Category: Pakistan

From businesses and employees, ABHI is now financially empowering people nationwide.

Pakistan (Nut Desk)

ABHI along with its clients, employees, users, and investors is channeling donations using its robust platform to support the bigger cause by partnering up with leading NGOs like JDC, Al-Khidmat, and Saylani who are at the forefront and are actively providing relief to flood victims on the ground.

For the first time ever in Pakistan, employed individuals who are ABHI users can empower families that have been affected by floods, by donating from their earned but unpaid salary directly from the mobile app within 30 seconds through ABHI Dost – this feature enables them to transfer the donation money directly to JDC, Al-Khidmat, or Saylani’s bank account.

In this time of urgent need, ABHI is determined to give its generous support to afflicted families and communities as they struggle to sustain themselves and rebuild their lives. With the help of the gathered donations, our partner NGOs will provide emergency support like shelter, household supplies, and food items to the ones in need.

ABHI is here to support its fellow Pakistani brothers and sisters in these tough times. Donate, to financially empower people nationwide. #abhikaro!

Founded in 2021, ABHI is Pakistan’s first financial wellness platform which empowers businesses and its employees through Earned Wage Access (EWA), Payroll Financing, Payroll Processing, and Invoice Factoring. Through EWA, employees can transfer their earned salaries into their bank account/wallet in 30 seconds. The company has now signed 280+ companies.

 

OPPO Extends its Support to Establish Flood Relief Villages across Pakistan in Collaboration with Alkhidmat Foundation

Lahore (Muhammad Yasir) Pakistan has been struck with unprecedented and devastating floods, which have led to massive loss of lives, livelihoods, and infrastructure. To address this, OPPO has joined hands with Alkhidmat Foundation to provide immediate food, shelter, and hygiene packs for around 300 families catering to over 2000 people in Southern Punjab.

Torrential monsoon rains have triggered the most severe flooding in Pakistan’s recent history, washing away villages and leaving more than 30 million people in need of humanitarian assistance. This is a wake-up call for the world as the threats of climate change becomes a devastating reality in Pakistan. We urge everyone to stand united, take care of each other and our planet.

Hundreds of thousands of homes have been destroyed, while many public health facilities, water systems, crops, and schools have been destroyed or damaged. Therefore, in solidarity with the country, OPPO in collaboration with Alkhidmat Foundation has donated PKR 10 million to provide immediate rehabilitation facilities in the flood-affected areas of Pakistan.

Committed to humanitarian services the OPPO Flood Relief Villages will serve to provide daily cooked meals along with ration packs to each family. There will be tents for shelter which can cater to up to 6 to 7 people per tent. Hygiene packs will also be provided to each family which contains all hygienic necessities such as sanitary pads, water purifiers, and soap among other items. The supply will last up to 3 months at least till a more permanent solution has been established.

In addition, OPPO staff will be volunteering onsite as extended support to the Alkhidmat workers across the affected areas in Pakistan.

Speaking on the occasion, Mr. George Long, CEO – OPPO Pakistan, Authorized Exclusive Distributer said; “With one-third of Pakistan under water and millions left homeless, it is now more than ever that the people of Pakistan need us. Thus, we have partnered with Alkhidmat Foundation whose proactive work has been both impressive and inspiring. Together we will fight and together we will rise.”

Regarding OPPO’s commitment to the community, Abdul Shakoor, President of the Alkhidmat Foundation, stated; “OPPO has always been remarkably eager to contribute to social causes. We greatly appreciate their support in our flood relief drive and hope to continue this partnership for the betterment of our society.”

OPPO urges people living in and outside of Pakistan to donate to the Alkhidmat Foundation through different payment gateways e.g. SMS Short Codes, Bank Transfer, Easy Paisa, and Jazz Cash accounts created particularly for Flood Relief Donations because every step counts and every action matters.

Let’s Unify, Relieve & Reconstruct.

