Lahore (Muhammad Yasir) TECNO announced reduced prices for its recently launched devices. The latest Camon 19 Neo will now be available for PKR 37,999 instead of PKR 40,999.

TECNO has reduced the prices of quite a few devices including Camon, Spark, POP, and POVA devices. The latest Camon 19 Neo is equipped with the advanced technology 32MP Softlight Selfie Camera, 48MP Bright Night Portrait, and a Geometric Edge cutting Design. So the phone is not just powerful but stylish and iconic.

Camon 19 Neo comes packed with some powerful features including a Helio G85 processor, 6.78” FHD+ Display, 6+128GB Storage, 5000mAh powerful battery with an 18W flash charger, along with some of the most outstanding camera features.

The phone offers a brilliant 2k Video shooting, where users can enjoy Bokeh and other effects in the video as well as still photography. Not just these but the phone comes with special features for videography, vlogging, fashion shoots and other aesthetical captures.

The most fun is that the brand has further reduced the price for its amazing Camon 19 Neo. The powerful phone with stylish design has become a favorite of many fashion enthusiasts and sold thousands of units in no time.

So don’t wait anymore, hurry and get your brand new Camon 19 Neo for only PKR 37,999.

Lahore (Muhammad Yasir) CORPORATE PAKISTAN GROUP and Nutshell Group bring yet another groundbreaking event – Thought Leaders Dialogue – Pakistan: the Next Great Infrastructure Connector. The event will be held in Islamabad at a local hotel. 

Ambassador Ali Jahangir Siddiqui (Former Ambassador of Pakistan to the USA) will be presenting the keynote address on the theme of the session. Other esteemed speakers include

Senator Dr. Musadik Malik, Minister of State (Petroleum Division); Dr. Shamshad Akhtar, Chairperson of Pakistan Stock Exchange, SSGC and Karandaz, Former Federal Minister of Finance and Former Governor State Bank of Pakistan; Dr. Moeed W. Yusuf, Former National Security Advisor of Pakistan; Air Chief Marshal Sohail Aman (Rtd), Chief Executive Strategic

Engagements, Nutshell Group and Pakistan’s Chief of Air Staff (2015-2018); Ghias Khan, President Overseas Investors Chambers of Commerce and Industry (OICCI); and Mosharraf Zaidi, Founder, Tabadlab.

Muhammad Azfar Ahsan, Founder of Nutshell Group and CORPORATE PAKISTAN GROUP (CPG), and Former Minister of State and Chairman of Board of Investment, believes that “Pakistan’s location is its core strength and will determine its rise as the most influential of energy corridors for regional prosperity. It will also directly impact and improve Pakistan’s prosperity, stability, and security.’’

Nutshell Group and CPG Leadership found the article by Ambassador Ali Jehangir Siddique on ‘Pakistan: The Next Great Infrastructure Connector,’ published by Atlantic Council Global Energy Sector and Atlantic Council South Asia Sector, to be a perfect reason to curate this Dialogue. The geo-strategic position has been Pakistan’s strength since its inception. Pakistan provides the key corridor to both China and Central Asia. Its location and the potential opportunities associated with it, have always been instrumental in shaping its foreign policy and economic progress.

Opportunities for connectivity in terms of trade, digital and overall economic impact, are crucial for Pakistan as a corridor. The Dialogue will be a significant step toward an understanding of working with and formulating the best policies to benefit from this conduit. 

With Belt and Road Initiatives (BRI) and changing political dynamics, Pakistan’s position can and will be an important element in regional commerce. Nutshell Group and CPG, through this Dialogue, will bring the audience’s and stakeholders’ focus on the significance of Pakistan as a regional energy, infrastructure, and digital connector and corridor. It will also outline the policies that will be needed to best utilize this conduit. Historically, Pakistan has not been short of a good policy structure, but the implementation of the same has been a challenge. It is this challenge that the Dialogue will be resolving for establishment of the most effective infrastructure for connectivity in all aspects. An impressive array of speakers belonging to domains ranging from Banking, Economics, and Public Policy to Digital Space and National Security, as well as experts from the corporate sector and the Government, will be sharing their expert views and putting together recommendations for the way forward. Nutshell and CPG are both focused on providing support and facilitation in helping public and private sector stakeholders for Pakistan’s rise in the region, which will favorably impact Pakistan’s economy. 

The focus of the Dialogue will be on geophysical, political, and digital infrastructure and policies for the next decade. An interactive discussion session at the end of the Dialogue will cater to a better understanding of placing Pakistan’s strategic location and infrastructure’s importance at the core of the regional development progress.

