of rupees
to the national exchequer.
This is revealed in the mobile phone import data,
which the Flare magazine has obtained.
The data shows that OPPO very cunningly
evades the customs duty unlike the other Chinese
firms which pay the full duty.
A close look at the data reveals that the company
in question brings its phones into Pakistan, showing
low price, whereas the phones of the same prices of
other brands pay the required customs duty.
A reliable officer of the customs department told
Flare that a high government functionary was in-
volved in all this, adding that on the directive of the
A high government functionary is
allegedly involved in all this, and
on whose directives, the import of
OPPO at low invoice was allowed
into the country during the stint of
former finance minister Ishaq
Dar, and the wrongdoing is con-
tinuing to date.
personality, the import of OPPO at low invoice was
allowed into the country during the stint of former
finance minister Ishaq Dar. The officer said the
wrongdoing was continuing to date.
Sources told Flare that to avoid being docu-
mented, the Chinese mobile company receives cash
from dealers across Pakistan instead of cheques, and
the money is then laundered back to China. “The ba-
sic reason for this is when a mobile phone is brought
to Pakistan at low price and sold in the local market
at double the price, the extra amount is sent back to
China through illegal means,” said the sources.
They maintained that all the employees of OPPO
get salary in cash and not through cheques from the
mobile dealers.
The sources said irony was that all this was in the
notice of Pakistan Telecommunication Authority
and the high ups of the customs department, buy
they were silent spectators.
The Flare magazine, on behalf of the millions
of taxpayers, appeals to the prime minister, the
chief of the army staff, chairmen of National Ac-
countability Bureau and Federal Investigation
Agency to take notice of the matter.
It is pertinent to mention here that couple of
years ago, OPPO, a smartphone manufacturing
company headquartered in China and
having operations in various markets in Asia Pa-
C OV E R S T O RY
cific and North Africa, launched its operations in
Pakistan.
However, it failed to capture the Pakistani mar-
ket as there are many Chinese brands available
with competitive prices and providing remarkable
after-sale and services to their customers.
OPPO made its way to the international mar-
kets with its Find smartphone series. The first
phone featured famous Hollywood star Leonardo
DiCaprio in the TV ads. Later, Find 5 was a com-
mercial success for the company that gathered
good attention across the globe.
In the meantime, OPPO has launched its de-
vices in India and Bangladesh as well. As per in-
formation, OPPO will distribute and market the
products itself; which seems to be a quite difficult
task for a newcomer considering the aggressive
competition among local and international smart-
phone brands.
Unfortunately, OPPO phones aren’t any ex-
traordinary. It is true that these phones offer good
looks and some unique features, but the perform-
ance of these devices doesn’t match with the good-
will of Huawei, Apple, Samsung, Sony, HTC or
other renowned brands.
On the other hand, OPPO has been undergoing
severe managerial issues since the start of its busi-
ness in Pakistan. Their senior staff, including HR
manager, marketing manager, brand supervisor,
product manager and community manager re-
signed due to mismanagement in the firm.
It is heard that the main investors of OPPO
have said goodbye to it and are investing in other
companies. In the beginning, OPPO fired several
hundred of its sales staff to cut the expenses,
which triggered a bad repute for the company in
the market. n
29
 MBS dragging Saudi Arabia
SOCIAL | Flare Report
into modern era
“ Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's Vision 2030 reform plan for a post-oil era seeks
to elevate women to nearly one-third of the workforce, up from about 22 per cent now.
C
Government statistics also put more than one million Saudi women as currently looking to
enter the workforce. ”
rown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is
dragging Saudi Arabia into the modern
era. He's the Crown Prince who impris-
oned scores of his fellow Saudi billion-
aires in a five-star hotel in Riyadh in a dramatic
purge on corruption. Prince Mohammed bin
Salman came to the world's attention when, soon
after being appointed heir, he ordered the arrests of
hundreds of princes, businessmen and government
officials on corruption and money-laundering
charges.
Kick-started by Crown Prince Salman, the re-
forms include the historic decision allowing women
to drive, own businesses, attend soccer games and
take on jobs that once fell outside the narrow con-
fines of traditional gender roles.
Women in Saudi Arabia participated in a
marathon. They were jogging in the streets of Jed-
dah's historic al Balad district and took the instruc-
tions of driving. Mervat Bukhari became the first
Saudi woman to work at a gas station, something
unimaginable not long ago.
When Bukhari, 43, and a mother of four, was
promoted as supervisor of a gas station in eastern
Khobar city last October, insults began pouring in
on social media with the hashtag "Saudi women
don't work at gas stations".
30
Bukhari, previously employed in a junior role by
the same parent company, was forced to go on the
defensive, telling critics she was in a managerial po-
sition and not physically handling fuel nozzles.
"I am a supervisor. I don't fill gas myself," she
reasoned, seeking to win a modicum of respectabil-
ity for a job that class-conscious Saudi men disdain.
"Women today have the right to do any work."
Prince Mohammed's Vision 2030 reform plan
for a post-oil era seeks to elevate women to nearly
one-third of the workforce, up from about 22 per
cent now.
Government statistics also put more than one
million Saudi women as currently looking to enter
the workforce.
The reforms have seen the Saudi labour market
slowly open up to women, introducing them to jobs
that were once firmly the preserve of men.
The social change, catalysed in large measure by
what experts characterise as economic pain owing
to a protracted oil slump, has introduced a series of
firsts.
Saudi media has championed in recent months
the first woman restaurant chef, first woman veteri-
narian and even the first woman tour guide.
But women face sobering realities - despite often
being better qualified than men.
"Saudi women are better educated, but less mo-
bile, less employed and vastly underpaid," Karen
Young, a scholar at the Arab Gulf States Institute in
Washington, says.
Average monthly salaries in the private sector are
close to 8,000 Saudi riyals ($2,1341,748 euros) for
men, and only 5,000 riyals for women, according to
research firm Jadwa. The decision to allow women
to drive after a decades-long ban could give women
the much-needed mobility to join the workforce.
For the first time, women are seen alongside men
in jazz music concerts and in mixed-gender restau-
rants.
"The well-known expression: 'You are a woman,
cover your face' seems to be disappearing from our
society," human rights lawyer Abdulrahman Al
Lahim wrote recently in the pro-government Okaz
newspaper. Authorities appear to be slowly disman-
tling the many injustices against women ingrained
in the law. Saudi women now no longer need male
permission to start business.
Saudi Arabia also recently annulled the "house
of obedience" article in the marriage law, which
grants a husband the right to summon his wife to his
home against her will.
The reform introduces a novel concept in mar-
ried life: mutual consent. n
 SOCIAL | Flare Report
C
ricket fever was at all time high in Pak-
istan as National Stadium Karachi hosted
many international players for the final
showdown of the third edition of the
HBL Pakistan Super League on March 25. PSL was
celebrated by people all across Pakistan as cricket fi-
nally came back to the country after so many years.
The PSL brought back international cricketers to
our stadiums, and this was the time to appreciate all
those who made this possible.
The grand finale was won by the league’s inau-
gural holders Islamabad United, beating the title
holders by three wickets. The tickets of the match
32
were sold out within 15 hours of going on sale.
Yayvo.com made it easier for the cricket fans in the
city of Karachi to buy these tickets. Once the tickets
were made available online, the site crashed due to
massive traffic. 32 TCS express centres also had
these tickets available. And this was not all.
Yayvo.com had the privilege of bringing the PSL
trophy back to Pakistan.
The trophy handed over to the winning team was
a beautiful piece of art, and Yayvo was proud to
bring it back to the homeland. If this is what makes
Pakistanis happy, this is what Yayvo.com is here for!
Yayvo marketing team was spotted holding the PSL
trophy and they looked awestruck too. Just like
cricket loving nation people at Yayvo are also ardent
cricket fans.
The PSL trophy was brought to the National Sta-
dium Karachi from TCS headquarters by a TCS
team. Yayvo.com is proud to have played a very con-
structive role in bringing the nation’s favourite sport
back to its stadiums. This has been a long journey
and a fruit of collective efforts. Yayvo.com takes
pride in serving the people in more than one ways.
The site knows cricket at home means the world to
people. That’s why it has done everything in its
power to make it happen for the fans of the sport.