For more information on donation methods, please visit this link: https://alkhidmat.org/akf-donations.php

 

 

British Council partners with Lahore Biennale Foundation for Virtual Museum, marking the 75^th anniversary of Pakistan

Lahore (Muhammad Yasir)  The British Council and Lahore Biennale Foundation (LBF) have partnered to launch the Lahore Biennale Foundation Virtual Museum project at the National College of Arts, Lahore. The virtual museum is a digital platform for artists, academics and creative practitioners to re-examine our shared cultural language and artistic legacy. The launch event was attended by senior members of the arts community as well as representatives from the British Council and the British High Commission. The project is part of the British Council’s Pakistan-UK Season: New Perspectives programme to mark the 75^th anniversary of Pakistan.

The project invited a diverse group of curators, collaborators and artists across the board to respond and contribute to 75 years of Pakistan’s rich, multifaceted history and culture post-independence. The aim is to facilitate broader socio-cultural changes in public interaction which has led to the need of providing people with a virtual space to reconnect with their cultural heritage. The project also questions the role of the “traditional forms of museum making” and builds on the global reality of virtual connectivity despite physical borders, making cyberspace an ideal platform for local and global conversations – transcending boundaries by making knowledge production an accessible and open-ended reality. The LBF’s Virtual Museum engages in new forms of museum making, overcomes physical boundaries, and functions as an enduring online resource.

Kate Joyce, Business Director Cultural Engagement, British Council South Asia, said: “The Virtual Museum is an innovative way to use art and heritage in community building in an inclusive and impactful way. This formed part of our programme of activity for Pakistan/UK: New Perspectives programme. I look forward to many young artists and curators contributing to this space and meaningfully sharing ideas that pave the way for an inclusive and sustainable future. The tragic recent events in Pakistan with the floods underline the importance of working together to tackle global challenges.”

The curators and themes for the project are Dastaan-I-Urdu, curated by Ali Usman Qasmi (Co Curator: Mahmood Ul Hasan); The Body and Beyond: Women’s Movements in Pakistan, curated by Farida Batool; Taos Chaman – Post-Colonial Identity in Artistic Practices in South Asia, curated by Masooma Syed; Manduva: Exploring What We Won’t Like to Call ‘Lollywood’, curated by Sarmad Sultan Khoosat; Ilm-e-Mosiqui: Classical Legacies, Folk Music and Contemporary Classics, curated by Sarah Zaman and Architecture through Space and Time: Conversations with the first generation of Pakistani Architects, curated by Tanvir Hasan. All these themes respond to a different aspect of our country’s shared history, cultural language and artistic legacy.

Qudsia Rahim, Executive Director at the Lahore Biennale Foundation, said: “The Lahore Biennale Foundation Virtual Museum is a unique form of archiving, knowledge making and exhibition discourse in response to the global socio-cultural changes in museum practice and public perception. Curated by a collaboration of leading local artists and academics (and not with a Western lens), it represents our shared history and heritage, and hopes to build upon the research as presented by local practitioners. With the current climate crisis in the country, it is now more crucial than ever, to come together, collaborate and help each other.”

Pakistan (Muhammad Yasir) Rehan Siddiqi, a well-known host, music producer, the most popular overseas Pakistani , community activist , producer of over 500 concerts across overseas community and National promoter representing over 30 Pakistani legends across the Overseas Pakistani.

He has been a very big support to the Entertainment industry as well as Helping Pakistani Real Estate across the country by bringing overseas Pakistani real estate buyers he’s mobilized to help the flood victims in Pakistan. Rehan Siddiqi had a special meeting with the American Congress representative, Sheila Jackson, and discussed the relief of the flood victims in Pakistan.

Congresswoman Sheila Jackson is visiting Pakistan under the leadership of a delegation, in which she will meet with the top government figures including the Prime Minister of Pakistan, in which she will give her support to the people affected by the floods in Pakistan. This delegation will also visit the flood-affected areas in Pakistan, after which the relief activities will be started immediately after assessing the damage caused by the flood.

American Rehan Siddiqi culture has become a unique identity in all of America including Houston in terms of social and welfare work. Rehan Siddiqi says that many people have suffered a lot due to the flood and the amount of help given to these people is very little.

