Category: Business

Lahore (Muhammad Yasir) Justice Project Pakistan, with support from the Federal Republic of Germany, hosted “Technology for Justice Forum (T4JF)” here on Saturday. The conference was dedicated to the promotion of technology-based innovations to bring legal reforms in Pakistan and finding ways to further strengthen the legal system by incorporating technological solutions.

This first-of-its-kind forum brought together Pakistani thought leaders, including senior government stakeholders, civil society members, academics, key stakeholders from the ministries of law, human rights, science and technology, senior judges and lawyers, as well as ambassadors of various donor countries — all committed to supporting the indigenous, innovative efforts made to strengthen the rule of law in the country. Honourable Justice Ijaz ul Ahsan, Justice of Supreme Court Pakistan graced the occasion as Chief Guests. Some of the guests & speakers included Faisal Aftab – Co-Founder Zayn Capital, Beau Seil – Co-Founder Patamar Capital, Taimur Malik – Partner Clyde & Co, Mohammad Ahmad Pansota- founding partner Ahmed & Pansota, Honourable Justice Ali Bakir Najafi – Judge Lahore High Court, Honourable Yasir Humayun – Minister Information Technology & Higher Education, Senator Syed Ali Zafar- Chairperson Committee on Law & Justice.

Opening remarks for the conference were made by Hassan Khawar, Special Assistant to the Chief Minister of Punjab and Official Spokesperson of Government of Punjab. While speaking on the importance of technology in the legal system he said “Technology is bringing about a revolution in the world and for any society to grow and work, rule of law sits at the very foundation. If these two things come together, it can really become a game changer to fix what lies in the route of our society, I think it will be a great step for Pakistan”.

Addressing the Conference, Honourable Justice Ijaz ul Ahsan said; “The integration of Technology in the field of law is the future, we must be prepared for it. I invite you all to join hands with us in our quest to + help create a society & a legal system which is just and fair and where the Rule of Law Prevails.”

The Technology for Justice Forum celebrated Vakeel Online, an online legal platform aimed to play a critical role in bridging the gap between justice, legal practitioners & real people. Such portals are of utmost importance and need of the hour considering the foundation of the conference i.e., introducing technology in the legal system where the real beneficiaries will be the people of Pakistan who will have justice at the palm of their hands.

“Since the past twenty years we have travelled from non-computerized to computerized systems and the pace at which things have progressed and at the point where we are now is of great significance in the legal system” said Hon. Justice Ali Bakir Najafi- Judge Lahore High Court.

Justice Project Pakistan’s Executive Director, Sarah Belal Said, “After witnessing the exchange of ideas at T4JF, I am extremely excited for the future and look forward to seeing the brilliant initiatives discussed today materialising in the coming months.”

The event provided a space for a public-private sector meeting that advocates for an increased and effective technology integration into legal reform.

 

foodpanda join hands with USAID SMEA to enhance culinary expertise of its home chefs

Lahore (Muhammad Yasir) To further its mission of strengthening the HomeChef ecosystem in Pakistan, foodpanda collaborated with USAID SMEA (Small and Medium Enterprise Activity), to further enhance the culinary expertise and education of its HomeChefs. As part of this collaboration, an extensive three days Culinary and Kitchen Management training was organised at College of Tourism and Hotel Management (COTHM) Lahore. The training consisted of Demonstrations, Practical & Group work and covered key topics like: cooking, baking & desserts, food safety – level 1, menu planning, packaging and temperature management for food delivery, and managing food safety standards.

The session was attended by 22 foodpanda Home Chefs, of which 3 were males and 19 females. The active representation by women is a testament to foodpanda’s vision of creating economic opportunities for women and advancing them by joining hands with strategic partners like USAID SMEA & COTHM. 

“This is foodpanda and USAID SMEA’s third successful collaboration. We partnered during the peak of Covid-19 to impart virtual trainings to women across Pakistan on key topics like ’Online Business Management & Marketing’ and ‘Food Handling during Covid-19 Pandemic'”, said Binte Fatima Rizvi, Head of Partnerships for Home Chefs.

