Government to facilitate private sector for promoting export of manpower: Munir Qureshi

Islamabad, September 10, 2013 (PPI-OT): Government is taking various initiatives and streamlining the matters to encourage and facilitate the private sector so that it could contribute more effectively in promoting export of Pakistan’s manpower to all potential markets, said Mr. Munir Qureshi, Secretary, Ministry of Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development while addressing business community at Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

He said the main focus of the government is to reduce the unemployment from the country and Ministry of Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development would take all possible measures to address the problems of Overseas Employment Promoters (OEPs) and facilitate them to enhance the export of manpower.

Munir Qureshi said efforts are afoot to improve the working of vocational training institutes to increase the competitiveness of our human talent and export well trained and skilled manpower abroad.

He said the insurance cover for Overseas Pakistanis is being enhanced from current two years to their first employment contract period. He said pension plans for returning Overseas Pakistanis are being considered so that when they return home, they may not face financial problems.

He assured that all problems highlighted by the OEPs would be looked into to facilitate them. He acknowledged the positive role of OEPs in improving the economy and said that the top performer OEPs would be duly recognized by the government.

In his welcome address, Zafar Bakhtawari, President, Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry said that Pakistan has huge potential to promote export of its manpower by developing skills and providing proper training to its human resource and government should fully support the private sector to fully realize the manpower export potential of the country.

He said the Overseas Employment Promoters (OEPs) are playing very important role in reducing unemployment as from 2008 to 2013, they sent 2.6 million Pakistanis abroad and government should provide them maximum facilitation to further enhance manpower export.

He said Overseas Pakistanis sent $13.92 billion as remittances and government should come up with better incentives for them and take private sector on board while making manpower policies so that with joint efforts we could further promote manpower exports.

Zubair Ahmad Malik, President, FPCCI also spoke on the occasion and said overseas manpower is the great wealth of the nation and government should do more for their welfare. He said Pakistani manpower is more productive as compared to the human resource of Pakistani competitors and FPCCI is ready to cooperate with the government to further improve their training and skills.

At this occasion, representatives of OEPs highlighted their problems and stressed for their redressal. They said Overseas Pakistanis Foundation (OPF) should provide better facilities to Overseas Pakistanis including education and housing etc.

They emphasized that Ministry of Overseas Pakistanis should work with OEPs to improve the manpower export procedures and processes so that we could compete more effectively with their competitors. They demanded that grant of visa process for representatives of foreign employers should be simplified so that they could visit Pakistan easily for interviewing the potential workers.

For more information, contact:
Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry
Chamber House, Aiwan-e-Sanat-o-Tijarat Road,
Mauve Area, G-8/1,
Islamabad, Pakistan
Tel: +9251 225 0526 and 225 3145
Fax: +9251 225 2950
Email: icci@brain.net.pk
Website: www.icci.com.pk

Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industries Corporate Class polls: Alliance wins more support

Lahore, September 10, 2013 (PPI-OT): PIAF-Founders Alliance Corporate Class candidates on Tuesday launched their door-to-door campaign under the leadership of former LCCI President Mian Misbahur Rehman and Mian Shafqat Ali.

On the first leg of their campaign, the Alliance Corporate Class candidates including Ejaz A Mumtaz, Babar Mehmood Chaudhry, Nasib Ahmad Saifi, Zafar Mehmood, Muhammad Saeed, Muhammad Aslam, Mian Muhammad Afzal and Maqsood Butt had meetings with the businessmen belonging to Lahore Township Industrial Area, Sunder Industrial Estate and Kahna Katcha Industrial Estate.

Mian Misbahur Rehman and Mian Shafqat Ali, on the occasion, gave a brief introduction of the candidates and threw light on the achievements of the Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry during the year.

They said that the Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry utlised its full force for the withdrawal of anti-business SROs and kept the trade and industry in the loop over happenings at global economic scene. They said that sector-specific trade delegations were sent to lucrative business destinations with a view to strengthen business to business relations.