Work to solve the problems of these people. Rehan is very much involved in the political circle of Us and has always promoted friendship between Paksitan and Us He was able to help grant visas for many Pakistanis in medical situation as well as played a major role in bringing American leadership to Pakistan for flood relief efforts.

United States Congress Congresswoman , the US state Department to meet Pakistan Government landing today in ISLAMABAD and will be visiting the affected areas of pakistan and will be making a report to provide Aid to Pakistan , the delegation is headed by Sheila Jackson Lee and US Government officials as well as American Pakistan community leaders including Rehan Siddiqi well known overseas Pakistani as well as Tahir Jawed , Tanweer Ahmed.

• Minister inaugurates NADRA Biker Service.

• Chairman NADRA briefed the Interior Minister about NADRA Bikers, other initiatives for the facilitation of general public.

• NADRA Biker’s is a home-based service to carry out all the processes of Identity Card:

• The Biker service has been introduced as pilot in Islamabad and Rawalpindi: Tariq MalikMinister Interior Islamabad:

Federal Minister for Interior Rana Sanaullah has launched NADRA Biker Service for carrying out all the processes of CNIC applied in renewal and modification categories at the door-step of the applicant.

The inauguration ceremony was held at NADRA Headquarters, Islamabad. During his visit to NADRA Headquarters, Chairman NADRA briefed the Interior Minister about NADRA operations in Sindh, Baluchistan and South Punjab which have been badly affected by devastating floods and heavy rains.

The minister was informed that the monsoon rains and floods have caused heavy losses to the most of buildings of NRCs which are inundated under water; however, the equipment has been saved and evacuated. Houses of 150 NADRA employees in those areas have been damaged, the chairman informed. Moreover, during the briefing Chairman NADRA informed the Minister that more than 37 million people have been terribly affected due to on-going floods and continuous rain pour. He told that the heavy rains and flooding situation in certain areas had led to the loss of CNICs of affected people which would be needed to have an access to governments’ relief disbursement and other relief activities.

With regard to Biker service, Mr. Malik informed that initially the pilot phase of the service would be started in Islamabad and Rawalpindi. By the end of December this year, NADRA Biker service would be extended to all the districts of the country, he added. Chairman NADRA told the minister that after rolling out digital online services for the citizens, a home-based NADRA’s Biker service is basically a portable NADRA Centre that will walk into the peoples’ lounges and register them in their premises saving them from the hassle of visiting NADRA centre. Through this service the female registration officers using scooties will also carry out the registration of women only.

Mr. Malik apprised the minister that he had been working on out-of-box solutions with a prime focus on creating hand-on facilitation and hassle-free registration for general public in a bid to accommodate more than 125000 footfall daily at 771 NADRA centres across the country. He informed that the long queues at NADRA registration centers, especially in big and densely populated cities led him to go an extra mile by successfully establishing 97 new NRCs and adding more than 100 new MRVs in the existing fleet within past 10 months.

Lauding the efforts of Chairman NADRA, Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah said Tariq Malik had latterly set a new benchmark globally by creating public facilitation regime through the implementation of international standards and world’s best practices in NADRA. Speaking on the occasion, Interior Minister said that having a wide network of NADRA Registration Centers (NRCs) in total, Mobile Registration Vans (MRVs) and online Pak Identity service/Mobile App across the country to cater for the registration of the people of Pakistan without prejudice on daily basis, the introduction of a NADRA Biker shall bring NADRA services at people’s homes.”

The minister directed the Chairman to smart facilities should be introduced in small towns across all provinces. Nadra Biker Service is a great facility and Its network should be spread throughout the country, said Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah The minister directed that the scope of online facilities for overseas Pakistanis should also be expanded. The minister urged on Chairman NADRA to develop an automated system to register the new born children.

U The applicants will have to get appointment through website (https://www.nadra.gov.pk), mobile application (NADRA Rahbar) or NADRA Call Centre on 1777 (for subscribers of Mobilink, Ufone, Telenor and Zong) and (051) 111 786 100 (for fixed lines).