“ Flare panel converses with Saud Saeed Ch, Director Marketing,
CIELO CASA Pakistan, who says we have expertise in contempo-
rary woodwork and interior challenges of each project. We also
offer management and supervision for interior designing. We are
capable of providing our clients with the highest degree of technical
expertise and satisfaction. We have been in the market as design so-
lutions since 1992 and have successfully undertaken numerous con-
struction and interior/exterior designing projects all over Pakistan.”
Flare: Please share a few words with us about
your professional life?
Saud Saeed Ch: My professional life in a nutshell
revolves around hand picking the best strawberry in the
vast field, looking up for the potential in it, polishing it,
organising it and packing up in the best pack to look
the best in the market attracting the customers. So, for
me the strawberry is a brand with potential that needs
to be built in the market.
Flare: How did you start your career?
Saud Saeed Ch: I graduated from PIFD, took cer-
tain courses in FIT New York, got a chance of work-
ing with certain brands and building them up, with a
degree in Fashion Marketing and having studied cer-
tain courses of luxury brand management, that is how
my career began.
Flare: Please shed light on CIELO CASA?
Saud Saeed Ch: We are one of the most presti-
gious and leading manufacturers of customised de-
signer kitchens, wardrobes, furniture and lights in
Pakistan. The CIELO CASA is on a team of profes-
sionals to provide comprehensive high quality wood-
work services by using standard modern technologies
weather starting from an architect's plan or a cus-
tomised wish list. We have expertise in contemporary
woodwork and interior challenges of each project. We
also offer management and supervision for interior de-
signing. We are capable of providing our clients with
the highest degree of technical expertise and satisfac-
tion. We have been in the market as design solutions
since 1992 and have successfully undertaken numer-
ous construction and interior/exterior designing proj-
ects all over Pakistan.
Flare: Tell us about Armani/Dada.
Saud Saeed Ch: Armani/Dada is a collaboration
between the Armani Group and Dada from the
Molteni Group. The partnership offers unique and in-
novative kitchen concepts and expresses the simplicity
and elegance of Italian style at its finest.
Design and comfort, function and elegance: these
are the guiding concepts behind the development of
the Armani/Dada collection, created in 2008 to ex-
press the perfection and excellence of the Armani style
to the kitchen. Giorgio Armani’s vision of the home
as a private, special place, sophisticated and comfort-
able at the same time, now comes to the working area
Flare Report | INTERVIEW
of the home. The kitchen is interpreted as a highly
practical working space which is also pleasant to the
senses, capable of transmitting emotions and atmos-
phere, just like the living area and bedroom.
Flare: What are the customer’s satisfaction
strategies adopted by the brand?
Saud Saeed Ch: Client satisfaction is our prime ob-
jective and we believe in delivering our orders within
our deadlines and top notch quality range in weaving
their dreams into reality.
Flare: Pakistan’s furniture market is growing and
very competitive. How is CIELO CASA competing
in market?
Saud Saeed Ch: CIELO CASA is dedicated to
work that reflects our client's personality and lifestyle,
by capturing their design dreams and making them a
reality. We are dedicated to listening to our clients in a
professional manner and carrying out the process until
the desired product is achieved. Consistent process
monitoring and quality checking and continuous
improvement during production processes guaran-
tee consistently high quality and reliability.
Flare: What are the biggest achievements of
CIELO CASA during the last few years?
Saud Saeed Ch: The biggest achievement for
CIELO CASA in last few years is bringing one of
the world’s biggest names in Italian kitchens and
wardrobes. CIELO CASA brought the huge name
of Armani/Dada in November 2017 being the
leader in the Pakistan’s market of kitchens.
Flare: What is the strategy being adopted your
company to become No 1 in Pakistan?
Saud Saeed Ch: Exceptional quality, premium
product, customer satisfaction all garnished with the
perfect hint of marketing is the strategy the com-
pany is adopting to be the number 1 in the market.
Flare: How do you anticipate the future of
office furniture sector in Pakistan and
see 2018 in terms of challenges?
Saud Saeed Ch: Italy is the world's greatest ex-
porter of furniture after Germany and Canada. The
United States is the greatest shipper of wooden fur-
niture after by Germany and France. Pakistan's offer
in the worldwide wooden furniture showcase is
unimportant, in spite of the way that the nation has
a past filled with craftsmanship and development in
the field of wooden furniture. Be that as it may,
prospects are not blushing. Exporters are enduring
complex issues while neighborhood producers are
confronting challenges because of overwhelming
imports of furniture. Chinese furniture has addi-
tionally hit the nearby business by 70 per cent and the
offers of privately made family unit furniture have gone
around 30 per cent. Burden on the residential business
has gigantically expanded as different nations like
Thailand and Korea have begun sending out widely to
Pakistan. In the meantime, the high cost of the furni-
ture business has debilitated the segment all in all. The
costs of every single crude material utilized as a part of
making furniture which incorporate chipboard, tim-
ber, froth, clean compound materials, shading paints
and hard product have expanded. Timber creation then
again has gone down definitely as a result of
unchecked deforestation. Accordingly, transported in
chipboard is utilized as a part of assembling room sets,
which offer the most. Around 60% crude material uti-
lized as a part of furniture making is transported in
from China. Imported thing generally utilized as a part
of furniture making are chipboard, equipment things
and glass.
Flare: How do you define good leader?
Saud Saeed Ch: A good leader is no less than an
artist mastering in the art of compelling his team to
achieve the desired results.
“Leadership is the art of leading others to deliber-
ately create a result that wouldn’t have happened oth-
erwise.”
It’s not just the creation of results that makes good
leadership. Good leaders are able to deliberately cre-
ate challenging results by enlisting the help of others.
They can single handedly turn failing companies into
Fortune 500 organizations. They can change company
cultures. Good leadership is an essential key to corpo-
rate success. n

 China’s Ant Financial
EVENT | Flare Report
makes foray into Pakistan
thru Telenor deal
“ The establishment of this partnership is well in line with the expressed Telenor strategy
of focusing our financial services efforts in emerging markets, making sure that we’re able
to build and modernise the businesses in line with customer needs. I’m truly excited
T
about the opportunities this partnership brings for Telenor Microfinance Bank going
forward," says Sigve Brekke, CEO of Telenor Group. ”
elenor Group, the Norwegian telecom
giant, and Ant Financial Services, an
affiliate of Chinese e-commerce giant
Alibaba, announced a ‘strategic part-
nership’ that will see Ant invest $184.5 million
for a 45 per cent stake in Telenor Microfinance
Bank (TMB), a subsidiary of the group, to further
develop the bank’s mobile payment and digital fi-
nancial services.
The MoU was signed at the Prime Minister
Secretariat in the presence of Prime Minister
Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, government officials and
management of Telenor and Ant Financial.
The strategic partnership between Telenor
Group and Ant Financial combines TMB’s
knowledge and local market presence with more
than 20 million customers, and Ant’s technology
in Alipay, the world’s largest digital payment plat-
form, and other financial services, to bring mo-
bile payment and inclusive financial services to
individuals as well as small and micro businesses
in Pakistan.
Prime Minister Abbasi appreciated the part-
nership between Telenor and Ant Financial, and
said that it is a manifestation of favourable gov-
ernment policies for foreign investment in Pak-
istan.
He welcomed Ant Financial’s decision to in-
vest in Pakistan and lauded Telenor’s efforts to-
wards socio-economic development of the
country. He said that the collaboration would
34
help broaden access to financial services through
digital payment solutions.
TMB offers Easypaisa, Pakistan's first mobile
financial services platform launched in 2009,
which has since developed into the largest
branchless banking service in the country in
terms of agent network, active accounts and
TMB offers Easypaisa, Pakistan's
first mobile financial services plat-
form launched in 2009, which has
since developed into the largest
branchless banking service in-
Pakistan in terms of agent net-
work, active accounts and trans-
action value, according to the
State Bank of Pakistan.
transaction value, according to the State Bank of
Pakistan. TMB also provides micro-finance and
related financial services to the less privileged
and unbanked segment of the Pakistani society.
"Partnering with a world’s leading payment
provider like Ant Financial will strengthen
TMB’s future payment platform and set new stan-
dards in the digital banking business in Pakistan.
The establishment of this partnership is well in
line with the expressed Telenor strategy of focus-
ing our financial services efforts in emerging mar-
kets, making sure that we’re able to build and
modernise the businesses in line with customer
needs.
I’m truly excited about the opportunities this
partnership brings for TMB going forward," says
Sigve Brekke, CEO of Telenor Group.
“Ant Financial is pleased to be in this strategic
partnership with Telenor Group. Alipay’s tech-
nologies make us uniquely placed to achieve our
mission of bringing the world equal opportuni-
ties. Today, we are very happy to share our tech-
nology knowhow with Telenor Microfinance
Bank to bring improved user experience on the
Easypaisa mobile payment platform, as well as
provide inclusive financial services in a transpar-
ent, safe, low- cost and efficient way to the un-
banked and under-banked population in
Pakistan,” said Eric Jing, CEO of Ant Financial.
Today, more than 100 million Pakistanis are
unbanked, accounting for five per cent of the
world’s unbanked population, according to the
World Bank.
This is expected to change drastically in the
years to come, especially with rising smartphone
penetration. To prepare for that, TMB needs to
build its digital competence and execution capa-
bilities to serve the needs of the users. n
 Manage your energy bill with
ECONOMY | Flare Report

Orient ecomfort technology

“ Orient is one of the fastest growing consumer goods electronics brands of Pakistan.

