Category: Business

Lahore (Nut Desk) In a world where women are aspiring to be greater than predetermined societal roles, foodpanda is empowering this segment to shatter the glass ceiling in unique ways. Sana Tanveer, founder of Two Hands Kitchen, a HomeChef with an inspiring journey, was recently honoured by the brand, highlighting her achievements from her kitchen to a stall outside Karachi University that serves 82 dishes at a reasonable price of only PKR 200 each.

Sana Tanveer is one of many examples where home-based chefs and women in particular are achieving their dreams in distinct manners. Receiving a healthy response, Sana has been ecstatic to serve customers from across the city, both at her stall and through foodpanda.

foodpanda currently has 5,000+ registered HomeChefs who have been taken on-board after stringent routine checks for food hygiene, quality, safety, packaging, etc. The company’s aim is to increase the HomeChefs base in the next two years and take it up to 100,000 registered HomeChefs.

Karachi (Muhammad Yasir) In another milestone towards securing Karachi’s energy future, KE has awarded the EPC contract for the construction of 500/220 kV KANUPP – K-Electric Interconnection (KKI) Grid to Siemens (Pakistan) Engineering Company Limited.

The signing ceremony between Siemens and K-Electric was held at KE’s Head Office. KKI Grid will be the addition of fourth interconnection in KE’s network following the existing NKI and KDA Grids and the upcoming Dhabeji Interconnection. The estimated value of the EPC contract is around USD 84 Million. KE had also entered into agreement in February 2022 for the construction of a 220 kV double circuit transmission line for evacuation of power from the KKI Grid.

The KKI Interconnection, will enable KE to off-take 500 to 800 megawatts (MW) of electricity from the National Grid from summer of 2024 (evacuation capacity of KKI Grid is more than 1000 MVA). Additionally, the infrastructure enhancement will improve system stability and reliability for consumers.

As per NEPRA’s State of Industry Report 2021, KE registered a sales growth of 25% among its industrial consumers in 2021, almost 11 percentage points higher than the rest of the country. Coupled with sustained investment of over PKR 430 billion since privatization, Karachi’s appetite for energy is increasing at a rapid pace.

Cognizant of the present and evolving demands, KE has been working actively with the Government of Pakistan and especially the Ministry of Energy under the guidance of NEPRA to bolster its infrastructure to enable Karachi to receive additional power from the National Grid.

Speaking about the occasion, Chief Generation and Transmission Officer KE, Abbas Husain stated “KE is fully committed towards supporting Karachi’s energy ambitions. We are not only working with multiple stakeholders to cater the current demand, but also continue to innovate our services to cater the growth. We are grateful to the Federal Government, Ministry of Energy, and our regulator NEPRA for their continued patronage and support. This spirit of collaboration and consensus is integral to the sustainability of Pakistan’s economic and strategic hub.”

CEO & MD Siemens Pakistan, Markus Strohmeier also expressed his happiness, stating “This project is another significant step to strengthen Karachi’s development as modern industrial and economic metropolis. Through KKI Interconnect, we are increasing and securing stable access to electricity for the greater society, who’s future is built on reliable energy supply,”

KE has also achieved the first fire on the first unit of its flagship RLNG-based 900 MW Bin Qasim Power Station 3 (BQPS-III). Upon commissioning, this landmark project will significantly increase KE’s generation capacity while also enhancing efficiency of KE’s generation fleet. The plant is utilizing the latest in turbine technology and is anticipated to be among the top five most efficient generation units in the country upon completion. Looking to the future, KE is also aligned with the Federal Government’s vision to increase the share of renewable energy into its generation mix with a planned addition of almost 1,100 MW of green energy by 2030 subject to required approvals.

Lahore (Muhammad Yasir)  BankIslami, Pakistan’s leading Islamic financial institution with 340 branches in 123+ cities, sponsored Future Fest 2022 – one of the most comprehensive tech conferences in the country, held in Islamabad from 13 May to 15 May, 2022. Spanning three days, the event included four conferences, an innovation exposition and a blended line up of Pakistan’s most noted tech startups, entrepreneurs, investors, brainiacs, techies and netizens. The event was also attended by leadership from the public and private sectors to discuss the role of technology in the nation’s future.