Every citizen will be able to benefit from NADRA Bikers Service, the senior citizens, women, disabled, sick persons and those, who cannot go to NADRA offices during office hours, will now be able to obtain the ID card from the comfort of their home. Thus, the ID card will be sent to the applicant’s current/permanent address through courier service.

 

Meezan Bank & Samba Bank collaborate with Embassy of Pakistan to celebrate the Success of Roshan Digital Account – A Banking Service for Non-Resident Pakistanis.

Karachi (Muhammad Yasir) Meezan Bank and Samba Bank in collaboration with the Embassy of Pakistan in Bahrain hosted a reception at the Gulf Hotel, Manama – Bahrain by inviting prominent Non-Resident Pakistanis and customers to celebrate the success of Roshan Digital Account (RDA) in Pakistan. Dr. Murtaza Syed – Acting Governor, State Bank of Pakistan virtually participated in the event and addressed the audience. Also present at the occasion were His Excellency, Mr. Muhammad Ayub, Ambassador of Pakistan in Bahrain, Mr. Irfan Siddiqui – President & CEO, Meezan Bank and Mr. Ahmad Tariq Azam – Acting President & CEO, Samba Bank Limited along with key team members.

State Bank of Pakistan, with the goal of achieving digitization is working towards providing technology-enabled banking solutions for everyone in Pakistan. As an extension of this goal, Non-Resident Pakistanis can also avail financial services digitally through RDA, which include account opening and investment in different sectors in the country even from outside Pakistan.

In his speech, Dr. Murtaza Syed – Acting Governor, State Bank of Pakistan briefed the audience on the current economic situation of the country and thanked the NRPs living in Bahrain for their support and contribution over the past two years, that has evidently resulted in increasing the inflow of foreign remittances to Pakistan.

In his welcome address, His Excellency, Mr. Muhammad Ayub, Ambassador of Pakistan highlighted the contributions of the Pakistani diaspora in the socio-economic development of the Kingdom of Bahrain and also Pakistan through significant remittances. He also underlined the vital contributions of the Pakistani community in strengthening the bilateral relations between Pakistan and Bahrain.

In his welcome speech, Mr. Irfan Siddiqui – President & CEO, Meezan Bank thanked the guests for attending the event and said, “Alhamdulillah, Meezan Bank is the only bank to have received One Billion USD in remittances under the Roshan Digital Account initiative. We are pleased to be celebrating this achievement with you on Meezan Bank’s 25th Anniversary, to honour the support extended by the Overseas Pakistani community who have raised the profile of the Bank in local and international communities. I would like to dedicate this celebration to our valued customers and employees whose trust and commitment has enabled the Bank to grow into one of the leading banks of the country.”

Mr. Ahmad Tariq Azam, Officiating President & CEO, Samba Bank Limited, while addressing the gathering of Non-Resident Pakistani diaspora accentuated on the national importance of the Roshan Digital initiative and highlighted that this digital platform has provided the all-important financial linkage to the Overseas Pakistanis with their homeland. It not only fulfills to their basic banking needs but also provides a complete lifestyle solution to the NRPs and their families. He asserted that Samba Bank Limited takes pride in extending world class banking services to its RDA holders and would continue to cater to their varied banking requirements through our state-of-the-art technological infrastructure.  

Mr. Azam, in his closing remarks, further stressed that Pakistan and Bahrain have a long-standing relationship of bilateral cooperation and such events not only bring the Pakistani community closer but also strengthen the bond of coalition between two countries.

Over 200 guests attended the event including various industry leaders and professionals from the Pakistani community in Bahrain. The event also coincides with Pakistan’s 75th Independence Year celebrations.

After dinner, Meezan Bank and Samba Bank announced availability of their teams at the Pakistan Embassy on the next day for facilitation of Overseas Pakistanis living in Bahrain. Subsequently, the teams will be visiting various camp sites for two additional days to provide them with maximum assistance.