“foodpanda’s aim is to increase the Home Chefs base in the next two years and take it up to 100,000 registered Home Chefs. Our partnership with USAID SMEA and COTHM is in-line with this vision and will help us accelerate our efforts, economically empowering people in Pakistan and enhancing food entrepreneurship in the country,” she added.

‘Thank you to foodpanda, USAID & COTHM for providing foodpanda Home Chefs with this excellent learning opportunity. This 3-days extensive training covered all the key topics from cooking to hygiene to running a profitable business. I can’t wait to expand my menu by adding the new dishes i learnt here and give my customers a WOW experience!’ said foodpanda Home Chef Mona Bilal, owner of Hungry Hive.

All participants of the training program were assessed and certified by COTHM. Certificates were distributed to HomeChefs at the end of training completion by Mr. Babar Sheikh, Director HRD & International Development-COTHM and Mr. Ahsan Malik, Head of Home Chefs-foodpanda.

 

• New Perspectives will run from March 2022 to August 2022, and will focus on collaboration between the two nations on culture and heritage, environment, and sustainability, and creating opportunities for young people, especially women and girls

Karachi (Muhammad Yasir) British Council CEO, Scott McDonald launched the ‘Pakistan/UK New Perspectives’” programme in Karachi today to mark the 75^th anniversary of Pakistan. The launch was attended by prominent guests from the Government, performing arts, culture, academia, and the media.

Pakistan/UK New Perspectives acknowledges and builds upon the deep cultural ties between Pakistan and UK, and features an expansive cultural programme spanning theatre, film, visual arts, sustainable design and architecture, digital platforms, music, literature, museums, broadcast and dialogue, capacity and skills building, research, and numerous exciting cross-arts commissions. People in Pakistan and UK will have the chance to experience creative work from some of the best UK and Pakistani organisations, artists and institutions creating together.

A full list of initiatives under Pakistan/UK New Perspectives is available on the British Council website.

Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy, a partner for the Pakistan/UK: New Perspectives programme talked about her collaboration with Scottish Documentary Institute to mentor 10 young female film makers to create their original content through this initiative. She stated:

‘”Pakistan’s rich cultural landscape offers so much to inspire filmmakers here but producing and providing small grants for documentary films – particularly for female filmmakers in non-urban parts of the country – can be a struggle. So, our timely collaboration with the Scottish Documentary Institute and British Council means that for the first time, through Patakha Pictures, we will be able to provide small grants and mentoring for this new generation of storytellers.”

Speaking at the launch Scott McDonald, CEO of the British Council said:

“One of the British Council’s core aims is to support young people, especially women, girls and marginalised communities, to access opportunities. Arts and culture play an instrumental role in creating platforms for their voice and expression and it is excellent to see that they are an integral part of the Pakistan/UK New Perspectives programme.”

The evening ended with an inspiring performance by Wahab Shah – a renowned choreographer and performer. Wahab Shah in collaboration with Inspirate UK is leading a programme that explores modes of creating new narratives through dance.

Lahore (Muhammad Yasir) HyperUp Lab, an accelerator program, centered around Hyper-casual game entrepreneurs, has started accepting applications from talented Pakistani game developers and game designers.

The application process that kicked off on the 18th of February, 2022 has now been extended to the Pakistani market to facilitate talented Pakistani mobile game entrepreneurs.

Sharing the details of the accelerator program, Project Specialist at HyperUp Lab, Ms. GülesinUlugöl said, “This program has been developed to help budding young game entrepreneurs realize their dreams and achieve their goals.All game entrepreneurs who have previously developed hyper-casual games can apply to the program, which doesn’t require physical participation.”

She added, “Game developers applying to the HyperUp Lab’s 3-monthonline accelerator program, who’d be able to join individually or as part of a team,would be subject to evaluation processes, whereas only successful candidates would be eligible to participate in the program.”

Further revealing the details she added, “During the program, participants would be provided mentorship through game industry veterans, who’d coach them and provide weekly sessions, followed by feedback from the mentors, to help them swiftly achieve their targets. Furthermore,the candidates would also have access to software and financial support.”