Future Fest 2022 was home to 30,000+ attendees, 250+ world class speakers, 100+ exhibitors, unlimited networking and 20+ activities all wrapped in 4 mega conferences. With 100+ international guests including the world’s top investors and entrepreneurs, the event featured various announcements including the launch of 3 international venture capital funds in Pakistan and many significant technology projects.

Commenting on the occasion, BankIslami President & CEO, Syed Amir Ali noted, “Hundreds of millions of dollars have been invested in Pakistani startups in recent years, standing testament to the nation’s dedication to hard work and progress. Events like Future Fest are essential for the youth to not only learn from the best, but carve their own path to success even if that means failing multiple times. Leaders from across industries shared their knowledge and young, aspiring business leaders have had the chance to create lasting connections with future tech-gurus. We are extremely pleased to be a significant part of this outstanding opportunity, and look forward to seeing the change that comes as a result.”

A conference of this scale invites attendance from business leaders, investors, entrepreneurs from around the world, promoting more opportunities for growth and investment within the startup ecosystem of Pakistan. BankIslami remains at the forefront of driving change across the Sharia-compliant banking industry in Pakistan.

Lahore (Muhammad Yasir) Master Changan Motors Limited is fast becoming the face of automotive disruption in the country. With its motto of “Future Forward, Forever.”, the company is offering best-in-class vehicles and challenging the status quo one segment at a time.

Master Changan Motors Limited has announced the successful sales of more than 10,000 Alsvin within the first year, making it the fastest growing sedan in Pakistan. The vehicle has delighted its users with remarkable fuel efficiency, premium features like the sunroof, stunning design and an impressive interior. The vehicle also features Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS), cruise control, customizable vehicle controls using the 7” human-machine interface (HMI) and faux leather seats.

“The success of Alsvin has been possible due to our commitment to bring the latest automotive design and technologies to the people of Pakistan”, Syed Shabbir Uddin – Director Sales & Marketing of Master Changan explained. “Today, customer’s confidence has resulted into the highest market share in relevant segments compared to all other new entrant brands. And to thank this confidence, we are announcing industry-leading 5 year warranty on all new Alsvins.”

To celebrate the occasion, Master Changan Motors Limited announced a special anniversary offer for all new orders in the month of March. Customers booking in March received free extension of warranty to 5 year / 150,000 km. The customers also received one year comprehensive insurance coverage under Changan Care | Protection Plan.

To cement the trust of customers and as a thank-you gesture, the company has announced the continuation of 5 year / 150,000 km warranty for all future Alsvin buyers. This highlights the Master Changan’s confidence in the product quality and reaffirms the commitment to offer the best customer satisfaction. The company is also going to introduce all new “Orion Blue” in Alsvin. This new shade has been widely appreciated in Oshan X7.

Customers can book the Alsvin with an extended 5 year / 150,000 km class-leading warranty at any authorized Changan Auto dealership.

The company’s first success in Pakistan has been Karvaan MPV. The popular 7-seat MPV has gained over 50% share in the small Van / MPV segment over the past 3 years. Changan Alsvin is the company’s foray into the B Sedan segment and has secured close to 25% market share in the relevant segment.

The recently launched Oshan X7 has quickly become the hottest selling SUV in the country due to its latest generation design, features and unparalleled engine performance. With its head-turning looks, the SUV is on track to disrupt the SUV segment in Pakistan.

Master Changan Motors Limited was established in 2018 as a result of the country’s Auto Policy 2016-21 with an investment of USD 136 million and a promise to bring futuristic vehicles within the reach of Pakistanis. Master Changan is the only JV with an OEM in three decades bringing in much needed FDI and Technology Transfer to Pakistan and within three years has become #4 in Pakistan’s auto industry and #1 among all new entrants. Changan is China’s #1 in domestic sales for over a decade. The brand leads in innovation and quality amongst all Chinese automobiles (Ranked #1 in Quality by JD Power) and has the highest investment in R&D in China.