It is quite overwhelming and simply heartening to see that every Pakistani – whether living in Pakistan or abroad – is equally celebrating the Diamond Jubilee of Pakistan so promisingly and cheering up the people around them. In a bid to take active part to celebrate the 75th Independence Day and to to pay tribute to this heroic nation, National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) came up with its melodious, rather awe-inspiring share ‘Hamari Jaan Pakistan – Hamara Maan Pakistan’ which – so far – has taken the social media by storm and has received a huge ovation from the viewers across social media, whether we talk about Twitter, YouTube, Facebook, TikTok etc. This short but head-on 95sec national song starts with a quote of the Great Quaid in which he was reiterating that this valiant nation had given countless sacrifices to get a new identity in the form of Pakistan. As of now, this quote directly correlates with the core essence of the NADRA as – since its inception – it is doing its best to give every Pakistani a true ‘national identity’. The song then takes its viewers/listeners through various monuments and beautiful landscapes of Pakistan besides excellently displaying interfaith harmony and later ends at a high note. Nonetheless, the beautiful song was written by a bunch of dedicated NADRA employees and the Chairman Tariq Malik has given its final touches.

If you haven’t yet gone through this melodious tribute, here we go.

Keep the momentum of this day high and Enjoy Viewing! VIDEO…

/ https://fb.watch/eUCMTerqCb/

British Council partners with Koel Gallery on Art for Climate Change for the 75^th anniversary of Pakistan.

Pakistan (Nut Desk)

The British Council and Koel Gallery have partnered to launch the ‘Saahil Ki Kahaaniyan – Stories from the Coast’ project exhibition at the Koel Gallery in Karachi on Friday, 12 August. The exhibition which continues until 19 August features multidisciplinary works that aim to raise awareness of the impact of climate change on the coastal areas of Pakistan, particularly its fragile mangrove ecosystem, with a view to promoting sustainable coastal development.

The project is part of the British Council’s Pakistan-UK Season: New Perspectives programme to mark the 75^th anniversary of Pakistan.

In February 2022, the project awarded grants to Pakistan-based artists exploring this theme through a variety of mediums, culminating in the curated exhibition close to Pakistan’s independence day. The British Council arranged a diverse selection committee, including experts from the UK, to review applications – a process that was quite intensive, given the large number of high-quality applications that were received. After a detailed vetting exercise, four creative teams were selected to work on this project.

Visual Artist, Curator and Director KOEL Gallery, Noorjehan Bilgrami said: “I am sincerely hoping that these projects through the common platform of ‘Saahil Ki Kahaaniyan’, amalgamating at KOEL Gallery, will begin the process of collective research that records, investigates and disseminates the awareness of our legacy that needs to be owned, protected and treasured. It is a beginning for this exciting work to continue”

Artist Mahera Omar presented a silent cinematic journey through a delicate wetland ecosystem on the shores of an industrial city, documenting the precious biodiversity which is in grave danger of being lost under her project titled, ‘Kabhi aisay bhi hota hai ke kinare doob jate hain…’. Marvi Mazhar, Abuzar Madhu & Swalay Muhammad presented ‘Milaap’, an exploration of the sacred geography of the urban/rural estuary where the river meets the coast, focusing on Khizr, the Darya Shah, whose coordinates are sometimes imaginary on liquid grounds in the form of astana, a promised space to protect the coast from climatic and human infrastructural ruptures. Taqi Shaheen & Sara Khan Pathan worked on ‘The Shape of Island’, a research project to design ‘Machi Wachi’ – a board game that acts as a storytelling interface for reflection and ecological understanding about scarcity of natural resources around Bhit Island. While, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto & Janan Sindhu presented ‘Bulhan Nameh’, a series of immersive installations of fabric and video that speak to the plight of one of Pakistan’s shyest animals, the Indus River Dolphin, as well as the communities that have been key to its conservation.

Director Arts, British Council Pakistan Laila Jamil said: “Saahil Ki Kahaaniyan’ has been a very exciting project for us – to have been a part of the selection of such wonderful artists and activists, to be able to see the variety of topics they have chosen, their sensitive approaches, deep research, and love of their respective areas of work – it has been a privilege to be part of their creative journey. We believe art has the potential to challenge and change mindsets for a more sustainable and inclusive future. We are grateful to Koel Gallery for showcasing this project and to the Rangoonwala Foundation for their ongoing support for the arts in Pakistan.”