“A number of training programmes were also conducted to educate the members of the Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry and after the elections the new office-bearers would be asked to focus on arranging more such programmes.”

Mian Misbahur Rehman and Mian Shafqat Ali said that the Alliance had launched candidates who are considered experts of their respective field and having grasp over economic issues being faced by the country.

They said that a comprehensive plan would be evolved to showcase Pakistani merchandise to the outer world as the volume of our total business with the world is negligible when it is compared with the potential of the various sectors.

They also informed the participants on the meetings that the LCCI would convince the Prime Minister of Pakistan to convene a Roundtable of businessmen for an early turnaround of the economy.

The LCCI President Farooq Iftikhar on the occasion urged the businessmen to participate in the activities of the Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry as this would enable them to get awareness about the available business opportunities in the developed world.

He said that all over the world Chambers of Commerce play an important role in the economic wellbeing and it all happens due to practical experiences of their members therefore the LCCI members should come forward in the larger interests on the economy.

Speaking on the occasion, the representatives of the Lahore Township Industrial Area and Kahna Katcha Industrial Estate assured their full support to the Alliance candidates during the upcoming elections.

For more information, Contact:
Khalil-ur-Rehman
Pakistan Industrial and Traders Associations Front
110/s Kot Lakhpat Industrial Estate
Lahore, Pakistan
Phone: (92) 42 5123522
Fax: (92) 42 5123522
Email: Info@piaf.pk

Tax payers facing problems due to technical faults in CREST and PARAL: Saqib Fayyaz Magoon

Karachi, September 10, 2013 (PPI-OT): Saquib Fayyaz Magoon (Ex Chairman Indentor Association of Pakistan ) highlighted the Problems facing by five Zero Rating Sectors (now 2%) , According to SRO 221(Amendment of SRO 1125) Goods can be supplied @2% to registered or unregistered persons doing business in above 5 Sectors, Problems is that how “CREST” Programme will verify unresgistered person of Five Sectors.

In addition there is no option showing in “PARAL” for Traders ,Suppliers and commercial Importers to registered as a Person doing business in Five sectors , Currently only Manufacturers have such Option. So If goods supply to Traders/Suppliers then “CREST” Generate Discrepancies and in result various Show cause notices have been Issued by FBR.

He said there are two options to solve this problem ,(1) Traders /Suppliers Should have Choice in “PARAL” to registered themselves as Person doing business in five sectors, (2) All the items in Table I of Above SRO are Raw Materials of above Five Sectors , 80-90% consuming in these sectors , So all items of Table I should be allowed @ 2%S.T without any other conditions.

FBR Should Solve these problems on preference Bases as Geniune Tax Payers facing difficulties to run their business .”

For more information, contact:
Indentor Association of Pakistan
Head Office 8/8, Rimpa Plaza, M. A. Jinnah Road, Karachi
Tel #021-32765190
Fax #021-32765195
Email info©iapak.org
Website; www.iapak.org

President Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry’s advise to Customs Agents to call off strike

Islamabad, September 10, 2013 (PPI-OT): Zubair Ahmed Malik President Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI) in a press statement has suggested to All Pakistan Customs Clearance Agents Association (APCCA), Karachi Customs Agents Association (KCAA) and All Pakistan Bonded Carrier Association (APBCA) to call off their country wide strike commenced from today for an indefinite period against the Federal Board of Revenue’s (FBR) move of issuing recovery notices to customs agents and bonded carriers in International Security Assistance Force’s (ISAF) for missing containers scam.

President FPCCI said that the strike would hamper the clearance of goods at ports and likely to result in demurrages on the consignments effecting the overall movement of goods across Pakistan.

He further lamented that more than 1,200 imports and 800 exports Goods Declarations (GDs) at Karachi and Bin Qasim Ports on daily basis would come to a standstill with this strike which will affect the timely shipment of goods and their clearance at Ports which would result in a shortfall to the tune of Rs. 8 billion per day.