O
It plays its role not only as a brand of Pakistan but also as a corporate social responsible
organisation to take the country towards peace and progress. ”
rient Group of Companies is committed Online Control commands. The app responds to both English and
to transforming every household into a Online control gives user ease and convenience. Urdu languages. The user can ask the AC to give
modern and comfortable place to live in With the help of Mevris App, web interface and current and voltage updates, set the temperature
with its advanced and innovative Ecom- Facebook text messenger user can control your AC and turn it on or off.
fort technology. Orient is one of the fastest growing no matter where he/she goes. Live Updates
consumer goods electronics brands of Pakistan. It Voice Control Live updates keep the user updated about the
plays its role not only as a brand of Pakistan but also Mevris App and Google Assistant allow the units, amperes and volts being consumed with the
as a corporate social responsible organisation to take user of Ecomfort to control the AC through voice help of built-in energy meter. It helps the user have
the country towards peace a closer look at the AC’s
and progress. functioning.
Recently, Orient Geo-fencing
signed the ace Pakistani With the help of geo-
cricketer and former skip- fencing technology your
per Shahid Khan Afridi as Ecomfort AC can be
the face of its brand. The turned on or off automat-
initiative is a reflection of ically as soon as the user
Orient’s aggressive mar- enters or exits a location
keting strategy. marked by the geo-fenc-
Orient is hopeful that ing software.
the popularity and fame of This activity triggers
Shahid Afridi will en- an alert to the AC's user
hance equity for Orient as informing him/her about
brand and company. the status of the appliance.
Shahid Afridi is currently Error Alerts
appearing in Orient Whenever there is an
Ecomfort campaign. error or malfunction, the
Orient Ecomfort Air AC gives the user an alert
Conditioner is a marvel of message and sends an
innovation. Below are error code. It makes it eas-
some highlighting features ier and quicker to solve the
of Ecomfort. issue.
Bill Management Scheduling
The AC with the help There is no need to re-
of its built-in energy meter member when to turn on
gives the user important or off the AC, the user just
updates about the monthly has to make a schedule ac-
bill. It allows the user to cording to his/her budget
manage the bill to fit the and the AC will manage
needs. accordingly. n
36
Infinix launches advanced selfie
smartphone S3 in Pakistan
“ This is the first time Infinix has developed an exclusive partnership with Goto.com.pk,
which has been growing with a very fast pace in Pakistan. The unconventional and creative
I
marketing strategies have helped Goto.com.pk to gain a big fan base and facilitate online
engagement in a short period of time. ”
nfinix Pakistan recently announced the
launch of its long-awaited model S3 in ex-
clusive partnership with Goto.com.pk, which
is one of fastest growing online shopping
platforms in the country.
The model highlights a 20MP front camera for
the first time in its product line. The camera fea-
tures low light selfie enhancement and bokeh af-
fect along with 18:9 infinity display, which means
the photos taken with S3 will be very bright and
clear even in low light, and will also provide a
high-quality professional photographic look in full
view display.
Along with the HD full view experience, users
will also enjoy all of the top features in this model,
including the Qualcomm Snapdragon 430 Octa-
core Mobile Platform, latest Android 8.0 Oreo,
3GB RAM, 32GB ROM, powerful 4000 mAH bat-
tery life, face ID, dual flash, multi-window func-
tion and many more. The introductory price of
this model which will be available on Goto.com.pk
is Rs20,000, which is the most competitive price
in the market with these top features.
Infinix is well-known for providing top of the
line features and the best quality in its products
through its series of smartphones. The most im-
portant point to remember is that its phones are
accessible to daily users which eventually appeals
to masses. This is all because of the firm’s vision-
ary policy that every individual has the right to af-
ford high-quality smartphones with latest features.
Willy Cui says in the past Infinix
has done successful online part-
nerships with Daraz.pk and
Yavo.com.pk. This time Infinix
is very confident that the partner-
ship will be another milestone in
the long journey to the bright fu-
ture ahead and visions to achieve
great heights of success.
This is the first time Infinix has developed an
exclusive partnership with Goto.com.pk, which
has been growing with a very fast pace. The un-
conventional and creative marketing strategies
have helped Goto.com.pk to gain a big fan base
and facilitate online engagement in a short period
of time.
Speaking at the launch, Infinix General Man-
ager for Pakistan, Willy Cui said: “In the past, In-
finix has done successful online partnerships with
multiple e-commerce platforms like Daraz.pk and
Yavo.com.pk. This time Infinix is very confident
that the partnership will be another milestone in
the long journey to the bright future ahead and vi-
sions to achieve great heights of success.”
Infinix S3 is a perfect amalgamation of func-
tionality and aesthetics, owing to its simple and
sleek design that perfectly fits in the palms of a
user, making user’s experience absolutely com-
fortable. Infinix S3 comes with 5.7 inches full view
Flare Report | EVENT
18:9 display. The front part has 2.5D curved edges
and a fingerprint scanner on the back.
On the camera optics, Infinix S3 is equipped
with a 20-megapixel front camera with 4-in-1 low
light selfie camera mode, dual soft LED flash,
which helps in capturing perfect selfies even in low
light conditions. The front camera also comes with
a unique feature called Full View selfie mode,
which allows users to capture selfies on full view
screen. Its beauty functions let you take Bokeh
shots, where you can blur the background and
make the subject standout. Whereas the 13-
megapixel rear camera supports PDAF and F2.0
aperture with features like touch focus, HDR,
panorama and professional camera setting for en-
hancing the overall photography experience.
Infinix S3 is powered by the Qualcomm Snap-
dragon 430 Octa-core Mobile Platform with the
latest Android Oreo operating system and cus-
tomised XOS 3.0 user interface. Infinix Hot S3 has
massive 4000mAh battery that provides great bat-
tery life for two days on normal usage.
Infinix S3 will be available in 3GB+32GB of
memory. It is a dual SIM smartphone with dedi-
cated microSD card slot, which can support up to
128GB memory card. The phone will be available
in two colours – sandstone black & blush gold. n

 ECONOMY | Flare Report

38
 Lives of ride-hailing
SOCIAL | Azhar Javed

who was a retired employee of Pakistan Interna-

captains in grave peril

tional Airlines.
The incident happened near the Negan
Chowrangi which comes under the jurisdiction of
Taimuria police.
Islamabad Superintendent of Police (SP) Inves-
tigation Zubair Sheikh said that they were investi-
gating the incidents from all angles but have yet not
found any clues which would substantiate the claim
that the two attacks were targeted.
“It appeared to be a vehicle snatching incident,”
SP Sheikh said.
Asked about measures taken to protect the lives
of drivers, he said that last month, they had given a
lecture on safety to drivers of Careem’s rival ride-
hailing company, Uber. A meeting was also held
with Careem’s drivers about security issues and
safety measures.
SP Sheikh said that they had advised drivers not
to pick or drop passengers to far-flung areas, espe-
cially late at night. Moreover, he said that they had
urged captains to promptly inform the police if they
noticed any suspicious activity while driving around
the city.
“Our department is working closely with ride-
hailing services to avoid any troubles in the future,”
the SP added.
Meanwhile, Careem’s Chief Executive Mudas-
sar Sheikh, while expressing sorrow over the cap-
tains’ murder, said that they had laid to rest two of
their brothers. “A sense of insecurity prevails among
our staff,” he conceded.
“We just want protection to earn a livelihood for
our families in a secure and peaceful environment,”
he said.
Shaukat Ahmed, who drives for one of the com-
panies, noted that they had provided unemployed
people with a platform to earn a respectable living.
However, these criminal acts had caused fear
amongst their families and they were being advised
to quit the jobs.

Junaid Mustafa, a Careem cap-

“ Although, ride-hailing apps have certainly revolutionised tain, was shot dead when he
the way urban dwellers think about transport, many incidents dropped his passengers off at D-
of sexual harassment and rape and murders have occurred 12 sector in Islamabad. The tragic
across the world involving the ride-hailing cabs. Recently, an incident shook the country as the
Uber driver in Lebanon was arrested for the murder of a life of the 24-year-old was cut

T
British Embassy worker, after her body was found aban- short for petty reasons. Just weeks
doned on the highway. ” later another Careem driver, 22-
he recent incidents of murders of captains for petty reasons. It’s shocking to see how people
year-old Sajawal Ameer, was
of ride-hailing services in Islamabad and have enough guts to go out and kill someone for any gunned down in Rawalpindi.
Karachi have jolted the country, despite reason and they know that they’ll get away with it.
the fact that the private cabs have eased The law enforcement in Pakistan is so weak that it
A 50-year-old driver of the popu-
life in most metropolitan cities like Karachi, Lahore, doesn’t bother criminals to do such heinous crimes. lar ride-hailing app, Uber, was fa-
Islamabad/Rawalpindi and many others, providing Then, just weeks later another Careem driver, 22-
safe, affordable and comfortable rides to the people. year-old Sajawal Ameer, was gunned down in
tally shot in the head in Karachi’s
The citizens seem to have benefited hugely as Rawalpindi. Buffer Zone area.
these cabs have now become the daily commute of
many people. People now have options of the trans- Ehsaan, another captain, said that despite the
ports to choose from. Naming a few, Uber and Ca- killings, they were determined to work but hoped
reem are currently the most famous transport that there would be a better and more secure work-
companies that Pakistan has. In 2016, Careem and ing environment in the future. Meanwhile, Careem
Uber entered as the first private cabs companies. Public Relations Officer Sibtain Naqvi maintained
Although, ride-hailing apps have certainly revo- that his company was in “close contact with law en-
lutionised the way urban dwellers think about trans- forcement agencies and other relevant authorities to
port, many incidents of sexual harassment and rape ensure that their captains were provided with com-
and murders have occurred across the world involv- plete protection.”
ing the ride-hailing cabs. Recently, an Uber driver in He added during the recent confab with their
Lebanon was arrested for the murder of a British captains, some of the demands had been accepted
Embassy worker, after her body was found aban- while others were under consideration.
doned on the highway. However, he urged the government to install
After two murders of drivers of ride-hailing serv- more closed-circuit television cameras and lights on
ices in the twin cities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi the roads to ensure secure mobility of their drivers at
recently, which are being dubbed as ‘targeted night.
killings’. Meanwhile the cab drivers have also protested
Junaid Mustafa, a Careem captain, was shot In another incident, a 50-year-old driver of the against the killings of their colleagues, urging the
dead when he dropped his passengers off at D-12 popular ride-hailing app, Uber, has been fatally shot government to provide security to them so
sector in Islamabad. The tragic incident shook the in the head in Karachi’s Buffer Zone area. The de- that they can earn their living in a respectable and
country as the life of the 24-year-old was cut short ceased was identified as Mirza Shahnawaz Baig, peaceful way. n
40
 T Of ‘dubious’ PhD,
SOCIAL | Waleed Akhtar

he Higher Education Commission (HEC)

M Phil programmes
has banned enrollments in MPhil and
PhD programmes in 13 universities which
offer distance learning programmes for
failing to meet the basic quality standards set by the
commission.
A letter from HEC Consultant of Quality As-
surance Division Mohammad Ismail sent recently
to universities stated: “Further admissions in any of
the distance education programmes being offered by
the universities are stopped immediately till finali-
sation of recommendation by the committee.”
It further directed that students enrolled in
MS\MPhil\PhD programmes be shifted to regular
discipline of universities without any further loss of
their studies. The faculty required for their adjust-
ment be ensured as per HEC guidelines. The deci-
sion, which is likely to impact about 4,000 students,
lays bare the evident shortcoming in the academic
system at the highest level of degree programmes in
distance learning.
The HEC media section said that the current
step of stopping programmes offered through dis-
tance education directorates was taken on the basis
of noncompliance of the universities to the HEC
guidelines. “In some cases, universities have not
even got an approval of their own statutory bodies,”
said the commission’s media section.
It further states that the expert committee, which
conducted physical visits and reviewed documenta-
tion, concluded that these universities lacked ade-
quate faculty.
The list included two institutions of Islamabad –
International Islamic University and Virtual Cam-
pus of Comsats Institute of Information Technol-
ogy – and two Khyber Pakhtunkhwa varsities i.e.
University of Peshawar and Gomal University
(Dera Ismail Khan).
Five Punjab institutions also ended up on the list,
three of those from Faisalabad: Government Col-
lege University, University of Agriculture and Uni-
versity of Faisalabad. The other two were Islamia
University of Bahawalpur and Bahauddin Zakariya
University of Multan.
Three Sindh universities were also affected:
Sukkur IBA University, Shah Abdul Latif Univer-
sity (Khairpur), and University of Sindh