 

The highly anticipated smartphone boasts a remarkable design, a 50MP Ultra Vision Camera, front camera vlog features, 66W HUAWEI SuperCharge

Lahore (Nut Desk)  Huawei Consumer Business Group announced today the availability of the new HUAWEI nova 9, the Trendy Flagship & Camera King to consumers in Pakistan. Defined by innovative features and fashion-forward design elements, Huawei’s latest nova device will spark new inspirations thanks to its powerful camera system and all-new videography features, which create new possibilities for users as they record moments in their lives.

The HUAWEI nova 9 will be available in Pakistan at a price of PKR 107,999/- in the all-new Colour No. 9 starting from May 16^th.

HUAWEI nova 9 debuts with a new colourway – Colour No. 9. It boasts a range of flagship-grade camera technology including a 50MP Ultra Vision Camera system, along with the RYYB colour filter array (CFA) and XD Fusion Engine. The camera enables users to capture impressive images and videos, even in low-light situations. The responsive 120Hz Original-Colour Curved Display, powerful processor, excellent battery life and support for blazing-fast charging speeds with 66W HUAWEI SuperCharge^[1] ensure a fluid experience for avid mobile gamers.

[1] 66 W is the maximum charging power, and can only be reached when the dedicated 66 W HUAWEI SuperCharge charger and cable are used.

A Breath-taking New Design

The HUAWEI nova 9 is an elegant smartphone. It introduces a new Colour No. 9 colourway, which is created with an all-new Starry Flash AG Glass process that adds a unique texture to the chassis and highlights the iconic camera module, giving it greater visual emphasis. Under a spotlight, the whole device shines and sparkles.  It also has a stunning 6.57-inch 120Hz Original-Colour Curved Display with a tapered surface that flows like a waterfall, minimising the left and right bezels for more immersive viewing. It can display 1.07 billion colours, features a refresh rate of up to 120Hz[1] and 300Hz touch sampling rate for improved responsiveness.

The design of the HUAWEI nova 9 itself also stands to impress, measuring only 7.77mm thick with a weight of 175g[2]. It also features a Nebula-inspired Star Orbit Ring that was first debuted with the HUAWEI nova 8. It comes with a “nova” ring emblem that highlights the Star Orbit Ring, which makes it even more recognisable and eye-catching. Combined, these design features represent not only a continuation of a legacy, but also the rebirth of it.

Capture Your Story with 50MP Ultra Vision Camera

The rear camera system features a 50MP ultra vision camera, an 8MP ultra wide angle camera, a macro camera[3] and a depth camera. It includes a large 1/1.56-inch sensor and a RYYB CFA with high light sensitivity, collecting 40 percent more light compared to a standard RGGB sensor.[4] This allows users to capture exquisite photos and videos even in low light conditions, ensuring that the bright parts of the image are not overexposed while the dark areas are clear and packed with detail.

Once the camera hardware captures an image, the XD Fusion Engine gets to work, using sophisticated computational photography techniques to greatly enhance image detail and quality.

[1] Display supports a maximum refresh rate of 120 Hz. Display refresh rate may vary by app and game.

[2] Actual product dimensions and weight by vary by configuration, manufacturing process and measurement method. For reference only.

[3] 4 cm short shooting distance.

[4] Compared to the traditional RGGB colour filter array. Data comes from Huawei laboratory.

Vlog Innovation:

HUAWEI nova 9 features a 32MP High-Res front camera that supports 4K video capture and AIS (AI Image Stabilisation) Video Stabilisation, allowing users to capture high definition footage of themselves as they talk to the camera or when they vlog.

Thanks to Continuous Front/Rear Recording, users can also switch between the front and rear cameras, allowing them to fluidly capture their story within a single video file. Dual-View Video recording allows users to showcase their live reaction to events, simultaneously using the front and rear cameras with no editing required or, for when you want to show the big picture and the detail, you can simultaneously capture a close up shot and wide angle shot at the same time.

