ISLAMABAD: December 27 –
Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar chairs the 5th meeting of the Board of Governors of Special Technology Zones Authority
ISLAMABAD: December 27 –
Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar chairs the 5th meeting of the Board of Governors of Special Technology Zones Authority
ISLAMABAD: December 27 –
Caretaker Federal Minister for IT & Telecommunication, Dr. Umar Saif addressing Awards Ceremony of Digital Pakistan Cyber security Hackathon-2023
ISLAMABAD: December 27 –
ISLAMABAD: December 27 – Caretaker Federal Minister for IT & Telecommunication, Dr. Umar Saif giving award to the winner team during Awards Ceremony of Digital Pakistan Cyber security Hackathon-2023. APP/SMR/ABB/FHA
ISLAMABAD: December 27 – Caretaker Federal Minister for IT & Telecommunication in a group photograph with the participants during Awards Ceremony of Digital Pakistan Cyber security Hackathon-2023. APP/SMR/ABB/FHA
Pakistan’s first foray into global jobs market with record agreements for manpower export
ISLAMABAD, Dec 27 (APP): Pakistan, through its Ministry of Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development (OP&HRD), participated for the first time in the International Human Resources & Labour Services Expo in Riyadh from December 24 to 27.
The significant step, led by Special Assistant to the Prime Minister (SAPM) on Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development (OP&HRD) Jawad Sohrab Malik, marks a new era in showcasing Pakistan’s workforce on the global stage, said a press release.
The SAPM orchestrated Pakistan’s participation in the expo and also inaugurated Pakistan’s Pavilion there.
Over a dozen agreements with Saudi and international companies were executed during the Expo to boost employment opportunities abroad for the Pakistani workforce.
The agreements would open doors for Pakistani workforce in various sectors such as construction, hospitality, information technology, services industry and various other fields globally, the press release said.
The Overseas Employment Corporation (OEC), which is part of Ministry of Overseas Pakistan and Human Resource Development, was also present at the expo through its Managing Director Naseer Khan Kashani. Other dignitaries at the expo included Pakistan’s Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Ahmad Farooq and representatives of multinational organizations.
Underlining the importance of the expo, the SAPM stated that the expo served as a pivotal forum, bringing together human resources and recruitment companies alongside reliable and accredited labour services entities.
It provided an opportunity for Pakistan to engage with the global community, understand international market needs, and “tailor our skills to meet the evolving demands of the job market”, he added.
It also presented a unique opportunity for Pakistan to exhibit the capabilities and potential of its labour force, he added.
The SAPM said today, the Ministry of Overseas Pakistanis, through its department OEC, stood proud at the Expo, demonstrating the rich potential of Pakistan’s technical workforce. “This is a moment of pride as OEC, for the first time, represents Pakistan on this significant global platform.”
He stated, “There are exciting plans to establish new vocational training centers across Pakistan, specifically tailored to meet the job market demands of regions like Saudi Arabia. This initiative underscores Pakistan’s commitment to developing a skilled workforce ready to meet global challenges. The Expo also opens avenues for collaboration with Saudi entities in vocational training and skill development, positioning OEC as a leader in the export of skilled manpower from Pakistan and as well as private OEPs.”
SAPM Malik expressed that participation in the Expo is more than an event; it’s a gateway for the Pakistani skilled workforce, opening up new horizons and showcasing Pakistan’s commitment to its citizens, both at home and abroad.
A view of thick fog early morning in the city
GILGIT: December 27 –
Minister local Govt Gilgit-Baltistan Abdul Hameed giving briefing to Chief MInister Gilgit-Baltistan Haji Gulbar Khan about the Department at CM Secretariat
GILGIT: December 27
GILGIT: December 27 – Minister local Govt Gilgit-Baltistan Abdul Hameed giving briefing to Chief MInister Gilgit-Baltistan Haji Gulbar Khan about the Department at CM Secretariat. APP/AHS/ABB/FHA
Caretaker Federal Minister for Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony Aneeq Ahmed talking to media Persons after visiting Haji Camp
KARACHI: December 27 –
IPO to introduce digitalization to promote EODB, fairness in institution
ISLAMABAD, Dec 27 (APP): The Chairman, Intellectual Property Organization (IPO) Ambassador Farukh Amil on Wednesday said that the IPO was committed to introducing digitalization to promote Ease of Doing Business and fairness in work in the institution.
Chairman IPO, Ambassador Farukh Amil told APP here that now we were strengthening the digitalization regime in the IPO so that the trend of Ease of Doing Business increases in the organization and facilities become available.