“ The Higher Education Commission, in a letter sent to 13

(Jamshoro).
University of Balochistan (Quetta) was the only
university that was hit by the HEC action.
universities which offer distance learning programmes in
MPhil and PhD, asked them to stop further admissions in
“Further admissions in any of the distance edu-
cation programmes being offered by these universi-

any of the distance education programmes being offered till

ties are stopped immediately till finalisation of
recommendations by the committee,” the missive
sent to the varsities further said.
“In some cases, universities have not even got
[sic] approval of their own statutory bodies,” it said,
besides accusing some varsities of violating rules
and taking advantage of “weak HEC policies about
distance learning”.
The current step of stopping pro-
finalisation of recommendation by an HEC committee.”
versities in the last few years to ensure quality and
standards of education,” an HEC official said.
The official said the commission had shutdown
many academic programmes and universities due to
a lack of required criteria, however it had to do
much more to develop the higher education sector.
is the sixth largest country of the world.
The distribution of these 14,400 PhDs in differ-
ent categories reveal many oddities, e.g. as many as
1,794 scholars come from arts and humanities
whereas only 646 PhDs have been produced in agri-
culture and veterinary sciences – despite the fact that

grammes offered through distance

education directorates is taken on
the basis of noncompliance of the
The HEC has over Rs90 billion annual budget-
ary allocation and responsibility to oversee all aca-
demic and financial affairs of over 180 public sector
universities in different parts of the country.
According to the HEC Act 2002, formulation of
more than half of Pakistan’s population is employed
in agriculture sector.
As for the rest, 3,277 scholars have been pro-
duced in biological and medical sciences, 334 in
business education, 662 engineering and technology,

universities to the HEC guidelines

as in some cases the universities
have not even got an approval of
policies, guiding principles and priorities for higher
education institutions for promotion of socio-eco-
nomic development of the country for evaluation,
improvement and promotion of higher education,
research and development was among the major
3,237 in physical sciences, 3,320 in social sciences,
and 130 in honorary.
Interestingly, even these figures are looked upon
by some educationists with suspicion and they be-
lieve that the actual number of existing PhDs in the

their own statutory bodies.

It said the universities had failed to integrate in-
formation and communications technology (ICT) in
their coursework and a lack of transparency was ev-
ident from the marking of attendance of students.
The commission has directed the universities to
shift the students already enrolled in the affected
programmes to other disciplines in order to prevent
any losses to their studies.
“The HEC has tightened its grip over the uni-
42
functions of the commission.
However, the HEC senior management on many
occasions has confessed that even today there is a
huge shortage of PhD scholars in the country.
HEC Chairperson Dr Mukhtar Ahmed is re-
ported as saying that there is a shortage of 38,000
PhDs in the country.
According to the official information provided
by HEC media wing, it has been observed that since
1947 the HEC has produced a total of 14,400 PhDs.
Not only the number is dismal, giving the fact
that Pakistan with a population of over 200 million
country is too less than the provided figures.
Interestingly, according to a report, the commis-
sion doesn’t even have record of employment status
of its own funded indigenous and foreign scholar-
ships for PhD interns.
The education system of Pakistan is becoming
worse day by day. Cheating has become an impor-
tant part of our education, condoned and allowed,
and teachers, parents and students are all involved
in this. Parents who can afford to buy good grades
for their children do so and feel no shame! Is this
how we want our future generations to flourish? n
 US embassy sponsors
INSIGHT | Flare Report
entrepreneurship boot camp
“ As the US and Pakistan celebrate 70 years of friendship, it is the people to people ties and the
entrepreneurship that Americans and Pakistanis share as exemplified by the 30 young leaders in
T
the boot camp, which will help strengthen and transform our bilateral relations for years to come,
says Arlissa Reynolds, American Embassy’s Country Cultural Affairs Attaché.”
eamup, in collaboration with the US Em-
bassy and the Pakistan US Alumni Net-
work (PUAN), successfully concluded a
five-day entrepreneurship boot camp at
the National Incubation Centre, which is a public-
private partnership of the Ministry of IT and Tele-
com, the National ICT R&D Fund, Jazz, and
Teamup. The entrepreneurship boot camp was de-
signed specifically for young individuals who are
prepared to validate the feasibility of their business
concept and build on their business models.
The boot camp kicked off with opening remarks
from Parvez Abbasi, Project Director, National In-
cubation Centre, Thomas Montgomery, Public
Diplomacy Officer, American Embassy, and Saad
Sohail, Manager – Digital Platforms and Entrepre-
neurship, Jazz.
The five-day entrepreneurship boot camp in-
cluded teaching and mentoring sessions on the
startup ecosystem in Pakistan. Trainers taught par-
ticipants about the basics of running a business i.e.
market sizing, revenue models, business model de-
velopment, lean startup methodology, customer ac-
quisition, negotiation, and more.
44
The participants also learned about the Jazz Xlr8
programme at the NIC, and the pivotal role Jazz is
playing in laying down a sustainable technology
ecosystem in Pakistan. Furthermore, the partici-
pants experienced fireside chat sessions with NIC
startups; Anzen, Mapalytics, Mauqa Online and
Auto X.
The participants also learned
about the Jazz Xlr8 programme
at the NIC, and the pivotal role
Jazz is playing in laying down a
sustainable technology ecosystem
in Pakistan.
The participants also got hands-on experience
testing and pitching their ideas during intense men-
torship sessions, interacting with multiple early-stage
investors. Expressing her views on the occasion,
Arlissa Reynolds, American Embassy’s Country
Cultural Affairs Attaché, said: The US Embassy is
proud to have partnered with the NIC, Teamup, and
PUAN to sponsor this wonderful boot camp. As the
US and Pakistan celebrate 70 years of friendship, it
is the people to people ties and the entrepreneurship
that Americans and Pakistanis share as exemplified
by the 30 young leaders in the boot camp, which will
help strengthen and transform our bilateral relations
for years to come.
“It’s really exciting to see, how the boot camp
brought a diverse bunch of young individuals here at
the NIC,” remarked Parvez Abbasi, Project Direc-
tor, NIC. “What was impressive is the support that
the PUAN has provided for many different entre-
preneurial endeavours”.
He added: “It’s exciting to think of the impact
the boot camp will have on the young entrepreneurs,
and we really look forward to our collaborative ef-
forts and agreement we have entered with PUAN to
further strengthen the entrepreneurial ecosystem in
Pakistan.
The boot camp concluded with ending keynotes
from Yusuf Hussain, CEO, Ignite, Parvez Abbasi,
Project Director NIC, Arlissa Reynolds, Country
Cultural Affairs Attaché, the US Embassy, followed
by a certificates distribution ceremony. n
 EVENT | Flare Report
I
n continuous efforts to serve the economic de-
velopment of Pakistan and building new plat-
forms for the budding youth, Momentum
recently organised a two-day grand affair at the
Expo Centre, Karachi, in a bid to bridge the gap be-
tween ideas and investment.
The event was graced by 300 startups from all
over Pakistan who showcased their innovative ideas
and strategies. Around 50 practicing professionals
and entrepreneurs conducted interactive workshops
and seminars on successful startups and survival as
an entrepreneur in the modern market.
Furthermore the participating startups availed
the exclusive chance of pitching their proposals to
around 25 investors and multiple representatives
from no less than 25 incubators and accelerators
during the meet and greet sessions.
Asif Jafri, Founding Member of Momentum
46
said: “Pakistan is becoming a key international
player in the IT industry. Momentum has proudly
achieved its landmark of holding the grandest
startup conference by gathering remarkable brains
under one roof. We have ignited the flare and now
the youth is responsible to hold the torch high.”
On the occasion, Humayun Sahab, the jury
member, stated: “In the age of digitalisation, it is in-
spirational to see that Pakistan is head to head in the
race. Due to the catalytic role of Momentum, we
have witnessed marvelous startups and business
ideas today and hope that they sustain themselves
in the days to come.”
Anum Shakeel, project lead of Momentum,
said: “Momentum provides a safe networking and
learning environment for women at all stages of
their careers. We are hopeful to bring on more
women speakers and startups in Momentum19. In
near future you will see more women experts and
gurus in IT sector. InshaAllah.”
In the concluding session of the conference the
three startups which presented the most innovative
and exclusive ideas were rewarded with foreign-
based scholarships, along with a grand opportunity
to engage with the investors from the global mar-
ket.
Pak Vitae claimed the first position, while Maro
Tandoor bagged the runner up and Modulus Tech
was rewarded the third position.
Representative of Pak Vitae stated on winning
the award, “Momentum is one such platform that
gave us confidence to test ourselves. There are
thousands of students and young minds whose
voices and ideas go unheard. We hope that the gov-
ernment and tech giants create more opportunities
for the striving youth of the country.” n
 SOCIAL | Flare Report
W
hat cause do the morning
shows serve or promote? Are
they promoting our culture, or
simply contributing to its
decay. These shows have had a negative im-
pact on the minds of their audience.
Housewives prefer to spend most of their
time watching these morning shows which di-
rects their thoughts only on the host’s dress-
ing, makeup, hair colour and jewellery.
Most importantly, the guests on these
shows are also only displaying their boutique
dresses and speak in pseudo English. By doing
this they are impressing upon and catching the
eye of lower middle-class females and, creat-
ing family issues.
But sadly, slowly and gradually, our culture
is vanishing because of excessive information
48
about fashion beauty, cosmetics and designers
dress.
The issue of marital conflicts is a huge
focus of these shows. Every other day they in-
vite a woman who is tired of bearing the bru-
tal behaviour of her husband and she lets
everyone know her story.
What is the benefit of all this? Absolutely
nothing; these issues not only brainwash the
audience but they also create a feeling of de-
pression among them.
Pakistani morning shows must be focusing
on the talent of the youth, compatibility of the
couples, ways to lead a better life, tips to re-
main active and confident. These shows must
act as a grooming tool for the audience. They
should provide platforms to the girls who
want to start a career. n
 T ‘Dar’s wrong policies
ECONOMY | Flare Report

