Talk on Thinking with GHALIB

Posted on by Ali Qasim

Lahore (NUT-DESK)

THAAP organized a thought provoking talk entitled Thinking with Ghalib at THAAP head office in Gulberg, on friday 14th January. During the Talk, Dr Anjum Altaf reinterprets Ghalib’s relevance to modern times. The poet Mirza Ghalib is primarily a philosopher who asks thought-provoking questions about identity, faith and faithfulness, but rarely provides answers, said Dr Anjum Altaf because he wants his audience to think for themselves and find their own answers. Therefore, the reader is drawn into a discussion out of which a richer understanding would emerge for all. Ghalib communicates his ideas in very elegant poetry and in a few, simple, and often playful words. This makes him a much more agreeable companion than other philosophers whose meanings only experts can decipher.

Dr. Anjum Altaf, former dean of the school of humanities and social sciences at LUMS, presented his new book ‘Thinking with Ghalib: Poetry for a New Generation’, co-authored with Amit Basole, a professor at the Azim Premji University in Bangalore. Dr Altaf further elaborated that the book is designed to put Ghalib to use and drag him back from the celebratory shelf on which he has been placed into the midst of the turmoil of our everyday and often confusing lives. It also hopes that readers would be hooked on Ghalib and read the rest of his poetry that is equally exhilarating and thought provoking.

Dr. Altaf observed that for people of his generation almost every event in daily life brought to mind some couplet of Ghalib which suggests that Ghalib’s ideas have an organic and immediate connection with contemporary reality. If this is true, the relationship should also hold in the reverse direction. Ghalib’s ideas should enable us see contemporary reality with great clarity, which would make Ghalib a great teacher. We are fortunate to have as part of our heritage a resource like Ghalib to help us engage with these big questions in a lighthearted way.

The problem is that very few are now familiar with Ghalib’s verses to trigger the journey from idea to reality. This was the motivation for writing the book which introduces 30 of Ghalib’s most exciting couplets in Urdu, Hindi, and Roman script. An English translation is also provided for those who might find the vocabulary difficult. The authors then describe how they use the couplet to better understand some aspect of contemporary reality.

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School Education Department Spearheads Innovation in the Educational System!

Posted on by Ali Qasim

Lahore (NUT-DESK)

School Education Department (SED), Punjab is the second largest department in terms of its administrative extensions, employing 400,000 teachers in more than 48,000 schools across the province. SED now releases highlights for its key achievements and initiatives from 2018 to date.

Punjab has one of the largest education systems in the world, and has a tremendous opportunity of moving forward towards a better future by transforming its education structures. Therefore building a strong and high-delivery education system was identified as a key goal by the government in 2018; in pursuit of amplifying human capital investment in the country.

Building on this mandate, the Education Ministry in Punjab started working diligently to identify gaps and to design impact-driven interventions to improve the system, which would later reflect on the overall education outcomes of the province. The government started working towards three goalposts; to improve access, equity and governance in the milieu of school education in Punjab.

HRMIS – With the injunction to eliminate extortion and corruption, the leadership galvanized the development of an integrated Human Resource Management Information System (HRMIS). HRMIS brought process transformation, enabling transparent and efficient management of teachers’ transfers, promotions, leaves and pensions. The system also incorporated electronic submission of ACR; the annual progress report of the teachers and field formations. Extensive digitization enabled the department to eliminate corruption of billions of rupees every year. Till date, 3,550,381 leaves, 7,559 retirements have been electronically processed. 162341 applications have been received for teachers’ transfers and total 81577 transfer orders have been processed. Similarly, total 74352 license requests have been received and 44770 licenses have been issued to the private schools, affording a revenue of more than PkR 80 million to the national exchequer. Besides, 434,746 ACRs have been electronically submitted, stamping out the margins of bribery and nepotism, which were largely prevalent in a paper and peoples intensive traditional system.

SNC – Another key policy initiative of PTI’s leadership is the Single National Curriculum (SNC), which aims to bridge the stark educational quality gap based on the socio-economic background of the students. Unlike the perception that some have about SNC, it is open to feedback and changes have been continuously incorporated based on the recommendations and suggestions from the stakeholders and general public.

Mandatory Quran Classes – Another substantial initiative is the mandatory Quran classes in schools; from grade 1 till 8th. During these classes, recitation of the Holy Quran will be ensured with the translation. Many have misrepresented Islam – the religion of peace, both among the rest of the world and our younger generation, so it is crucial to teach children the real spirit of the religion. In the long run this is going to help us counter extremist ideologies and to be able to raise a generation who comprehends the original spirit and substance of the religion they are associated with.

