Gwadar should be shaped as cosmopolitan city rather than just a trade route or a docking yard: Shah Faisal Afridi

Lahore, January 29, 2016 (PPI-OT): Gwader should be shaped as cosmopolitan city rather than just a trade route or a docking yard. This was urged by Mr. Shah Faisal Afridi, President Pak-China Joint Chamber of Commerce and Industry while addressing to a Chinese delegation headed by Mr. Bian Xue Chong CEO PROJEN Ltd China. To achieve this, Pakistani decision makers need to bring in a composite national, legal and managerial framework that excites Pakistani economy and the people too, he added.

He expressed that, Pakistan can learn from the Chinese model Cities like Shanghai which is the busiest port of the world and have well regulated population mobility into cities through family registration or residency permits. He remarked that Pakistan needs to learn examples of international cities that act as trading, traditional and amusement cores in different countries of the world.

He elaborated that the Government of Pakistan and the Provincial Government of Baluchistan can work together to craft a Gwadar Basic Law, or a Gwadar Constitution, to impart the new city with a conclusive legal framework following the Chinese pattern of regulated population movement from all classes into cities through family registration or residency permits.

He stated that, “Urbanization is one of the most significant developments in China over the past three decades. Pakistan can study the examples and come up with something more suitable to Pakistani conditions, he added.

He said that the internal security system of Gwader should be arranged in very operational way. Local police should be trained for the purpose of dealing with locals and foreigners and has to evolve effective mechanisms in place to check crimes, smuggling and other forms of anti-social behavior. He further said, since Gwadar has great beaches within the city and nearby Pakistan should study the examples of tourist resorts in countries to develop this untapped potential of Pakistani coastal regions.

Mr. Shah Faisal Afridi emphasized that the government of Pakistan must nip any grievances in the bud before the CPEC issue grows unnecessarily and takes root. He said that all members of the Pakistani political parties, trade bodies, the media and civil society can receive regular briefings on the progress. He advised that such briefings should be well prepared so as to counter any attempts to make Gwadar and CPEC projects controversial. These are grand strategic projects and the Pakistani vision about the future should be equally grand, he added.

On this occasion head of the delegation Mr. Bian Xue Chong revealed that by making Gwadar an international city and the pivot of regional trade, Pakistan will also attract considerable investment into its most under developed province. He also expressed in his speech that these funds will allow construction of roads and railways, linking the coastal region with rest of the Pakistan and will also facilitate cultivation of vast regions and exploration of natural resources. This would ultimately help socio-economic uplift of locals through various development projects in this city, He added.

At the end president of PCJCCI pointed out that certain premeditated actors in the region wanted to see Gwadar and CPEC projects disrupted. Gwader being an international city would be emerged as a financial center and trading pivot of the region, which definitely attract talented residents from Pakistan and abroad. Therefore, Gwadar’s local governing structure should be able to embolden resident entrepreneurs, traders, financiers, artists, and other circles of intelligentsia to become part of the governing bodies of the city, he added.

For more information, contact:
Wardah Ali Gohar
Media Manager
Pakistan China Joint Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCJCCI)
Mega Tower, 309 – 6th Floor,
Main Boulevard, Gulberg II,
Lahore, Punjab – Pakistan
Tel: +92-42-35777460-02, +92-42-37032203, +92-42-35874353
Fax: +92-42-35777524
Cell: +92-324-4925611
Email: info@pcjcci.org
Website: www.pcjcci.org

There was a great potential for Pakistan and Norway to have increased trade and many Norwegian companies are interested in making investments in Pakistan: Norwegian Ambassador

Karachi, January 29, 2016 (PPI-OT): Ambassador of Norway, Tore Nedrebo has said that there was a great potential for Pakistan and Norway to have increased trade and many Norwegian companies were interested in making investments in Pakistan.

“Norwegian companies are exploring investment opportunities around the world and if they see such opportunities in Pakistan, they will surely come to invest in this country as well”, he added while exchanging views during his visit to the Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI).

First Secretary, Embassy of Norway Tom Jorgen Martinussen, Honorary Consul General of Norway Muhammad Moonis, President KCCI Younus Muhammad Bashir, Senior Vice President KCCI Zia Ahmed Khan, Vice President KCCI Muhammad Naeem Sharif and KCCI Managing Committee members were also present at the meeting.

Norwegian Ambassador said, “The existing trade volume of $70 to $80 million, which fortunately is in favor of Pakistan, is not a lot and we need to do lot more for improving it further.”

Tore Nedrebo, while highlighting some glaring examples of Norwegian investments in Pakistan, informed that a Norwegian companies plans to establish solar power plant in Sindh whose ground work will begin this year with an initial investment of US$250 million which may be raised further keeping in view Pakistan’s need for energy while a hydropower project will also by established in northern areas of Pakistan, he added.