unraveling’
he wrong economic policies of former fi-
nance minister Ishaq Dar resulted in
weakening of the macroeconomic situa-
tion, including a widening of external and
fiscal imbalances and decline in foreign exchange re-
serves. The economic wizard of present govern-
ment, Ishaq Dar, failed to bring reforms in the
central bank, power sector, public sector entities,
Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) and reducing the
cost of doing business, reveal eminent economists
and financial wizards of main opposition parties.
They said that Dar had himself handled all the eco-
nomic ministries and divisions and never considered
the recommendations of the fellow ministers and
civil servants. They also accused former finance
minister of data manipulation to present the rosy
picture of the economy. Similarly, they warned that
new government would approach International
Monetary Fund for bailout package after the general
elections.
The experts said that economic situation has
reached at a point where the PML-N government
took the charge in June 2013. They said the budget
deficit would reach over 6 per cent of the GDP dur-
ing current fiscal year. Circular debt has already
surged to Rs500 billion, current account deficit is ex-
pected to widen to $15.7 billion (4.8 per cent of
GDP) during current fiscal year and reserves held
by central bank have reduced to $12 billion. How-
ever, the government would take the GDP growth
to 5.6 per cent, higher in last one decade. Similarly,
the tax collection of FBR would reach Rs4 trillion
from Rs1.9 trillion of the year 2013 and inflation
rate will be restricted at below 4 per cent. They are
of the view that the government had changed the
definitions of foreign borrowing and budget deficit
to present these figures at lower side.
“The current economic situation where twin
deficits are ballooning, rupee is sharply depreciat-
ing, circular debt is increasing and losses of public
sector entities are continuously enhancing are due
to the economic policies of former finance minis-
ter,” said Dr Ashfaq Hasan Khan, the former eco-
nomic adviser. He accused that Dar had
manipulated the economic data to present the rosy
picture of economy, as he stopped the tax refunds
of the exporters to show healthy growth in tax col-
lection.

Total debt and liabilities in June
2013 were Rs16.338 trillion which
increased by Rs10.476 trillion
during the last 4.5 years and
reached record Rs26.814 trillion
in December 2017, a PPP leader
said, adding total external debt in
June 2013 was $60.899 billion,
which increased by more than
$25 billion during last 4.5 years
and reached $88.891 billion in
December 2017.
Mr Khan said that former finance minister was
against rupee depreciation at the time when all the
international financial institutions and independent
economists were in favour of rupee devaluation.
“Soon after his medical leave, the PML-N govern-
ment had allowed the rupee depreciation twice in
last three to four months, taking a dollar to Rs116
from Rs105,” he maintained. He also said Dar
eroded the export competitiveness, which resulted
in massive decline in exports during last four and a
half years.
Another leading economic expert, Dr Qaiser
Bengali, also blamed the economic policies of the
PML-N government made by Ishaq Dar for the cur-
rent weakening of the macroeconomic situation. “It
was the collective policy of the government, which
resulted in current economic situation. The incum-
50
“ The economic wizard of present government, Ishaq Dar,
failed to bring reforms in the central bank, power sector,
public sector entities, Federal Board of Revenue and reduc-
ing the cost of doing business, according to economic and
financial experts of opposition parties. ”
bent government had focused only on producing
electricity from Punjab and it never gave attention
to other economic problems,” he said.
The economic policies of PML-N were to in-
crease tax revenue by increasing taxes on the exist-
ing taxpayers and to maintain the foreign exchange
reserves by borrowing from external sources. “Bor-
rowing is appropriate when you are making assets
of the country. However, the incumbent government
had borrowed to increase its reserves,” Bengali said.
He further said that government had intervened in
the market to stop rupee depreciation when Ishaq
Dar held the charge of finance ministry. However, it
had not privatised the loss-making public sector en-
tities. Similarly, the largest opposition party in par-
liament, Pakistan Peoples Party, has also said ruling
PML-N’s ‘Ishaq Dar economy’ has been exposed.
“The PPP is concerned at the total economic mis-
management of the PML-N government charac-
terised by fake and fudged numbers, an exchange
rate artificially showing a stronger rupee, artificially
built reserves, all of which are now unravelling as
former finance minister Ishaq Dar is in hiding and
hiding also his crimes of omission and commis-
sion,” PPP leader Nafisa Shah, who is also member
of the National Assembly Standing Committee on
Finance and Revenue, said.
Total debt and liabilities in June 2013 were
Rs16.338 trillion which increased by Rs10.476 tril-
lion during the last 4.5 years and reached record
Rs26.814 trillion in December 2017, she said and
added that total external debt in June 2013 was
$60.899 billion, which increased by more than $25
billion during last 4.5 years and reached $88.891 bil-
lion in December 2017.
Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf chairman Imran Khan
also recently criticised the economic performance of
the incumbent government. The PTI held Nawaz
Sharif and Ishaq Dar responsible for the poor eco-
nomic situation in the country. Pakistan’s exports
had declined from 24 billion dollars to 21 billion dol-
lars with a record trade deficit of 33 billion dollars.
Circular debt had increased up to Rs500 billion,
which was around Rs480 billion in the tenure of pre-
vious PPP government.
On the other hand, the government believes that
Pakistan’s economy is in good shape. “The GDP
growth is expected to grow to a 10-year high of six
per cent this year,” said an official of the ministry of
finance. He added that government had successfully
restricted the inflation rate at below 4 per cent during
its tenure. The government had doubled the revenue
collection from Rs1.9 trillion to Rs4 trillion, which is
major achievement, the official remarked. n
 NATIONAL MOSAIC | Flare Report

Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi offers pray after inaugurating CCV Cable Manufacturing Facilities Minister of State for Information Technology and Telecom, Anusha Rahman addresses the seminar on
of Fast Cables in Lahore. "Tackling Cybercrime in the Telecommunications Sector in Pakistan".

FDavid Escarda (Director People & Culture) and Muneeza Kazi (Senior Counsel) Philip Morris Pak-
Naeem Y. Zamindar, Minister of State and Chairman Board of Investment Pakistan gives interview istan (PMPKL) along with other officials pose for a photograph after receiving 3rd Employers' Fed-
to Laurence Defranoux, Grand Reporter of Liberation a top Newspaper of France in Paris. eration of Pakistan (EFP) Awards 2018.

Muhammad Aftab receives certificate & shield from Chief Engineer/Principal Wapda Engeering Acad-
emy Faisalabad after completion training upper technical subordinate staff to Junior Engineer Course. Winners of 2018 Jazz Golf Tournament played in Lahore

Shahid Hussain, Managing Director & CEO of AI-Ghazi Tractors Ltd receiving 33rd Corporate Excellence Peyman Kargar Senior Vice President and Regional Chairman of Nisan Motor and Ahmed Kuli Khan
award announced by Management Association of Pakistan. Khattak CEO GNL sing ceremony at local hotel in Karachi

Nasir Mirza SVP RCCI, Khurshid Barlas Chairman Regional Trade Committee RCCI, Fahad Barlas Di- Secretary Commerce Muhammad Younis inaugurates Textile Asia Expo 2018 at Expo Center in
rector International Trade visited Belgium Embassy and had meeting with Trade Commissioner. Karachi

52
 NATIONAL NEWS

Jazz wins at Global Diversity & Inclusion

Benchmarks Conference 2018
Islamabad: Jazz, country’s
number one digital company,
was awarded the Diversity &
Inclusion Award at this year’s
Global Diversity & Inclusion
Benchmarks Conference
(GDIC). The award was in
recognition of the Telco’s con-
tribution to uplifting education
for females under its ‘Jazz
Smart School’ (JSS) program.
Syed Ali Naseer, Chief
C&RA – Jazz described this
award as a testament to Jazz’s
sustainability initiatives under
VEON’s ‘Make Your Mark’
programme of empowering
youth through technology.
Speaking about the JSS pro-
gram, he added, “The Jazz
Smart School program has
been designed to increase stu-
dent learning outcomes and
improve teaching methodology
by a smart learning solution de-
ployed through a digital online
blended learning platform
across 75 female public sector
schools. The pilot two year pro-
gram began in October 2017
and is impacting 15000+ fe-
male students and 500+ female
teachers/principals.”
JSS program is a Sustain-
able initiative under the Jazz
Foundation in collaboration
with Knowledge Platform (a
Singapore based organization),
the Federal Directorate of Ed-
ucation and the Capital Ad-
ministration & Development
Division (CA&DD). It is
aligned with the United Na-
tions Sustainable Development
Goals 2030 and Pakistan’s Vi-
sion 2025 under the ‘Prime
Minister’s Education Reform
Program’.
The Jazz Foundation em-
bodies Jazz’s core values in en-
suring all sustainability
initiatives are a practical dis-
play of ‘innovation, truthful-
ness, collaboration, customer
obsession and entrepreneur-
ship.’n