It is pertinent to mention here that the deadline to apply for this program is 18^th March 2022, so all potential candidates are advised to apply asap to avail this opportunity.

Detailed information about the HyperUp Lab Accelerator Program and the application process can be found at http://hyperup.net/.

Islamabad – March 03, 2022: Ufone 4G has emerged as Pakistan’s No. 1 Voice and Data network in Pakistan Telecommunication Authority’s (PTA), ‘Mobile Networks Benchmark Report for 2022’. PTA used Network Performance Score (NPS) methodology to ascertain service quality across the country. The integrated innovative methodology, standardized by European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) allows regulators to assess network performances through automated tests of simulated Voice, Data and SMS usage behaviors of end users.

The report reaffirms the company’s strong focus on delivering the highest quality connectivity to its customers to enhance their user experience. Ufone 4G topped the nationwide benchmarking campaign, where the company’s Voice and Data services scored the highest aggregate total of 634 out of 800.

The study was held across all federal and provincial capitals including four towns, along with four major motorways & highways to ascertain the quality of mobile networks. PTA survey teams made more than 15 thousand Voice calls and conducted 45 thousand Data tests across an area of approximately 4,522 kilometers in length at these locations.

Ufone 4G achieved highest scores for its Voice and Data services, with a significantly higher margin against the industry benchmarks and other Cellular Mobile Operators (CMOs) in Pakistan. The Pakistani telecom company demonstrated the best call setup performance and the strongest data network across all cities and towns surveyed by the regulator.

The steady improvement in the Ufone 4G’s network quality and coverage was witnessed following its acquisition of 4G spectrum and investment in enhancing and modernizing its network in line with its long-term commitment to improve the user experience of its customers.

It is the second survey by PTA in a year. The regulator carries out telecom benchmarking campaigns from time to time to assess network quality and performance as well as to spur healthy competition in the industry, thereby encouraging delivery of quality service to telecom users.

PTA’s latest ranking reaffirms Ufone 4G’s long term endeavor to transform the way customers experience telecom services. To that end, the company acquired 4G spectrum and continues to innovate and modernize its network to deliver the best Voice and Data experience to the users because users remain at the heart of everything Ufone 4G ever undertakes, as is evident from its cherished brand slogan, Tum He Tou Ho!

Lahore (Muhammad Yasir)  Pakistan’s No. 1 LED TV brand — has joined hands with Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) as the Associate Partner of the Pakistan National Cricket Team for the Pakistan vs Australia (Pak vs Aus) series, commencing in Rawalpindi on Friday, 4 March. The highly anticipated series is Australia’s first tour of Pakistan in 24 years.

Sunny Yang, GM at TCL Electronics Pakistan, and Faisal Hasnain, CEO at PCB, signed the sponsorship agreement at PCB Headquarters, Lahore on 2nd March.

TCL is set to be the partner of Pakistan National Cricket team for the first time. As a part of the agreement, TCL’s logo will appear on the shirts of the Pakistani team throughout the three Tests, three ODIs and one T20I Series.

TCL has been at the forefront of promoting cricket in the country. Earlier this year, it celebrated its five-year successful partnership with Peshawar Zalmi for Pakistan Super League (PSL) and now this historic partnership will mark its expansion into international cricket.

Speaking on this partnership, Sunny Yang said: “TCL Pakistan is proud to announce its commitment to Pakistan cricket, building on our support for the historic Pak vs Aus series. We look forward to a rewarding collaboration as the Associate Partner of the Pakistan national cricket team. This synergy further underlines our commitment to excellence and in leveraging cricket at global, national and local levels.”

“We are delighted that a global brand TCL has come on board as the Associate Partner of PCB before a historic series against Australia that is taking place after 24 years. This is a wonderful opportunity for both brands to further their values and ideals. It is a perfect platform for people to enjoy a riveting contest between two world-class teams. This partnership can only go further than it already has as TCL has been a partner and a supporter of Pakistan cricket for the last couple of years through its support to PSL and our franchises. I welcome TCL to the PCB’s fraternity,” said Faisal Hasnain on the association.