Zubair proposed that it would be in the national interest that instead of observing strike the concerned associations could negotiate their demands with the FBR across the table for a better settlement of their issues.

For more information, contact:
M.A.Lodhi
Secretary General
Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI)
B-1, Federation House, Main Clifton Road,
Shahra-e-Firdousi,
Karachi-75600, Pakistan
Tel: 0092-21-35873691, 93-94
Fax: +9221 3587 4332
Email: info@fpcci.com.pk
URL: www.fpcci.com.pk

Rivers Flows and Reservoirs Level Report September 10, 2013

Lahore, September 10, 2013 (PPI-OT): The position of the river inflows/outflows and the reservoirs levels today is as under:

Rivers                         Inflows              Outflows                  Remarks
                              (In Cusecs)          (In Cusecs)

Indus at Tarbela                124000                135000            Mean flows of 24 hours
Kabul At Nowshera                28900                 28900            Mean Flows of 24 hrs.
Jhelum at Mangla                 27000                 25000            Mean flows of 24 hours
Chenab at Marala                 44300                 29600            Flows at 0600 hours

Barrages                       Inflows              Outflows                  Remarks
                              (In Cusecs)          (In Cusecs)

Jinnah                          166000                157700            Flow at 0600 hours
Chashma                         185400                160000            Mean flows of 24 hours
Taunsa                          148000                123900            Flow at 0600 hours
Panjnad                          29500                 15300            Flow at 0600 hours
Guddu                           142300                117300            Flow at 0600 hours
Sukkur                          134300                 73900            Flow at 0600 hours
Kotri                           243574                206714            Flow at 0600 hours

Reservoirs                   Present Level         Dead Level         Maximum level     Present
(at 0600 hours)             (Above Sea Level)    (Above Sea Level)      (ft.)           Live Storage

Tarbela                       1547.34 Feet         1378.00 Feet        1550.00          6.429 MAF
Mangla                        1239.30 Feet         1040.00 Feet        1242.00          7.174 MAF
Chashma                        645.30 Feet          637.00 Feet         649.00          0.177 MAF

For more information, contact:
Muhammad Abid Rana
Director Public Relations
Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA)
G-32, WAPDA House, Lahore
Tel: +9242 9920 2633 and +9242 9920 2211 -2033 -2029
Cell: +92333 445 8293
Email: mabidrana@gmail.com

The post Rivers Flows and Reservoirs Level Report September 10, 2013 appeared first on AsiaNet-Pakistan.

Pakistan loses ground in QS World University Rankings

London, September 10, 2013 (PPI-OT): Four Pakistani institutions make the global top 800 in this year’s QS World University Rankings, but all rank lower than in 2012.

The nation’s top institution, National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST) Islamabad drops into the 481-490 group, having ranked 400-451 in 2012[1].

The remaining three Pakistani institutions are all placed in the 701+ group: University of Engineering and Technology (UET) Lahore, University of Karachi and University of Lahore. All three ranked in the 601+ grouping last year.

Pakistani institutions in QS World University Rankings 2013/2014
2013         2012           University
481-490     401-450      NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCES AND TECHNOLOGY (NUST) ISLAMABAD
701+        601+         UNIVERSITY OF ENGINEERING and TECHNOLOGY (UET) LAHORE
701+        601+         UNIVERSITY OF KARACHI
701+        601+         UNIVERSITY OF LAHORE

The rankings compare the world’s top 800 institutions across six criteria covering research, employability, teaching and international outlook. Research included reputational surveys of academics and graduate employers drawing on over 90,000 responses worldwide, the largest of their kind in the world.

“Pakistan’s leading universities have started to gain some recognition among international academics and graduate employers,” says QS head of research Ben Sowter. “The challenge now is to improve student-to-faculty ratios and start producing more highly cited research, while addressing wider areas such as access and infrastructure.”

The rankings also feature 11 institutions from India, led by Indian Institute of Technology Delhi (IITD) in 222nd. Bangladesh’s sole representative is University of Dhaka, which appears in the 701+ grouping.