Telenor Pakistan recognized for its initiatives for fostering

workplace diversity and inclusion
Karachi: Telenor Pak- itself in being the frontrun-
istan – one of the leading ner for fostering an inclusive
telecom and digital services and enabling culture that fa-
provider has been recognized cilitates effective participa-
at the Diversity and Inclu- tion of women and persons
sion Conference 2018, held with disabilities in the coun-
by Center for Global Inclu- try’s socio – economic devel-
sion in Karachi for setting opment.
excellent benchmarks in de- Telenor effectively lever-
veloping and implementing ages the power of diversity to
diversity and inclusion prac- optimize its functions and
tices in its work culture. improve its productivity. Te-
Telenor Pakistan received lenor, not only intends to fur-
the ‘Best Practice Award’ in ther its ambitions of
the category ‘Flexibility, inclusion within the com-
Work life Integration and pany, but also aspires for
Benefits’ at the conference. gender diversity across busi-
CEO Telenor Pakistan, Irfan nesses. The company has de-
Wahab Khan received the veloped an extremely
award from Ms. Roshan inclusive workplace culture
Khursheed, Chairperson that is worth following for
Poverty Alleviation Fund the rest of the industry.
(PEI) and Acting Chairper- Telenor Pakistan has in-
son National Commission troduced a number of initia-
for Human Development. tives including ‘Naya
Telenor Pakistan prides Aghaaz’, to foster gender
parity at workplace. The ini-
tiatives contribute towards
helping women undertake
their jobs with maximum
ease and convenience. The
company was the first to in-
troduce flexible working
hours for women, besides
providing basic amenities
like daycare services, driving
classes and paid maternity
leaves to further facilitate
women so that they can
maintain a prefect work – life
balance.
Telenor Pakistan’s efforts
for building and promoting a
diverse and inclusive work
culture have been recognized
earlier as well. The telco was
declared the ‘Most Preferred
Employer’ by Rozee.pk and
the ‘Best Place to Work’ by
Pakistan Society of Human
Resources Management
(PSHRM).n

Zong 4G’s recycling initiatives help the underprivileged

Islamabad: Zong 4G’s New Hope volunteers
conducted an activity based on electronic waste
management by sharing their knowledge on recy-
cling and utilizing their skills to contribute to the
environmental sustainability along with the stu-
dents of an underprivileged school in Islamabad.
In 2017, Zong 4G had setup a 4G internet lab
for these children at their school, connecting
them to the virtual world for the first time. Thriv-
ing to enhance the skills, the volunteers have
been delivering Internet awareness sessions to
these children in a renovated and more modern
environment.
Owning the cause, this year students were in-
54
troduced to many vocational skills and qualities
by the volunteers to explore the importance of
reuse and recycling as well as to stimulate their
sensitivity towards environmental sustainability.
Building their capacities, the volunteers empowered
the children with the skillset to recycle the electronic
waste consisting of key boards and mouse to create
innovative and sustainable products. To maximize
the impact, Zong 4G provided the reusable electronic
devices to promote science and technological devel-
opment which has adhered to enrich the learning for
underprivileged children beyond the classroom.
Embarking on its strong commitment towards so-
cial responsibility, Zong 4G aims to inspire and edu-
cate the leaders of tomorrow to create a
sustainable future with sustainable environment.n

Meizu appoints Green Tech as its
official distributor in Pakistan
Lahore: Formed in No-
vember 2012, Greentech is
among top leading mobile dis-
tributor in Pakistan. With a
mission of delivering high
quality products to the end
user, Greentech has initiated,
developed and managed a
comprehensive system of dis-
tribution. Global mobile
Phone giant; Meizu Pakistan,
has signed Greentech to be-
come its sole distributer in
Pakistan.
Chinese brand Meizu Tech-
nology one of the fastest-grow-
ing Chinese smartphones is
showing strong footprint after
in Europe, Russia, Middle East
and other regions, Pakistan is
its next key market. With Pak-
istan emerging as the largest
smartphones market in the
world, Meizu’s Pakistan entry
re-energizes the sector and sets
a benchmark for smartphone
design and performance.
Speaking on the occasion,
Fraz M Khan Country Head,
Pakistan said: “Meizu, is an
PTCL organizes an eco-friendly hike at Trail 5
Islamabad: Pakistan
Telecommunications Com-
pany Ltd. (PTCL) organized a
day-long hiking trip ‘Trail 5-
Eco Hike’ for its employees.
This initiative was taken to
combine physical activity,
team building and helping the
environment by picking trash
along the way on the hiking
track for eco-friendly Margal-
las. This activity was aimed at
promoting PTCL’s One Fam-
ily culture and its initiatives to
take care of their health.
A large number of em-
ployees belonging to all age
brackets, including women,
participated with enthusi-
asm and zeal in the activity.
international brand and one of
the largest mobile supplier
across the globe. We are super
excited to start the operations in
Pakistan. We see Pakistan as a
high growth market and with
3G and 4G penetration our aim
would be to connect the Pak-
istani’s with the best in class in-
novative mobile devices at
affordable prices.”
Speaking on the occasion
management Green Tech
stated: “Meizu as a fastest-
growing brand in the telecom-
munications industry. We are
pleased to officially introduce to
While hiking is a popular
activity in Islamabad, it also
creates a lot of trash and
garbage on the hiking trails
and the surrounding moun-
tains, which is detrimental to
the serene environment. Such
activities create awareness and
our customers their latest inno-
vative smartphones with afford-
able pricing options.” He further
stated “For the last 10 years we
have been serving our cus-
tomers in Pakistan with our dis-
tribution network and customer
care network. Customer satis-
faction and facilitation is our top
priority and this partnership has
been established with the aim of
improving customer services.”
Meizu’s smartphones res-
onate with the millennials,
thereby catering to a personal
and authentic approach. The
company delivers customized
behaviour change to keep our
surroundings clean and envi-
ronment-friendly.
Muhammad Wajid, EVP,
Admin, PTCL said: “PTCL
gives priority to the health and
well-being of its employees.
Clean and healthy environ-
user experiences with innova-
tive, high-performance mobile
devices that allow consumers
to explore and magnify the joy
in their daily lives as a result
of the devices’ feature-rich ca-
pabilities.
Green Tech is already offi-
cial distributor of other brands
in Pakistan and it has a great
track record of distribution
and after sales services of
other brands of Mobile hand-
sets in Pakistan. Green Tech
has expanded its portfolio by
adding Meizu smartphones
under its umbrella.
Meizu is the rising global
mobile phone company and in
2015 the global giant Alibaba
invested 590 million US dollars
in Meizu. Since then, Meizu
has experienced accelerated
growth thanks to the backing
of Alibaba. This milestone
partnership signifies a great
achievement for Meizu Pak-
istan and the organization is
eagerly looking forward to the
success of this partnership. n
ment positively impacts our
everyday lives immensely.
Today’s activity is an effort to
contribute to making our city
Islamabad more beautiful and
our employees healthier with
their active participation for
the cause.”
People belonging to all
socio-economic classes, gen-
ders and ages enjoy hiking be-
cause it represents a healthy
lifestyle. It was encouraging
that gender balance for this
activity was maintained re-
flecting that female employ-
ees of PTCL are also very
active, aware and wholeheart-
edly committed to this
cause.n
NATIONAL NEWS
EcoStar appoints
Fahad Mustafa as
Brand Ambassador
Lahore: EcoStar is a world
renowned brand of consumer
electronics that reflects techno-
logical excellence. It is the
leading producer of a wide
range of LED televisions with
world-class quality and cut-
ting-edge features. In Pakistan,
DWP Group is the official dis-
tributor of EcoStar that en-
sures nationwide availability
of its products, along with
prompt after-sales support,
through an extensive network
of outlets. In 2018 EcoStar
continues with its phenomenal
success from last year, EcoStar
has appointed Fahad Mustafa
as their brand ambassador who
will be endorsing EcoStars
spectacular lineup of LED
TV’s which include 4K, UHD,
Sound Pro series and the ever
popular Smart Led TVs. With
its wide range of aesthetically
designed LED TVs which are
known for their outstanding
picture and the ability to blend
seamlessly into your living
room walls. n
Zaitoon signs MoU
with Fri-Chicks
Lahore: Zaitoon, leading
real estate developer, has signed
a memorandum of understand-
ing with Fri-Chicks, a rapidly
growing fast-food chain.
Through this new partnership,
the fast food chain will open a
company-operated outlet at Za-
itoon New Lahore City (NLC),
the flagship housing project of
Zaitoon.
This venture will enable res-
idents of NLC to enjoy the serv-
ices of Fri-Chicks at a
subsidized rate. The MoU was
signed by Ayaz Anwar, CEO
Zaitoon, & SH Mehdi, CEO
Fri-Chicks, in the presence of
senior management from both
organizations.n
55
 NATIONAL NEWS
Samsung creates new possibilities for avid cricket fans
Lahore: Samsung Elec-
tronics - the global technology
leader recently visited different
localities of Pakistan and pro-
vided street cricketers with
new cricketing gear. Cricket
kits, training grounds, and
scoreboards come at a price
that most people might not be
comfortable paying for so they
can be seen using wickets
made of stacked bricks and
playing without proper bats in-
stead.
Pakistan is a cricket loving
nation. It is a powerful social
force, and its importance is be-
yond doubt and speculation. It
Emirates named ‘Airline of
the Year’
Lahore: Emirates Airline has
been named ‘Airline of the Year’
at the 2018 Air Transport
Awards. Emirates won the pres-
tigious accolade based the evalu-
ation from a jury comprised of
executives and experts from dif-
ferent sectors within the aviation
industry. Thierry Antinori, Exec-
utive Vice President and Chief
Commercial Officer for Emirates
Uber launches the affordable uberMOTO starting from Lahore
Lahore: Uber, the global
smartphone app that seam-
lessly connects riders to driv-
ers, announces the launch of
uberMOTO in Pakistan,
which will be starting from
Lahore. uberMOTO will give
access to thousands of people
to quick, convenient and af-
fordable transport, at a push
of a button through the Uber
56
is greatly played and loved re-
gardless of demographic and
psychographic boundaries in
received the award on behalf of
the airline. Commenting on the
win, Mr Antinori said: “We are
honoured to be recognised by the
Air Transport Awards for our
commitment to excellence. We
have a strong customer-centric
focus across the airline to deliver
the best possible experience both
in the air and on the ground by
continually investing in a modern
fleet, product innovations and
service enhancements. We are
also embracing technology
across our operations to meet
and exceed evolving consumer
preferences. This award is a testa-
ment to the hard work and efforts
of staff across the airline that
make a difference everyday by
taking care of our customers and
keeping our service levels high.”n
app, that will help them move
the country.
Samsung believes in trans-
forming communities and cre-
LUMS signs MoU with NHMC
Lahore: Lahore University
of Management Sciences
(LUMS) signed an MOU with
National Hospital and Med-
ical Centre (NHMC) to de-
velop and operate a “Health
and Wellness Centre” on the
University’s premises for the
provision of emergency med-
ical services to all members of
the LUMS community.
The agreement was signed
around the city.
As safety is a priority for
Uber, a Safety Town Hall was
held for the uberMOTO driv-
ers, where the Uber team pre-
sented the Safety features
available in the app for the
drivers, as well as a series of
tips and recommendations,
like wearing helmets and en-
couraging riders to do the
ating a better life for people
with healthy activities.
Samsung enhanced the ex-
perience for under privileged
kids who never had a chance
to buy cricket kits including
bats and balls. They surprised
the kids by visiting their fa-
vorite ground, distributing
kits, setting up the arena &
sharing the experience of
cricket passion.
Samsung Electronics has
always been at the forefront of
social-development. Some of
its past notable initiatives have
included; donation of two hi-
tech echocardiography ma-
by LUMS Vice Chancellor,
Prof. Dr. S. Sohail H. Naqvi
on behalf of LUMS and by Lt.
Col. Dr. Usman Jilani on be-
half of NHMC. The ceremony
was attended by Yasser
Hashmi, Dean Students Af-
fairs LUMS, Muhammad
Amer Khan Durrani, Director
General Administration and
Services LUMS, Asif Iqbal,
Head of Human Resources,
same. Uber is also distribut-
ing helmets for it’suber-
MOTO riders.
Safee Shah, the General
Manager of Uber in Pak-
istan, said: “Motorbikes are a
fundamental part of Pak-
istan’s transportation net-
work and as such this is a
great opportunity to launch
uberMOTO, which will pro-
chines and one ultrasound
color doppler machine to
the Jinnah Hospital
Karachi. Samsung also do-
nated well-equipped solar
powered mobile-health
units to Al-Khidmat Foun-
dation providing free of
cost healthcare to thou-
sands of patients across
Pakistan. As a result, the
company has received nu-
merous prestigious awards
in the categories of Public-
Health & Safety, Commu-
nity Development &
Services Technology' and
Innovation.n
LUMS, Muhammad Iqbal,
Senior Manager Procurement,
LUMS, Hiba Iqbal Zakai,
Manager Campus Climate
Unit, Office of the Dean Stu-
dent Affairs, LUMS, Dr.
Shahida Khawaja, CEO
NHMC and Faisal Mobeen
Butt, National Hospital.
Under this agreement,
NHMC will be offering a state
of the art medical care facility
to LUMS Community and
will also ensure the operations
and management of the Cen-
tre since the University does
not possess the requisite ex-
pertise. The centre will cater to
all first aid medical situations
on campus, while those that
require further treatment or di-
agnosis will be referred to
NHMC.n
vide more mobility options
catered to the needs of
people in Pakistan. uber-
MOTO continues to sup-
port our commitment to
provide affordable safe and
reliable means of trans-
portation while also creat-
ing additional job
opportunities in Pak-
istan.” n