“This partnership is of very high significance to TCL. It is a great honour for us to be associated with our national team during this historical moment after all what we have been through. Team Pakistan’s recent achievements and displays of world-class potential reflect our own ambitions and accomplishments. As one of the technology leaders, we have been providing an elevated and immersive experience to cricket fans across the country and our partnership with the national team will further inspire exceptional experiences and fulfill our vision of new developments in this field,” stated Majid Niazi, Head of Marketing at TCL Pakistan.

This collaboration is also a part of TCL’s initiative of expanding its global footprint and witnessing immense growth from major international markets.

Lahore (Muhammad Yasir) OPPO, a leading global smart device brand, today announced the launch of its latest A series smartphone – OPPO A76 – in Pakistan. OPPO A76 continues the A series’ tradition of leveraging OPPO’s proprietary OPPO Glow Design manufacturing process, producing a device that is stylish and durable. OPPO A76’s 6.56-inch punch-hole screen has been upgraded with a more responsive and fluid 90Hz refresh rate and 180Hz touch sampling rate display for a truly immersive viewing experience. It’s also equipped with a 5000mAh battery, coupled with OPPO’s self-developed 33W SUPERVOOC_TM charging,  providing the necessary power to keep users productive and entertained as needed.

Stylish design that stands out from the crowd

Upon first look, OPPO A76‘s Glow Design is visually stunning, feels great in the user’s hand, and is still highly durable and resistant to fingerprint smudges and dirt. Available in Glowing Blue or Glowing Black, the color options are lighter, brighter, and more textured than the previous generation. Users who rotate the phone under bright lighting conditions can see how the back finish subtly changes in color and sparkles.

OPPO A76 features a 6.56-inch HD display that has a remarkable 89.9% screen-to-body ratio, enabled by OPPO punch-hole display design. Besides the stunning display, OPPO A76 is enhanced with a 90Hz refresh rate and 180Hz touch sampling rate, making watching videos and playing games a truly immersive experience. The fingerprint sensor now sits on the side of the phone. By using a thinner fingerprint sensor and buttons on the side, the phone is lighter, thinner with a more comfortable feel, while also looking more refined. 

Optimized hardware and software deliver a smooth and long-lasting experience

Equipped with a 5000mAh battery and 33W SUPERVOOC_TM charging, OPPO A76 gives users the necessary battery power to stay connected. With the help of 33W SUPERVOOC_TM fast charging technology, a 5-minute charge to OPPO A76 allows use of phone calls over 3.5 hours. In addition to the hardware, OPPO has made great strides in improving the battery use efficiency with features such as Super Power Saving Mode, Super Nighttime Standby and Optimized Night Charging, ensuring a long-lasting and safe user experience.

Powered by Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ 680, OPPO A76 delivers a smooth user experience at all times, even while multi-tasking. Two different memory and storage combinations are offered with the OPPO A76 –  4GB + 128GB, and 6GB + 128GB, allowing microSD storage expansion up to 1TB. OPPO A76 supports the RAM Expansion feature, which helps alleviate performance bottlenecks for memory limited devices.

OPPO has also provided software enhancements to take advantage of the new hardware performance. ColorOS 11.1 on OPPO A76 makes the entire user experience effortless and efficient with fluidity with the help of useful features such as Bullet Screen Message, FlexDrop, Three-finger Translate with Google Lens, and upgraded Privacy features. System Booster is an underlying technical optimization, which ensures a comprehensive smoothness for the phone. In addition, Link Boost 2.0 ensures users always connect intelligently and enjoy low latency, high-speed internet. It also supports card reading, and point-to-point communication.

A camera upgrade enhances portrait photography

OPPO A76 carries an 8MP front camera with a pixel size of 1.12um and an aperture of f2.0, producing gorgeous portrait shots up to 3264 x 2448 resolution. AI natural retouching is a beautification technology that has been upgraded and now includes blemish removal for the front camera while still preserving the user’s natural facial features. Portrait shots are now brighter and clearer in dim environments with the help of the 360° Fill Light feature, while beauty effects are superimposed on top.