Earlier, while welcoming the Norwegian Ambassador, President KCCI Younus Muhammad Bashir said that Karachi offers profitable investment opportunities and added facilities for investment and joint ventures to Norwegian Investors.

He was of the view that with improved law and order situation, Karachi has become an attractive place for foreign investors, who can surely earn maximum profits by setting up their businesses or undertaking joint ventures.

He said that KCCI was keen to strengthen trade ties and exploring new bilateral trade prospects with Norway as they believe that Pakistan’s improved relations and enhanced trade with countries like Norway would surely help in dealing with the economic crisis and ensure prosperity for our country.

Commenting on trade ties between Pakistan and Norway, Younus Bashir said that both countries share healthy diplomatic relations and it was heartening to note that Norway has been providing development assistance to Pakistan, particularly in the areas of governance and education. On a smaller scale, Norway has also contributed toward documentation and preservation of Pakistan’s cultural heritage, he said, adding that Pakistanis form one of the largest immigrant communities in Norway.

He pointed out that during Fiscal Year 2015, Pakistan exported goods worth $54 million to Norway while the imports from Norway stood at $9.20 million.

Younus Bashir was of the opinion that there was much potential for enhancing bilateral trade relations between Norway and Pakistan as Norway imports $3 to $4 billion of textiles related items from around the globe. Pakistan has a good chance to enhance its exports share of textiles in Norwegian market, he added.

“We also want to promote Norwegian investment in Pakistan and do everything for the development of Pakistan–Norwegian business cooperation”, President KCCI said.

For more information, contact:
Aamir Hassan
Director Press/Electronic Media and Public Relations
Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI)
Aiwan-e-Tijarat Road, Off Shahrah-e-Liaquat,
Karachi-74000
Phone: +92-21-99218001-09
Fax: +92-21-99218040
Email: info@kcci.com.pk, secretary@kcci.com.pk
Website: www.kcci.com.pk

Pakistan unlikely to fight climate change without boosting forest cover, warns Climate Change Secretary

Islamabad, January 29, 2016 (PPI-OT): A target of 159 million tree plantation throughout the country has been set for the upcoming three-month spring season, which will kick off from February.

While chairing a high-level inter-ministerial and inter-provincial meeting here on Friday, the federal climate change secretary, Mr. Arif Ahmed Khan, finally approved the target after provincial forest departments and other federal ministries, departments including the Capital Development Authority, National Highway Authority, Pakistan Ordinance Factory, and Heavy Industry Taxila.

Giving break-up of the spring tree plantation target, the Inspector General of Forest Pakistan (IGF-Pakistan) at the climate change ministry, Mr. Syed Mahmood Nasir, told the meeting that as per targets set by the provincial and federal governments as well as departments, the highest target of 123 million tree would be planted during the upcoming spring seasons by the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa forest department throughout the province. During the season, Punjab will plant 18.09 million trees, Sindh 7.1 million trees, Baluchistan 1.5 million trees, Azad Jammu and Kashmir 1.3 million trees, Gilgit-Baltistan 1.1 million trees, FATA 4 million, Capital Development Authority 0.3 million, National Highway Authority 0.125 million, Ministry of Defence 700,000 trees, Heavy Industry Taxila 5,000, Pakistan Ordinance Factory 15,000 Pakistan Tobacco Company 1.5 million and IUCN 250,000 trees.

The meeting also reviewed the last monsoon season tree plantation targets by the provincial forest departments and other provincial and federal departments.

The IGF Pakistan Syed Mahmood Nasir apprised the meeting that during the same meeting held on July 27, 2015, a target of 40.2 million trees plantation for the last monsoon season for the whole country was set. Of which, nearly 81 percent (32.5 million trees plantation) of the target have been achieved and survival of the trees planted during the last monsoon season is 72 percent.

The climate change secretary Arif Ahmed Khan emphasised that as predicted by Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) the coming spring season will have good rains in the country. “Hence, it does provide an unprecedented opportunity to plant as many tree as possible all over the country for dealing with various environmental problems and mitigating climate change risks,” he said.

“All-out efforts should be taken to take full benefit of the three-month long wet spring season by planting tree on a large-scale. Because, wet spring season is expected to provide trillions of litter water for the seedling to grow fast and hold their grip on soil strongly,” the secretary told the meeting.

Pakistan cannot cope with climate risks, particularly floods and torrential rains, which have become increasingly frequent due to global warming, without increasing tree cover.