Vivo unveils all-new ‘V9’ AI-powered
FullView™ display smartphone in Pakistan
Lahore: Vivo celebrated
the launch of its all-new V9
smartphone at Pearl Conti-
nental Hotel Lahore recently;
featuring a FullViewTM Dis-
play and 90% screen-to-body
ratio that delivers AI-powered
perfect shots.
More than a 1000 people
from different walks of life, in-
cluding Vivo’s valuable part-
ners, esteemed media, social
media influencers and key
people from fashion industry
attended this event.
The star of the night, V9 is
designed to be an ultimate
sleek and stylish smartphone
that can always take the “per-
fect shot” and provide the
“perfect view” through the
power of AI.
Creating the Perfect Shot
with AI Photography
Vivo’s V9 uses advanced
machine learning to provide a
unique AI-powered mobile ex-
perience that enhances multi-
ple features such as AI Face
Beauty, AI Smart Engine and
AI Selfie Lighting.
The AI Face Beauty uses a
Samsung, WAK establish Brand
Shop at Packages Mall
Lahore: Samsung & WAK
Group with its Waktech Pvt.
Ltd., which is Samsung’s offi-
cial business partner for con-
sumer electronics in Pakistan
have recently launched the
most premium brand shop in
Packages Mall, Lahore. The
first-of-its-kind store has been
enriched with sophisticated
equipment, to set higher
bench-marks of service-qual-
ity, to fulfill the changing
needs of consumers. A special
inauguration ceremony was
held to launch the pioneering
facility, where you can live the
Samsung experience and pur-
chase the official product
range. The range covers mo-
bile phones, television, refrig-
erator, washing machine & air
conditioner. The ceremony
was attended by a number of
celebrities including Shaan,
Sajal Ali, Ahad Raza Mir and
many A-list Lahore socialites.
This initiative reflects
Samsung’s adherence to the
global standards and best
practices for reaching new
heights of excellence and effi-
comprehensive database of al-
most one million facial im-
ages, allowing it to detect the
age, gender, skin texture and
skin tone of the subject as well
as the lighting environment.
It can then apply enhance-
ments in line with the prefer-
ences of local users. Other AI
photography features include
the new AI Selfie Lighting,
that uses a new algorithm to
transform the original 2D
photo into a 3D model and
then processes the light au-
thentically and artistically,
helping users create their own
masterpieces.
cient operations, to expand its
market share, while proac-
tively serving the existing cus-
tomer-base. This year
Samsung and Waktech will
start local assembly of Sam-
sung’s world famous televi-
sions, air conditioners and
home appliances in its state-
of-the-art factory at Sundar In-
dustrial Estate, Lahore. Due
to their unique position of
supplying Samsung products
to electronic dealers through-
out the country, Waktech has
additionally opened its first
Samsung flagship store in
Packages Mall, Lahore. This
beautifully designed retail con-
cept will provide visitors with
an unparalleled shopping ex-
perience of the best electronic
consumer products. This one-
stop solution promises to de-
liver on Samsung’s legacy as
the world’s largest electronics
brand and award-winning in-
novator in consumer electron-
ics, telecommunications and
home appliances which will en-
hance the level of satisfaction
among its consumers. n
AI-Optimized Mobile Ex-
perience
Beyond photography, the
V9’s AI also ensures the best
performance by optimizing
and supporting the phone’s
operations with the AI Smart
Engine which prioritizes sys-
tem resources according to
user habits.
Vivo has improved on the
previous generation’s facial
unlocking technology with AI
Face Access, which detects
the reflection of natural skin
and the subtle movements of
the face to further reduce the
possibility of unlocking when
JazzCash and FWO move to-
wards digitized toll fee payments
Islamabad: Further ex-
panding itself in the domain
of digital payments, JazzCash
has entered into an agreement
with Frontier Works Organi-
zation (FWO), whereby it will
be digitizing M-Tag recharge.
Users can now pay their toll
fees on the motorway through
JazzCash.
Currently more than a
hundred thousand people
travel daily on M2 and those
using the M-Tag facility have
to wait in long queues for cash
deposits. As a result of this
partnership, customers will
not only be able to top up
their M-Tag accounts through
FWO’s mobile app ‘Smart
Motorways’ and the official
website, but also through their
JazzCash mobile accounts
and through the extensive Jaz-
zCash retailer network na-
tionwide. Moreover, a technology commands of the
JazzCash Payment gateway
will also be implemented on
the official app and the web-
site.
Speaking on the occasion,
shown photos or videos in-
stead of a person’s real face.
Furthermore, V9’s AI At-
tention Sensing also recog-
nizes when you’re looking at
the phones to keep disruptions
to a minimum by automati-
cally reducing the volume of
message alerts, incoming calls
and alarms.
“V9 represents our under-
standing of consumer’s need
for their mobile camera to au-
tomatically create the ‘perfect
shot’ in any scenario. We are
excited to introduce the V9’s
AI power to young consumers
in Pakistan”, said Eric Kong,
CEO of Vivo Pakistan. “With
AI playing a key role, we are
confident that we can inspire
and empower more con-
sumers globally to express
themselves by making the
‘perfect shot’ easier than ever
to take, while the Ful-
lViewTM display provides
consumers with the ‘perfect
view’ to experience their pho-
tographic moments of self-
expression,” he further
added.n
Aniqa Afzal Sandhu, Chief
MFS & Digital Officer, Mo-
bile Financial Services – Jazz,
said, “Digital payment is the
simplest, safest, and most
convenient way to make regu-
lar or recurring payments;
hence the reason being that
it’s used for transactions like
toll tax and utility bills. As a
leading digital company, our
customer’s financial needs
take top priority and we con-
tinue to strive hard in provid-
ing them with the best
services.”
The partnership will be
pilot tested at the M2 (ISB-
LHR) Motorway and will
soon be available for travelers
using the M1 and M3.
The Frontier Works Or-
ganization is a military engi-
neering organization, and
one of the major science and
Pakistan Army. It builds civil
and military infrastructure for
the Government of Pakistan
and the Pakistan Armed
Forces.n
NATIONAL NEWS
PSO partners with
LXY Global
Lahore: Pakistan’s premier
oil marketing company, Pak-
istan State Oil (PSO) partnered
with LXY Global for organis-
ing Retail Leaders Conference
(RLC) 2018 (7th Edition).
The conference was held at
a local hotel from March 28 to
29. Other prominent partners
for the conference included
RLI (Global Partner), Tang,
MasterCard, Dolmen Mall,
Keenu and Golootlo. RLC was
an innovative platform to dis-
cuss the latest global trends in
retail marketing, ever-changing
customer expectations, and the
role of technology in retail
transformation. n
EcoStar introduces
high-end 75’’ 4K
UHD LED TV
Karachi: EcoStar LED and
smart televisions has recently
launched its 75’’ 4K UHD
LED.
EcoStar LED ‘Value-for-
Money’ as the 75’’ art piece is
just worth Rs. 259,000/-.
Whereas, EcoStar is also pro-
viding free QWERTY air
mouse with LED so buyer can
save up to Rs. 7,000/-. EcoStar
also offers an exclusive deal of
Free Sound Bar for customer
getting new 75’’ LED from
EcoStar. 75UD921 is an ulti-
mate zone of pure entertain-
ment with smart android and
there is no border line between
live TV, videogames and social
networking. Now enjoy your
web browsing, Facebook, Skype
calling, YouTube and many
other applications on your TV. n
Gree appoints
Waseem, Shaniera as
Brand Ambassador
Lahore: Gree is an interna-
tional and renowned brand of
consumer electronics that reflects
technological excellence. It is the
leading producer of a wide range
of air conditioners and other
home appliances with world-
class quality and cutting-edge
features. In 2018 Gree Pakistan
continues with its phenomenal
success from last few decades,
Gree has appointed Waseem
Akram & Shaniera Akram as
their brand ambassador who will
be endorsing Gree's spectacular
lineup of Air conditioners, refrig-
erators and water dispensers.
With its wide range of aesthet-
ically designed air conditioners