International Industries Limited (IIL) arranged a grand event for the launch of its 

new product of the polymers category “IIL UPVC Pipes and Fittings”.

Lahore (Muhammad Yasir) International Industries Limited (IIL) arranged a grand event for the launch of its new product of the polymers category “IIL UPVC Pipes and Fittings” at the Pearl Continental Hotel in Lahore. Over 220+ customers with renowned architects, engineers, contractors, builders, and key industry professionals from all over the country attended the event. The launch of IIL UPVC pipes and fittings now maintains IIL as a all under one roof piping and fittings solutions company in Pakistan.

IIL UPVC Pipes and fittings provide an easy and reliable sewerage system for residential, commercial, and industrial projects. With over 50 years of pipe manufacturing experience, IIL is proud to introduce UPVC pipes and fittings which are manufactured in IIL’s state-of-the-art facility using the highest quality raw materials and adhering to the highest international standards.

International Industries Limited is Pakistan’s largest manufacturer of steel and polymer pipes with an annual manufacturing capacity of 817,000 tons and annual revenues of PKR 37.8 billion. IIL is a part of Amir S. Chinoy group of companies which include International Steels Limited and Pakistan Cables Limited.

82% consumers in Pakistan want to know how eCommerce site will protect personal data before paying online: Visa-Daraz survey

• • Eight in 10 consumers (82%) want to know how their personal information will be protected before sharing it with a merchant.

–      One in three consumers struggle with identifying a scam.

–      Security of merchant sites emerged as the top reason consumers would choose to pay online with their cards rather than Cash on Delivery (COD).

Lahore (Muhammad Yasir) Seventy-six percent of consumers said security of payment facility offered on a merchant website was the top reason they would choose to pay online with their cards rather than Cash on Delivery (COD), according to the 2022 Stay Secure survey launched today by Visa and Daraz. Guarantees their payment data would be protected (maintaining privacy) was second (63% of consumers) while price of goods or services was not the most important aspect (13%) for choosing payment option.

The same trend was also observed in-store, wherein consumers ranked security of merchant’s payment facility (63%) as the topmost factor when considering digital payment options to pay for goods and services, followed by guarantees and return policies (44%) and convenience and speed (43%).  Three out of four consumers surveyed have made a digital payment in the last month, and nearly half of respondents are using more digital payments in stores – especially contactless – and online since the onset of Covid-19.

Majority of consumers (85%) said they would switch stores or online shopping sites and apps, based on the payment methods offered, with most consumers indicating a strong preference for digital payments over cash.  The survey found that 42% of consumers prefer using cash for tipping at hotels, restaurants or tourist locations and utilities.

And while majority of consumers (75%) say they are confident about recognizing a fraud or scam, a third surveyed in Pakistan still struggle in this area.

Data privacy and security is critical for consumers: What merchants can do 

A majority (82%) of respondents want to know how their personal information will be handled and protected before providing it to an eCommerce site. Additionally, three in four (75%) stated that they would like to know how security technology works to be able to trust digital payment methods in general, reinforcing the importance of consumer education by payment industry stakeholders – financial institutions, payments companies and governments, to build consumer trust in digital payments.

Based on the survey findings, merchants can take the following steps to increase consumer trust and improve payment experience: disclosing measures to protect consumers’ personal information, providing clear information about guarantees and refund options, and displaying logos/symbols of banking and payment partners.

Neil Fernandes, Visa’s Head of Risk for Middle East and North Africa, commented: “That consumers value security and privacy more than price and transparency when it comes to how their personal data is handled are important insights for merchants looking to build and maintain consumer trust in their payment offerings. And the fact that a third of consumers are still unable to identify a potential fraud reinforces the need for all players in the payments ecosystem to continue to work together to ensure consumers are protected. Now in its seventh year, our Stay Secure campaign continues to be an important platform for Visa and our partners to help educate consumers about payment security and support merchants in meeting the increasing need for secure, seamless digital payments both in-store and online.”

Ehsan Saya, Managing Director – Daraz (Alibaba Group) said: “As more people begin to feel comfortable shopping online, privacy and security of their data remains a primary deterrent. The Stay Secure initiative helps counter this issue by educating merchants on how to implement a safe and customer friendly online payment system, and the customers on how to keep themselves secure when shopping online. The campaign will also help show consumers how to identify potential frauds. In order for financial inclusion to grow in Pakistan, it is imperrative customers understand the benefits of digital payments and how to keep themselves safe when transacting online and offline.”

 Consumers are inclined to shop at stores and sites that offer multiple payment options

BNPL:Around two thirds of (70%) consumers are familiar with BNPL (Buy Now Pay Later).