The rear dual camera setup features a 13MP f2.2 main sensor on top and a 2MP secondary bokeh camera on the bottom, allowing users to use Portrait Mode to take some seriously stunning shallow depth-of-field shots where the bokeh looks more precise and natural, while the blurred edge processing adds more authentic detail. The camera also supports 6x digital zoom and up to 20 continuous burst shots. An AI Palette is included as an after-effect editing feature, where users can discover many different coloring settings and easily create photos in the same style as influencers. Both front and rear cameras support HDR, which preserves details in the dark areas even under backlit shooting scenarios.

Market Availability

OPPO A76 is available today in Pakistan. It comes in two stunning colors, including Glowing Blue and Glowing Black. OPPO A76 is available with 4GB + 128GB / 6GB + 128GB. You can pick up this smartphone powerhouse for 36,999 PKR at https://click.daraz.pk/e/_725og and in stores nationwide.

Lahore (Muhammad Yasir) Pakistan’s largest digital Bank, Mobilink Microfinance Bank Limited (MMBL) has once again clinched the Corporate Social Responsibility Award in the category of “Diversity & Inclusion (D&I) Leader” for advancing D&I through its flagship women empowerment and disability inclusion initiatives, Women Inspirational Network (WIN) and Humqadam program. The 11th Annual International Corporate Social Responsibility Summit & Awards 2022, were held in Karachi by The Professionals Network and are the first and only (CSR) Award of Pakistan registered with the IPO Government of Pakistan. The ceremony was attended by prominent business personalities and professionals from the industry, government organizations, NGOs, academia, and the media.

Under its flagship initiatives WIN and Humqadam, MMBL is supporting women and differently-abled individuals by facilitating them to overcome barriers restricting their access to financial empowerment. In line with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals 2030, the bank has been providing training opportunities to women and differently-abled individuals to strengthen their professional capabilities with a focus on improving their digital and financial skillsets in the rapidly evolving banking ecosystem of Pakistan.

Expressing her thoughts on receiving the award, Samiha Ali Zahid, Chief People Officer at MMBL said: “MMBL is honored to be recognized by The Professionals Network (TPN) for its efforts to become a catalyst of change for diversity and inclusion. This award is a reflection of MMBL’s commitment to uplift marginalized social groups, including women and differently-abled individuals by providing a platform and enabling them to grow professionally. As Pakistan’s largest digital bank, MMBL reinforces its commitment to roll out innovative financial products and services for everyone, leaving no one behind, by removing all potential barriers and building a truly inclusive digitally and financially enabled Pakistan.”

Through its expansive financial services portfolio, MMBL provides easy accessibility of its digital financial solutions, and has trained over 500 women, and onboarded over 9 differently-enabled individuals under the WIN and Humqadam program, respectively. MMBL remains dedicated to fostering inclusion and empowerment opportunities for all using the power of digital financial services. 

Lahore (Muhammad Yasir) Pakistan’s cellular and digital services frontrunner, Zong 4G, has been recognized as the most superior network of the country by Pakistan Telecom Authority’s (PTA) latest Quality of Service (QoS) survey (Q4), 2021.

In the recent Quality of Service (QoS) survey carried out by PTA in 18 cities and nine motorways, highways, intercity roads across all four provinces to measure the performance of the services of Pakistani Cellular Mobile Operators (CMOs). The survey gauged the CMO performances against the issued KPIs of voice, network coverage, SMS, and mobile broadband/data using a state-of-the-art automated QoS Monitoring and Benchmarking tool.

In the survey, Zong took the lead in major performance metrics including mobile network coverage, mobile broadband service, voice call quality, and overall telecom ranking.

“We’re delighted to have topped the PTA QoS charts for Q4, 2021, and are always in pursuit of service excellence on every single front,” shared Zong’s official spokesperson on the achievement.

“We will continue to find new ways of serving our customers better and drive the digital change that Pakistan needs at the moment. Moreover, we extend our heartfelt gratitude to our customers for their trust in Zong as their preferred digital connectivity partner,” the spokesperson added.

Zong is Pakistan’s top connectivity and digital services provider that’s also leading the ICT-led digital transformation in the country. The company delivers best-in-class mobile telephony and digital services while striving to help Pakistan match its digital pace with the world and enter the 5G era.