which are known for their out-
standing cooling efficiency and
the convenience of use. One dis-
tinguishing feature that stands out
about these products is "energy
saving" which is supported by re-
frigerant filled in compressors.
With multiple capacities of
BTUs, color and designs range
these ACs and Refrigerators are
the perfect match to your
lifestyle.n
57
 NATIONAL NEWS
ACCA to drive growth trajectory of an emerging Pakistan
Lahore: ACCA members
have committed themselves to
achieving an average GDP of
7% as well as improving the
global ranking of Pakistan to
top 50for the ease of doing
business and global competi-
tiveness Index.
ACCA’s Pakistan Leader-
ship Conversation (PLC)
2018was held in Lahore on
March 27, 2018 and was the
last of a series of conferences
held previously in Islamabad
and Karachi. The conversa-
tions were based on the theme
‘Collective Vision for an
Emerging Pakistan’ with the
main aim offormulating for-
ward- thinking policy choices
to drive economic growth and
social development in Pakistan.
Nestlé partners with UVAS for
Farmer’s Capacity Building
Karachi: In-line with its
commitment to promote
dairy sector of Pakistan hav-
ing its deep roots in the dairy
farmer’s community, Nestlé
Pakistan partnered with Uni-
versity of Veterinary & Ani-
mal Sciences (UVAS) by
signing a Memorandum of
Understanding (MoU)
which will focus on capacity
building of farmers for en-
hanced development of the
industry.
Under this agreement,
Nestlé Pakistan will link se-
lected farmers and share its
training expertise, whereas
UVAS will provide the farm-
ers with training facilities at
their training farm. This ini-
tiative is in-line with Sus-
tainable development goal
number 17 of formulating
partnerships for achieving
desired goals as this will con-
tribute towards capacity
building of farmers as they
will be given hands on train-
ing at UVAS covering the
major areas and advanced
PMIC Hike and Clean campaign
Islamabad: To mark Pak-
istan Day Celebrations, Pak-
istan Microfinance Investment
Company Limited (PMIC)
staff engaged in a "Hike and
Clean - Trail 3” activity in Is-
lamabad. PMIC staff collected
garbage on the trail with the
aim to engage in community
58
Bruno Olierhoek, President
OCCI and CEO Nestle Pak-
istan Limited, DrAmjadSaqib,
Founder Akhuwat Founda-
tion, JahanzebBurana, CEO,
PBIT, Hasnain Sheikh, Chair-
practices of feeding, breed-
ing, milk quality and general
management of imported
cows. Nestlé Pakistan will
also install drip irrigation on
selected sites at UVAS’ Pat-
toki campus.
Bruno Olierhoek, CEO
Nestlé Pakistan said: “Nestlé
Pakistan believes in working
towards development of
farmer’s community as key
to boosting economic growth
in Pakistan. Increasing de-
mand for dairy and related
goods and services is encour-
aging intensive farming, and
leading to a rise in the demand
for prepared feed and veteri-
nary services. The importance
of enhanced productivity in
responding to burgeoning de-
mand should not be underesti-
mated, therefore, training in
improved farming practices
needs to be stressed upon.
Through this initiative, we
are looking for long-term
outcomes by making a dif-
ference in dairy and livestock
sector in Pakistan.” n
service to protect the environ-
ment. On this occasion, the
PMIC staff resolved to give
back to the country and create
social impact by promoting
environment-friendly activities
that contribute towards nature
conservation for a better to-
morrow. n
man and CEO, Inov8 Limited
Pakistan, Hassan Daud Butt,
Project Director/CPEC Coor-
dinator, Ministry of Planning
and Development, Monis Rah-
man, CEO, Rozee.pk, Omer
Jazz selects Ericsson to optimize its com-
plete radio network
Islamabad: Ericsson has
signed a contract with Pak-
istan Mobile Communications
Ltd (Jazz) in Pakistan for the
optimization and performance
management of its complete
Radio Network. Coupled with
Ericsson’s innovative expertise
in the area, this partnership
will allow Jazz to enhance the
overall cellular experience of
its customers.
Ericsson has signed a con-
tract with Jazz for Radio Net-
work Performance
Management and Optimiza-
tion
This partnership will en-
able Ericsson to play a pivotal
role in improving Jazz’s net-
work performance and in turn
positively impact the end user
experience
Ericsson will have the op-
Karandaaz Pakistan spearheads FinTech
domain in Pakistan
Islamabad: Grantees of
Karandaaz Pakistan FinTech
Disrupt Challenge showcased
innovative technology-based
solutions for financial sector at
an event in Karachi. Karan-
daaz Pakistan has been suc-
cessfully running its annual
FinTech Disrupt Challenge
since 2016 and has provided
grants to some of the most in-
novative ideas for develop
Zaheer Meer, Senior Partner at
MLCC and Tughral T Ali,
Business Head: Branchless
Banking, FINCAshared their
perspectives for an Emerging
Pakistan and key strategic in-
terventions which their organi-
zations are undertaking.It was
unanimously agreed by the
conversation leaders and the
delegates that realizing this
agenda means collaboration
between the private and the
public sector.
ACCA has drawn a
roadmap with key deliverables
essential to setting the country
in motion towards achieving
economic prosperity. One of
the big ticket items that every-
one is discussing these days is
the Belt and Road initiative.
portunity to showcase its
strength and superiority in the
network optimization and per-
formance management do-
main across the complete Jazz
Network
The contract will see Eric-
sson delivering optimization
and performance management
services for approximately
23,500 Radio sites. The jour-
ney started one year ago when
Jazz awarded a small portion
of its network to Ericsson for
optimization. Looking at Eric-
sson's performance and execu-
tion, Jazz has decided to trust
Ericsson with its entire Net-
work for an additional three
years, starting January 2018.
This deal marks a major
breakthrough in the Jazz-Eric-
sson partnership within the
radio domain.
ment, implementation, and
scaling up of financial tech-
nology solutions.
With funding from Bill &
Melinda Gates Foundation, the
primary aim of the challenge is
to work with technology-driven
start-ups to introduce enhance-
ments and innovations in fi-
nancial products and services
such as payments, credit, sav-
ings, and insurance; infrastruc-
ACCA is playing its part by
leveraging its global reach with
belt and road countries. ACCA
is undertaking several re-
searches to share the key focus
areas. In recent past ACCA has
launched two reports; one
around the Chinese perspective
and the other is purely focused
on the opportunity for Pakistan
under CPEC.
Sajjeed Aslam, Head of
ACCA Pakistan said, “ACCA
is known to be a strong cham-
pion of public value – acting
in the public interest, promot-
ing ethical businesses and
growing economies. Sessions
like these reflect ACCA’s
commitment to knowledge
sharing and capacity build-
ing.”.n
Aamir Ibrahim, CEO Jazz,
says: "Our partnership with
Ericsson gives me the satisfac-
tion that Jazz’s radio network
is in good hands. With our
customers at the heart of every
decision Jazz make, I am con-
fident that Ericsson shares our
commitment to providing the
best user experience.”
Rafiah Ibrahim, Head of
Ericsson Middle East and
Africa, says: "This agreement
sets a basis for Ericsson to
proactively deliver innovative
solutions, strengthen its col-
laboration capabilities and
meet the strategic ambitions
of Jazz. Now, we are expand-
ing our partnership and build-
ing a foundation for a joint
journey paving the way to
next generation technolo-
gies.”n
ture; and process support. Each
cycle of the annual challenge is
launched with a call to action,
inviting applicants to submit
their product for evaluation,
short-listed teams presenting to
a panel of judges, and the best
ideas winning grants of up to
USD 100,000. The successful
grantees of the previous rounds
shared their models, progress,
and lessons learned at the
event. Industry practitioners,
bankers, entrepreneurs, media
personnel and others partici-
pated in the event and wit-
nessed the emerging innovators
present their products and solu-
tions. The participating Fin-
Techs included leading names
such as Ricult Pakistan,
PaySys, PublishEx, CreditFix,
Agri-Gate, Invoice Wakalah,
and UniKrew Solutions.n