An average of 65% said they would be likely to switch stores or online shopping sites or apps that offered a BNPL option, demonstrating the growing popularity of BNPL and the need for more retailers to consider offering new financing options.

The survey corresponds with the launch of Visa’s seventh annual “Stay Secure” social media campaign on Facebook and Instagram (@VisaMiddleEast, @darazpk) in partnership with Daraz. The campaign reinforces safe digital payment practices and reminds consumers on how they can protect personal data even as they enjoy the benefits and convenience of eCommerce and contactless payments.  The Pakistan Stay Secure webpage also includes fraud prevention tips for consumers and information on security features of digital payments.

 

Karachi (Muhammad Yasir) TransKarachi, a public sector company established and owned by the Government of Sindh to carry out the project implementation of the $504 million Karachi Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) Red Line, has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU), with the UrbanTech Pakistan team at Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS), Pakistan’s leading non-profit university based in Lahore.

Following the collaboration, TransKarachi and LUMS will take initiatives to become true advocates of gender equity in public transport by collaborating on technological interventions, trainings, lectures, seminars, other capacity building programs and awareness campaigns focused on smooth urban mobility and gender mainstreaming. The two parties will also work on research projects and papers by executing joint surveys, focus group discussions and interviews to address and prevent sexual harassment and gender-based violence and gauge the effectiveness of legal remedies and redressal mechanisms.

To mark the occasion, an MoU signing ceremony was held at LUMS on 22^nd August, 2022 between the members of TransKarachi and Urraan; an initiative of the UrbanTech Pakistan project at LUMS, with a goal to gain an in-depth understanding of the challenges faced by women while utilizing public transport & to explore potential solutions for them.

Present at the occasion from TransKarachi were, Wasif Ijlal, CEO and Barrister Maham Durrani, Gender Specialist while Dr. Suleman Shahid, Co-Principal Investigator of UrbanTech Pakistan & Assistant Professor, and Sana Riaz, Urban Policy Consultant represented LUMS.

Speaking at the occasion, Barrister Maham Durrani, Gender Specialist, TransKarachi said, “As the Gender Specialist at TransKarachi, I am very excited to partner with Urraan on this project and work with their team to reflect how Pakistan’s transport systems affect women and men differently. I am confident that the insights and data collected will play an instrumental role in helping us achieve the targets identified by the Gender Action Plan (GAP) by ADB to address gender concerns with respect to public transport, specifically in the areas of accessibility, safety, security, affordability, and convenience.”    

“This association between TransKarachi, Urraan and UrbanTech Pakistan at LUMS will be essential in improving the experience of females on their journey via public transport in Pakistan. Furthermore, as discussed with their team, we are more than happy to collaborate on other BRT initiatives such as Transit Oriented Development Planning to improve first and last mile connectivity”, said Dr. Momin Uppal, Principal Investigator of the UrbanTech Pakistan project and Associate Professor.

The $504 million Karachi Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) Red Line project is sponsored by the Government of Sindh, with financial assistance from the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and co-financiers, including the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), the French Agency for Development (AFD), and the Green Climate Fund (GCF). 

 

Karachi (Muhammad Yasir) As a leading national E&P company, Pakistan Petroleum Limited (PPL) has once again stepped up at the time of national flood emergency, to provide assistance to disaster-hit communities of Balochistan. PPL’s Board of Directors approved Rs. 25 million for the rehabilitation of the affected local communities in the recent floods in Balochistan.

The donation cheque was presented by GMCS Syed Mahmood Ul Hassan to Director General, Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA), Balochistan Naseer Ahmed Nasir in Quetta on August 22. Recent rain and flash floods have affected almost the entire Balochistan and southern Punjab besides parts of Sindh. It has also caused substantial loss of human lives and has severely damaged the infrastructure, resulting in major displacement of families in the affected areas. PPL’s financial assistance is aimed at supporting relevant local civil administrations who are taking necessary measures to provide relief to citizens.

As a national company, PPL has always been in the forefront of supplementing the government’s efforts by providing immediate relief, medical assistance and rehabilitation of victims of emergencies. The company has generously supported local communities and area administrations through funds, medical camps and rehabilitation facilities during 2005 and 2013 earthquakes and repeated floods during 2010, 2011 and 2012 in Sindh and Balochistan.

As a result of its consistent efforts over the years to improve the quality of life for deserving population in the country, PPL has received the leading Corporate Philanthropy Award from Pakistan Centre for Philanthropy for 16 years, as the largest corporate giver in terms of volume of donations.