With the Petal Clip app, users can easily choose from a variety of video templates and themes before posting their vlogs or other videos to social media in no time. Moreover, complicated editing processes have been streamlined thanks to Video Search and One-Click Video Creation.

 Power at Your Fingertips

The device supports new Touch Turbo technology, taking mobile gaming to a new level as it allows for more accurate and responsive controls.

Whether for gaming or simply browsing the Internet, the HUAWEI nova 9 delivers excellent battery life with the high capacity 4300mAh battery[1]. In addition, down time is kept to a minimum, with the new nova smartphone supporting 66W HUAWEI SuperCharge for high speed charging.

AppGallery: Trusted, innovative and secure

Running on EMUI 12, the HUAWEI nova 9 offers a smart and seamless experience to users. The trusted, innovative and secure AppGallery is available on the HUAWEI nova 9, where users can download a wide range of high-quality apps.

[1] Typical value.

Lahore (Muhammad Yasir) Philip Morris (Pakistan) Limited (PMPKL) provided financial support to Kashf Foundation, a non-profit micro-finance institution, to support its project that aims to empower women by providing them professional training in food catering (“Project”). 

Under this Project, four centers were established in Karachi’s area of Korangi & Orangi that trained 88 women. The trainees were taught how to prepare, package, and market their baked good items whilst maintaining standard hygiene practices. The program specifically focused on including core skills training on how to run a successful business by addressing topics like client dealing, communication skills, and techniques of business management and budgeting.

Andleeb Uroos Ahmed, Head of Communications at PMPKL, while sharing her views about the partnership, said, “For our society to grow and prosper, it is imperative that we provide equal opportunities for women in every field. PMPKL continues to make efforts to empower women and we hope that through this partnership, we will be able to positively impact and improve the life of women involved in our project.”

Roshaneh Zafar, Managing Director Kashf Foundation, lauding PMPKL’s contribution to their initiative, said, “We have been working to enable the underprivileged segment of the society with a goal of eradicating poverty and creating a gender equitable society. We are grateful to Philip Morris (Pakistan) Limited for their support towards our organization and towards empowering women.”

The Project also focused on assisting women to develop market linkages and join digital platforms to sell their products and help them create sustainable business ventures and reach a larger market. Trainees were awarded grants to put towards their business ventures. Some of these trainees have established profitable businesses providing them with means to support their families and become productive members of society.

Karachi (Muhammad Yasir) As part of its effort to offer maximum convenience to its consumers and ensure uninterrupted power supply to the city, K-Electric continues to take various measures, including setting up facilitations camps, conducting anti-power theft drives, and disconnecting defaulters’ power supply in various parts of the city.

As per the details, K-Electric has recently organized massive facilitation camps in North Karachi and Korangi where the utility received massive support from the consumers. In both camps, over 3,000 consumers were collectively facilitated and availed of different services from KE teams, including bill payment solutions via easy monthly installments and rebates as per their eligibility. They were also facilitated on their requests for new connections.

Furthermore, in line with its efforts to reduce losses and ensure the safety of the consumers, it was revealed that KE, on a daily basis, makes around 5,000 disconnections each day on average due to non-payment of bills. Furthermore, it runs kunda-removal drives in different areas such as Landhi, Bhens Colony, Korangi, Lyari, and various others. In the last few days, KE has also removed illegal connections weighing over 1,000 kgs from its infrastructure, which was not only contributing to the losses of the utility but was also causing safety hazards for the people at large.

While commenting on the power supply situation of the city and the measures being taken by the utility to reduce its losses, Imran Rana – Director of Communications & Spokesperson at K-Electric said, “Power supply to the majority of the areas remain stable and as per schedule. It is pertinent to note that the duration of load-shedding across Pakistan, including Karachi, depends upon the availability of fuel, power theft, and timely payment of the bills. All those areas in Karachi with less than a 20% loss ratio are receiving uninterrupted power supply. We would also like to reiterate that the industrial zones of Karachi also continue to stable power supply from 400 feeders. We are taking strict measures against power theft across the city and would like to urge our valued consumers to continue to cooperate with us in our drive to reduce losses so Karachi can enjoy a safe and reliable power supply.”