US institution MIT tops the table for the second consecutive year, ahead of Harvard and the UK’s University of Cambridge.

The US takes 11 of the top 20 positions, but its dominance has eroded since the financial crisis. Of the 83 US universities in the top 400, 64 rank lower than in 2007/8.

In contrast, 70% of the 62 Asian institutions in the top 400 rank higher than in 2007, but there is still no Asian institution in the top 20.

QS World University Rankings 2013/2014  GLOBAL TOP 20
2013          2012          Institution                                               Country
1             1           MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY (MIT)                   US
2             3           HARVARD UNIVERSITY                                            US
3             2           UNIVERSITY OF CAMBRIDGE                                       UK
4             4           UCL (UNIVERSITY COLLEGE LONDON)                               UK
5             6           IMPERIAL COLLEGE LONDON                                       UK
6             5           UNIVERSITY OF OXFORD                                          UK
7             15          STANFORD UNIVERSITY                                           US
8             7           YALE UNIVERSITY                                               US
9             8           UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO                                         US
10=           10          CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY (CALTECH)                  US
10=           9           PRINCETON UNIVERSITY                                          US
12            13          ETH ZURICH (SWISS FEDERAL INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY)            CH
13            12          UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA                                    US
14            11          COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY                                           US
15            14          CORNELL UNIVERSITY                                            US
16            16          JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY                                      US
17=           21          UNIVERSITY OF EDINBURGH                                       UK
17=           19          UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO                                         CA
19=           29          ECOLE POLYTECHNIQUE FÉDÉRALE DE LAUSANNE (EPFL)               CH
19=           26          KING'S COLLEGE LONDON (KCL)                                   UK

©QS Quacquarelli Symonds 2004-2013 TopUniversities.com/Rankings2013

For more information, contact:
Simona Bizzozero
Head of PR
Tell: +44 (0) 7880620856
Email: simona@qs.com

The post Pakistan loses ground in QS World University Rankings appeared first on AsiaNet-Pakistan.

Ikebana workshop held at Consulate-General of Japan

Islamabad, September 10, 2013 (PPI-OT): On September 9th and 10th, 2013, the Consulate-General of Japan at Karachi and Ikebana International, Karachi Chapter co-organized ikebana (Japanese art of flower arrangement) workshop at the Japan Information and Culture Center on the occasion of a world-famous ikebana master from Singapore, Mr. Christopher Lim’s visit to Karachi.

During this two-day workshop, around 40 members of Ikebana International, Karachi Chapter have participated each day and enhanced their skills through sessions of ikebana workshop guided by Mr. Lim.

Mr. Akira Ouchi, Consul-General of Japan in Karachi, in his opening speech stated that today, ikebana is an internationally renowned art which is practiced and appreciated by people all around the world, and expressed his delight in seeing ikebana attracting admiration among people from every walk of life in Pakistan.

He emphasized that ikebana is an art which connects people and nature, and both Japanese and Pakistani people share such common cultural values. Mr. Ouchi concluded his speech by stating that the Consulate-General of Japan at Karachi will continue to cooperate with the Japanese cultural organizations, including Ikebana International, Karachi Chapter to conduct activities to introduce Japanese culture to the people in Pakistan, including the traditional art of ikebana, thereby promoting mutual understanding between Japan and Pakistan.

Under the organization’s motto “Friendship through flowers”, Ikebana International, Karachi Chapter has been dedicating to the promotion and appreciation of ikebana in Pakistan since its foundation in 1959. Ikebana International has now spread to over 60 countries, with 165 chapters.

For more information, contact:
Khurram Sohail
Media Advisor
Consulate General of Japan
6/2 Civil Lines, Abdullah Haroon Road,
Karachi, 75530,
Pakistan
G. P. O. Box No. 3745
TEL: +92-21 3522-0800 (Ext: 134)
FAX: +92-21 3522-0820
Cell: 0345-2397354
Email: khurram.sohail@kr.mofa.go.jp

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