Insaf Afternoon School Programme – Furthermore, the Insaf Afternoon School Programme (IASP) has been launched to improve access to free quality education for every child across Punjab. Through this programme the infrastructure related costs connected to such a massive goal have been eliminated proving it to be an example of resource optimization, affording the government savings of around PKR 240 billion. This has been done by upgrading primary schools to elementary levels in afternoon shifts. As part of the first phase, 7008 primary schools have been upgraded to elementary level, whereas in the next phase elementary schools will be upgraded to secondary levels.

Transgender Education – Under PTI’s vision of inclusive education system, School Education Department (SED) Punjab has launched dedicated schools for transgender community, which is catering to classes from primary to high school. After receiving an overwhelming response in Multan, Mr. Murad Raas, Minister for School Education, Punjab decided to scale up the initiative starting by establishing schools in Punjab’s nine divisional headquarters. Two of these schools will be operational in Lahore by February 2022.

The initiative does not imply to bar children from transgender community to attend regular schools, instead the intervention is aimed at bridging the social gap and addressing the perception barriers, affecting the choice to have formal education, of transgender community.  

Under the current leadership, School Education Department (SED) Punjab is going to launch few more mega-scale initiatives, addressing to the issue of increasing access to quality education. The focus is going to remain on inculcating digital solutions at each level of service delivery in order to ensure sustainability and scalability.

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WB by Hemani Launches Their Exclusive Range of Sports Fragrances for Our Cricket Heroes

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Karachi (Muhammad Yasir) WB by Hemani officially launched their exclusive sports fragrances in a star-studded affair at The Forest restaurant in uptown Karachi on the evening of 15th January 2022. Designed especially for sports aficionados and scented by the country’s top cricketers’ choice of fragrances, this exclusive collection takes inspiration from Hassan Ali, Imad Wasim, Shadab Khan, and Sana Mir, who have set examples with their stellar performances, paving the way for future generations.

The launch event unveiled four exclusive exciting fragrances named after the public’s favorite cricket athletes, namely: Googly – Shadab Khan Edition, Bouncer – Hassan Ali Edition, Sixer – ImadWasim Edition, and Inspire – Sana Mir Edition.

Pakistan cricket team’s all-rounder Shadab Khan’s limited edition perfume encapsulates the outstanding ‘Googly’ bowling he is known for in the form of a fine fragrance. While Hassan Ali’s remarkable first-class ‘Bouncers’ have won him the title preserved in this special edition perfume. In appreciation of ImadWasim, Pakistan’s most admired batsman known for scoring sixes, WB by Hemani has launched the special edition perfume ‘Sixer’ to celebrate his ultimate Cricketer Spirit. Last but not the least, in collaboration with Sana Mir, WB by Hemani launched an exclusive edition perfume ‘Inspire’ to inspire the star’s young fans across the country.

The WB by Hemani Sports Fragrances launch event featured all four exclusive fragrances on display with the sports, entertainment, and media industry present to support and cheer on the inclusion of sporty scents in the WB by Hemani fragrance range. Well-known faces such as Aijaz Aslam, Zhalay Sarhadi, Osama Tahir,JuvariaAbbasi, Yasir Nawaz, Sachal Afzal, MahaTahirani, Amir Adnan, Nadia Hussain, HumayunAlamgir, KanwarArsalan, TipuSahrif, Jaweria Ali, ZarmeenaIkram, Obaid Sheikh, Sameeha Saeed, Adnan Shah Tipu, Naveed Raza, JunaidAkram, Zafar Abbas,and Shafaat Ali were present at the event, as well as WaseemBadami himself, who introduced the fragrance range and gave a few details regarding each scent and how it matched the sportsperson.

“For the love of cricket, we at Hemani have poured our hearts and souls into four exclusive special edition sports range fragrances in collaboration with Pakistan’s favorite cricketers Hassan Ali, ImadWasim, Shadab Khan, and Sana Mir; and we hope that you will love these natural sporty fragrances as much as your beloved sport-stars”, commented Mustafa Hemani – CEO of Hemani Group, speaking on the occasion.

WB by Hemani’s natural, chemical and toxin-free fragrances not only provide a range of earthy, natural smelling products but also draw much-needed attention to the Pakistani sports community. Hemani has been long established as the leading herbal & natural company that carries forward their promise of authentic & naturally sourced products.