Furthermore, he reiterated that KE’s call center 118, SMS Service 8119, KE Live App, social media platforms, and WhatsApp Self Service Portal remain active 24/7 to support customers with their queries.

realme levels up its distribution network by partnering with one of Pakistan’s top mobile phone distributors to increase their footprint across the country.

realme is always on the lookout for avenues to increase product availability in the market. To this end, realme has recently joined forces with Advance Telecom to increase their footprint in the Pakistani market. Partnering with a large variety of the top international players in the smartphone industry, Advance Telecom is well known as one of the leading mobile phone distributors in Pakistan. Founded in 2002, the distribution business has over time collected the most well-known clients in the mobile industry and garnered a lot of respect.

Starting off in the city of Karachi, Advanced Telecom has slowly but surely spread its distribution network around the whole country making it the largest distribution network in the country. They also have the biggest after sales service network in the country, having dedicated Customer Care Centers & Collection Points in all major cities and towns in Pakistan. Their Direct-to-Retail network has an incredible reach of over 230 cities/ towns. Advance Telecom’s sprawling, robust distribution network supports the transportation of smartphones, feature phones, as well as phone accessories.

realme has previously been working with three distributors across Pakistan, including Airlink Communications, M&P, and United Mobile, to disseminate their products in the market. With the addition of Advance Telecom as the fourth distributor, realme can increase the reach of their product line to areas they had not previously covered and can reinforce distribution services in areas that already had a distribution link. Being active in the market for 20 years has given Advanced Telecom a real understanding of the wants, needs, and attitudes of the Pakistani consumer which can prove to be beneficial knowledge for realme to capture a greater share of the market.

Syed Mashood Hassan, Country Director, realme Pakistan had this to say on the occasion: “The realme team is delighted for the opportunity to work with a distribution giant such as Advance Telecom. I have the highest hopes that our collaboration will prove mutually beneficial for realme and Advance Telecom and that we may continue this partnership fruitfully into the future. We will strive to deliver superior value to our user base together.”

The sprawling after-sales service network provided by Advanced Telecom can also be a great aid in maintaining the standard of quality that realme holds itself to and improving the user experience with realme smartphones post-purchase in order to bolster the relationships it has with its user base.

Rizwan Majeed, CEO, Advance Telecom, gave his views on the occasion saying: “We are overjoyed to announce our partnership with realme, the fastest growing smartphone brand, as part of our network. We would like to extend our reassurances to the realme team and our dealer network that we will work together to maintain the level of quality and service that realme aspires towards.”

With this newly formed partnership, realme fans can expect greater availability of all their favorite products nationwide in the future.

Lahore (Nut Desk) Speakers at a consultation stressed the need for launching collaborative efforts by all the national political parties to develop a ‘charter of economy’ aimed at setting the direction of the economy right and bringing it out of the quagmire it is facing presently due to weak financial situation. This is the time that the incumbent government should take difficult decisions instead of popular measures so as to put the country stand again on its feet which is presently heading towards default.

The consultation was convened by the Pakistan Business Forum’s Lahore Chapter entitled ‘National Dialogue’ to pave the way for developing a broad-based charter of economy putting all the personal and political interest aside and furthering only national interests.

The consultation was addressed by the former governor Punjab Chaudhry Muhammad Sarwar, Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistan Deputy Chief Liaquat Baloch, FPCCI Chairman Irfan Iqbal Sheikh, LCCI President Mian Nauman Kabir, FPCCI Zonal Chairman Nadeem Qureshi, Pakistan Business Forum’s Lahore President Muhammad Ejaz Tanveer, Progressive Group’s President Khalid Usman, Trader leader Naeem Meer and others. Former Governor Punjab Chaudhry Muhammad Sarwar said that our biggest issue at the moment is economy.