“Forests hold back floodwater by nearly 72 hours and; hence, reduce intensity of the deluge water, lower chances of deaths and damages to roads, building infrastructures, bridges as well as standing crops from being washed away or wiped out,” he argued.

However, he urged the provincial forest departments and ministries to take necessary arrangements in a timely manner to achieve the spring season tree plantation target and nurture them as our own children.

The provincial forest department officials told the minister that special media campaigns have been hammered out to engage public, educational institutions, government departments, corporate and non-governmental sectors in the monsoon tree plantation drive and in this regard wide publicity campaigns will be initiated for raising awareness of the general public in tree plantation and its environmental benefits.

The climate change secretary underlined the need for conserving nutrient-rich soil and trees could play a vital role in this regard.

“Being a proven method to maintain the fertility of the soil by protecting the soil from erosion and nutrient loss, the soil conservation is important because soil is crucial for many aspects of the human life and non-living beings. For, it does provide food, filters air and water and helps to decompose biological waste into nutrients for new plant life,” he told the meeting.

The need for framing land use policies and their implementation at provincial level echoed at the meeting to discourage rampant conversion of forest and agriculture lands into other uses like for construction housing societies.

Assistant Inspector General of Forest Mr. Aurangzeb Ashraf Awan said that legislation in this regard was inevitable to save the existing forests and re-invigorate the country’s ailing forest sector.

“Failing to which would only aggravate the impacts of unfolding climate change-induced disasters,” he warned.

Meanwhile, the matter of the re-invigorating the ailing Pakistan Forest Institute (PFI) in Peshawar also came under discussion, which houses the country’s top forest scientists, researchers and experts.

The IGF Pakistan Syed Mahmood Nasir suggested the KPK forest secretary, Mr. Nazar Shah, to convene a meeting of all provincial forest department officials to discuss the ways and means of activating the PFI and the idea that if it could be made a national entity.

At present, the PFI is a provincial entity and is under control of the KPK government, he said.

He told the meeting that globally forests are considered highly valued sector for holding a great potential to fight climate change and its deleterious impacts, mainly floods, torrential rains and expanding desertification.

The IGF Pakistan cautioned that no efforts or programmes for boosting forests cover in the country would succeed if public and other stakeholders were not sensitized about the trillions of worth socio-economic and environmental benefits the forests provide.

Earlier, Secretary General, Pakistan Red Crescent, Dr. Rizwan Naseer, shared his experience of engaging youth volunteers’ force to sensitse general public about unprecedented importance of forests and its protection.

“We are expanding this volunteers programme all over the country to join federal and provincial government’s efforts to save country’s existing forests and bring new area under them,” Dr. Rizwan Naseer told the meeting.

For more information, contact:
Muhammad Saleem
Deputy Director
Media and Communication
Ministry of Climate Change
Government of Pakistan
LG and RD Complex, G-5/2, ISLAMABAD
Ph: 051-9245565
E-mail: moccpakistan@hotmail.com
Web: http://www.mocc.gov.pk/

Serious food security could take place in near future because of rising graph of population: Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry

Lahore, January 29, 2016 (PPI-OT): The Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry has called to review agriculture policies saying that serious food security could take place in near future because of rising graph of population. If steps are not taken on war footing, food security would shatter the economic structure as country would be compelled to spend billions dollars on imports to feed its huge population.

“If we stayed where we are today in terms of cropped area and yield per hectare, we will have 30% less food available per capita in next two decades.”

In a statement issued here, the LCCI President Sheikh Muhammad Arshad, Senior Vice President Almas Hyder and Vice President Nasir Saeed said that though Pakistan’s almost 43% labor force is dependent upon agriculture, the yield gap in the four major crops of Pakistan is three times from the best producers in the world such as China and Egypt. They said that low yield has contributed to the poverty in rural areas besides forcing country to import agriculture produces to feed its population.

They said that the fact should be an eye opener that China produces two times more cotton and wheat per hectare and Egypt produces around three times more rice and sugarcane per hectare as compared to Pakistan.

“Factors that are recommended to improve the yield are through large scale introduction of hybrid seeds and mechanized farming, high efficienty irrigation systems such as drip irrigation and reduction in wastage of crop through introduction of privately owned storage facilities and cold storage facilities”, the LCCI office-bearers added.

They said that 21st century belongs to Biotechnology and Pakistan has tremendous potential to emerge as Biotechnology leader but to achieve the goal private sector, scientists, researchers and government would have to work hand in hand.

They said that Pakistan’s agriculture sector was losing heavily due to insufficient utilization of biotechnology as the magic progress of agriculture sector is only due to Genetically Modified crops. He said that agriculture sector in Pakistan has a huge potential. It continues to be the single largest and dominant driving force for growth as well as the main source of livelihood for 66 percent of Pakistan’s population. But it has always faced two major problems: first, productions per acre are lower than many countries. Secondly, around 40% of production is wasted in the form of post-harvest losses due to insufficient utilization of biotechnology.