The visibility on indifferent platforms and public awareness are the major priorities of IPO at this time, which will make it accessible to the business classes and especially the youth, he informed.
The Chairman IPO said that at present, we were working on digitalization of IPO with the support of PITB, which was an important tool for modernizing institutions in the modern world, which provided facilities to the public and business classes.
He said that a large part of the population of Pakistan consisted of youth who were currently mostly connected to IT and social media and after this facility, they would be able to make online complaints or other facilities in IPO.
Farukh said that IPO was currently making the youth aware of IPO in universities and educational institutions, which would increase the trend of financial education among them.
He said that after automation in the IPO, there would be transparency and simplification of processes in the institution.
The Chairman PO said that recently, IPO signed a bilateral agreement with PITB for introducing automation in the institution, after this agreement with PITB, online payments and another documentation process would be made easy in the next two months and this would also promote Ease of Doing Business (EODB) in IPO.
He said with this agreement, you can do documentation or payment processes through 27 different channels including online banking which will provide convenience to people.
He said that work on this process started last October 2023 and now 17 forms could be submitted through the online system.
Farukh said that now people would not need to come to the IPO office for the process, the process had been simplified through 33 different modules.
He said that a technology-based solution had to be devised that would provide an easy mode of collection for IPO-PAKISTAN using digital mediums such as mobile applications and web portals.
This will also help IPO-Pakistan to integrate with all banking channels to monitor financial transactions related to multiple modes of collections which may result in increasing the revenue for the government and streaming the financial operations, he said.
Commerce Ministry announces BoP improvement of $5.6b
ISLAMABAD, Dec 27 (APP): The Federal Ministry of Commerce on Wednesday announced remarkable trade Performance and Year-on-Year Balance of Payments (BoP) Improvement worth $5.6 billion as a significant achievement in Pakistan’s trade sector.
Caretaker Minister of Commerce Dr. Gohar Ejaz said that the positive trade figures and upward trend showcased Pakistan’s resilience, said a press release issued here.
The minister said, “We will continue to work towards enabling our exporters and to find new destinations for exports.”
According to the Ministry, for a Year-on-Year Increase in exports in the first 20 days of December 2023, Pakistan experienced an outstanding year-on-year increase in exports, amounting to $479 million, reflecting an impressive growth rate of 33.1 percent.
On Year-on-Year decrease in Imports, conversely, imports during the same period saw a substantial decrease of $405 million, marking a -12.8 percent reduction.
This positive trend contributed to an $884 million improvement in the balance of trade for December 2023.
According to the data, from July 1st, 2023, to December 20 th, 2023, Pakistan’s exports soared to $14 billion, showcasing a remarkable year-on-year increase of $709 million, translating to a substantial 5.3 percent improvement.
Import figures during the same period (1 July 2023 to 20 December 2023) dropped to $24.3 billion from $29.2 billion in FY-2022, reflecting a notable year-on-year decrease of $4.9 billion.This comes down to a year-on-year improvement in the balance of trade of $5.6 Billion.
According to sectoral performance, agricultural and food exports witnessed an extraordinary 109.2 percent year-on-year increase, totaling $574.6 million in the first 20 days of December 2023. This surge can be attributed to robust performances in maize, corn, ethyl, alcohol, tobacco, and rice exports.
The textile sector and manufacturing and engineering sector demonstrated a commendable 15 percent year-on-year increase in exports during the first 20 days of December 2023.
The top export destinations Pakistan’s exports witnessed significant growth to key destinations, including Indonesia, United Arab Emirates, Madagascar and China.
The minister expressed the confidence in the continuation of this upward trend, emphasizing the Ministry’s commitment to fostering a conducive environment for trade and economic growth. These achievements underscore Pakistan’s resilience and competitiveness in the global market, he told.
HESCO unearthed 367 more connections involved in power theft
HYDERABAD, Dec 27 (APP):The Hyderabad Electric Supply Company (HESCO) identified 367 more connections involved in electricity theft during its ongoing drive against electricity thieves and defaulters in the region. These included 17 commercial, one agricultural, two industrial and 347 domestic connections.
The HESCO authorities submitted 311 letters against power thieves for registration of FIRs against them in various police stations, out of which 30 FIRs were registered.
The HESCO spokesperson mentioned that all these connections had been disconnected and detection bills of 312,512 units have been issued, amounting of 19.058 million rupees. According to him, during the 112-day ongoing operation, the overall recovery has exceeded 9.486 billion rupees and 173 suspects, including three employees, have been arrested, one employee has been dismissed and 37 employees were suspended and over 11.54 million electric units were charged as penalties to electricity thieves, which are equivalent to 386.9 million rupees.