He recalled his visit to London some three years back where some Indian think tanks said that India is no more interest in waging war with Pakistan but working to weaken Pakistan’s economy. He said our parties did not have shadow cabinets while in the developed world parties with even one seat form shadow cabinets so as when they come in power they have some working plan in hand to resolve the issues facing by the nation and the country. He regretted that in our country bureaucracy was ruling for the last 72 years and politicians are dependent on it because there is no tradition of doing homework before coming into power in shape of a shadow cabinet.

Chaudhry Sarwar also called for giving due recognition to overseas Pakistan who are sending US$3 billion to Pakistan. He said if we give them respect and resolve their issues, they can send double the remittances and help bringing country out of financial issues. He said currently we have only US$ 10 billion in the reserves and that was too a credit taken from the friendly countries just to keep in the reserves. He also hailed the performance of the judiciary and their role in resolving issues of overseas Pakistanis.

Deputy Chief of Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistan Liaquat Baloch said that the country direly needs a charter of democracy currently. He said that political parties should brainstorm collectively and give a complete roadmap and strategy to implement it for the next five years. He said it is the duty of the economist of the country too to give a plan to save the country from present economic turmoil.

He said that the country was passing through a critical juncture where no one was either caring for neither the constitution nor they are accepting win or loss of any political opponent. He feared that this situation may lead the country to some serious loss. Federation of Pakistan Chamber of Commerce & Industry (FPCCI) Chairman Irfan Iqbal Sheikh also advocated for developing a charter of democracy as there is no positive economic indication in the country.

He said we should rise now and save the country from default. He said we have always given attention towards politics and kept economy on second number. However, he said that if did not pay attention to the economy now then we will neither have the country nor the politics. He also voiced for banning the import of luxury items and said we did not have foreign exchange reserves for even the basics then why to import luxury items or luxury vehicles.

Lahore Chamber of Commerce & Industry (LCCI) President Mian Nauman Kabir said that it is imperative that every political party should have an economic plan. Election commission of Pakistan should not allow a party to contest the elections which has no economic plan. He regretted that the incumbent government was not aware of how to control the fuel prices situation. He said business community has least hope from the politicians.

TECNO takes up the game with the announcement of four different models for its upcoming Camon 19 series. The phones will come with not just a premium but a competitively stylish design for its most awaited series of the year.

The details of the launch and features of the Camon 19 series are still unknown but we have high hopes with TECNO. Camon is TECNO’s flagship Camera or photography series. After the success of the Camon 18 Series, this new series has a high bar to touch in the market.

With new adaptations, TECNO has created a huge customer base globally. Phantom X was the first from a new generation of technologically advanced devices from TECNO. If we talk about Camon, the latest Camon 18 series came with some high-end features like a battery, processor, and 128GB of internal storage. But the 48MP front and back camera of Camon 18T made it stand out more. The phone enabled users to take the Clearest Selfies and make fun videos to capture every moment.

The 18 series included some exceptional camera features to take you on a fun trip for mobile photography. The Camon 18 Series was the top-selling series of TECNO in the fourth quarter of 2021 due to its exceptional photography and camera features. Camon 18 Premier was a classy and high-tech phone which was much appreciated for the design. With a 64MP Triple camera, Gimbal Technology, and 60x Hyper Zoom, the phone has set an even higher bar for Camon 19.

The upcoming series includes Camon 19 Pro, Camon 19, Camon 19 Neo, and Camon 19 Pro 5G. Yes, you heard it right! Sources suggest that TECNO Camon 19 Pro will have a 5G variant as well. This is going to be BIG news if true! It will be the first TECNO phone to do so. The other devices will support 4G as previous devices.

Not to forget that these devices will be a vibrant change to your style. The Camon 18 phones were classy, stylish, and had their own outstanding features. This new series is expected to come with some out-of-the-box ideas and unique designs including camera, display, and back.

Follow for more about TECNO Camon 19 and much more!