The LCCI office-bearers said that federal and provincial governments should give a special focus on promotion of research and quality crops because green revolution is only possible through genetic engineering.

They said that Pakistan would have to focus on genetically modified and hybrid crops to tap true potential of agricultural productivity in the country. While stressing the need for establishment of institutes both at provincial and federal levels for creating awareness among the farming community about Genetically Modified (GM) technology, they said that sustainability and improvement in crops yield are the major challenges to meet upcoming threats of increasing population and depleting water resources.

“Biotechnology has shown considerable potential to raise agricultural productivity by addressing problems not solved through conventional research. Among other application of biotechnology, development of genetically modified organisms is the promising tool to facilitate plant breeding in development of crops to insect and tolerant to herbicide, the LCCI office-bearers added.

They said that genetic modified crops have contributed to sustainable development in several significant ways including: Contributing to food security and more affordable food, conserving biodiversity, alleviation of poverty and hunger, mitigating climate change and reducing greenhouses gases, contributing to the cost-effective production of bio fuels and above all by contributing to sustainable economic benefits.

The genetically modified crops have an important role to play in lessening the environmental impact and improving the sustainability of food production. Insect-resistant rice, for example, has the potential to benefit about 1 billion people.

The LCCI office-bearers urged the government to patronize scientists working for the technology promotion and its upgradation in the country.
“Pakistan is a sleeping technology giant, the day it gets up, Pakistan would be another China. He said that it was very unfortunate that the country did not have any framework for transfer of technology. He lamented that there are 400 research institutions in the country but their performance is not up the mark”, the LCCI office-bearers concluded.

For more information, contact:
Shahid Khalil
Information Department
Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI)
11-Shahrah-e-Aiwan-e-Tijarat,
Lahore -54000, Pakistan
Tel: +92-42-111-222-499
Fax: +92-42-36368854
Website: www.lcci.org.pk

Pakistan Premier Investment Group – BMA Fund for January 29, 2016

Karachi, January 29, 2016 (PPI-OT):


Name of the Fund Date Offer Redemption NAV
BMA Chundrigarh Road Saving Fund (BCSF) January 29, 2016 8.7533 8.6660 8.6660
BMA Empress cash Fund (BECF) January 29, 2016 10.6366 10.5313 10.5313

For more information, contact:
BMA Asset Management Company Limited
Suite # 804, Level 8
Unitower, I.I. Chundrigarh Road,
Karachi 74000,
Pakistan.
Tel: +92 21 111 262 111S
Fax: +92 21 3242 6829
Email: info@bmafunds.com
Website:www.bmafunds.com

Pakistan Stock Exchange Limited Closing Rate of TOBACCO Dated 29-01-2016

Karachi, January 29, 2016 (PPI-OT):


Company Name Turnover Prv.Rate Open Rate Highest Lowest Last Rate Diff.
TOBACCO
PAKT Pak Tobacco 11220 1282.75 1275.00 1346.88 1260.00 1346.88 64.13
PMPK Philip Morris Pak. 400 1690.87 1650.00 1700.00 1650.00 1690.00 -0.87

For more information, contact:
S. Munawar Ali
Senior Manager
Public Relations
Pakistan Stock Exchange Limited
Tel: (92-21) 111-001122
Fax: (92-21) 3241 0825, (92-21) 3241 5136
Email: info@psx.com.pk
Web: www.psx.com.pk

Pakistan Stock Exchange Limited Closing Rate of PAPER AND BOARD Dated 29-01-2016

Karachi, January 29, 2016 (PPI-OT):


Company Name Turnover Prv.Rate Open Rate Highest Lowest Last Rate Diff.
PAPER ANd BOARD
CEPB Century Paper 34500 53.47 53.47 54.50 53.05 53.05 -0.42
CPPL Cherat Pack. 42400 331.64 331.00 332.00 329.00 330.00 -1.64
MERIT Merit Packaging 235500 16.41 16.50 16.50 16.30 16.32 -0.09
PKGS Packages Ltd. 12050 564.59 566.50 567.00 550.00 550.90 -13.69
SEPL Security Paper 26500 93.16 94.90 95.00 89.00 89.20 -3.96

For more information, contact:
S. Munawar Ali
Senior Manager
Public Relations
Pakistan Stock Exchange Limited
Tel: (92-21) 111-001122
Fax: (92-21) 3241 0825, (92-21) 3241 5136
Email: info@psx.com.pk
Web: www.psx.com.pk