The limited edition of Googly, Bouncer, Sixer, and Inspire is available for pre-order at 10% discount at https://wbhemani.com/sports-fragrances

DEMO and KPITB celebrate the training of women entrepreneurs

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Lahore (NUT DESK)

DEMO and KPITB celebrate the training of women entrepreneurs through META’s SheMeansBusiness Program at KP Durshals

 A meeting with META (previously known as Facebook) and Honourable Minister for Science, Technology and IT Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Mr. Atif Khan was held to mark the closing of the Durshal Workshop pilot program and to discuss future collaborations between META and KP Government.

DEMO partnered with KPITB in 2021 to expand META’s SheMeansBusiness program in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa by conducting a series of 3-day digital marketing and financial management workshops at Durshal incubation centers. The SheMeansBusiness program supports women-owned businesses globally by equipping them with the skills, tools, and resources they need to compete in the digital economy.

The training program was attended by over 250 women entrepreneurs from various districts of KP; Abbottabad, Bannu, Mardan, Peshawar, Swabi, and Swat. Through META’s training curriculum, the participants learnt strategies to grow their online engagement, make use of social media insights, create Instagram Stories and manage Facebook Ads. They also practised various financial tools designed to help them manage their accounting and bookkeeping more efficiently.

Mr. Atif Khan lauded META’s efforts in empowering the women of KP and highlighted the need of educating more women with particular focus on financial literacy. Expressing gratitude to the KP government for their support in the successful execution of the program, Sehar Tariq, Head of Policy-Pakistan, Meta said, “Women are an indispensable force of Pakistan. Their energy and passion contribute immensely to the socio-economic growth in the country. Through various initiatives, we aim to provide them with the opportunity, platform, and skills to become a catalyst for that growth by driving a sustainable and wholesome transformation of the Pakistani society.”

Speaking on the occasion Madiha Hamid, Head of Business at DEMO commented on the need of supporting infrastructure for women. She said, “There is a lack of accessibility to technological infrastructure that hinders the learning of participants in KP. For effective learning, we must work on making technology accessible to all.”

Through the expansion of the SheMeansBusiness Durshal program, META and KPITB aim to empower more entrepreneurs of KP by enabling their access to world-class learning material and the opportunity to learn from Facebook certified trainers.

 

FRESH STREET PRESENTS WORLD DELICACIES AT KARACHI EAT 2022

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Karachi (Muhammad Yasir) Leading Food brand Fresh Street was one of the top attractions at this years’ Karachi Eat Festival, with its unique offerings of the mouth-watering delicacies from all corners of the world. The Karachi Eat is being held at the Breach View Park from 14 to 16th January 2022, and is being managed under strict health and safety protocols, and COVID SOPs & regulations.

The long list of Fresh Street menu items on the offering, in line with the event regulations, is comprised of all the items within the price range of 100 to 200 rupees, and includes the crisps of Fresh Street warps, salads, potato fries, with flavored sauces of choice, and the sweetness of ice cream bites and scoops.

“With Fresh Street, we are presenting the tastes of the world with our imported products from across the globe, and at a very nominal price, for people to enjoy it to the fullest” shared Samrah Munsub, Founder and Director of Samrah Enterprises, the distributor for Fresh Street, Dandy, and Hills&Vales brands. “The idea is to share the best chef recipes, so can be used in every household kitchen”.

Fresh Street, a brand distributed under the Samrah Enterprises, has a large product-line to offer, starting with the condiments category with a complete range of seasoned sauces, syrups, mayonnaise, and vinegars, to an assorted range of frozen products that includes potato-fries mixed vegetables, strawberries, broccoli etc. All these products are of European origin and are being proudly packed in Pakistan, representing a mélange of Western and Eastern cuisine culture.

The festival inaugurated by the Governor Sindh Mr. Imran Ismail, saw the attendance of people from all walks of life to enjoy the festivities while maintaining the health SOPs and regulations with mandatory face-masks, vaccination certificate check, and online ticketing to avoid any gathering.

OIC-CERT 5G Security Working Group announces the new 5G Security Framework

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The OIC-CERT 5G Security Working Group announces the new 5G Security Framework

  • The OIC-CERT 5G Security Framework will be the key reference within OIC to build a coordinated effort to harness deep tech for digital transformation

Lahore (Muhammad Yasir) In a significant milestone, the OIC-CERT 5G Security Working Group (WG) has announced the completion of the core OIC-CERT 5G Security Framework in less than eight months after the initiative was launched. The Framework, now in the hands of the OIC-CERT, consists of a 5G security risk repository, a 5G security baseline technical specification, and a cross-recognition assurance methodology.

The Organization of the Islamic Cooperation- Computer Emergency Response Team (OIC-CERT) is a platform for information sharing and developing cybersecurity capabilities for the members mainly among the Organization of the Islamic Cooperation (OIC) community. It is an Affiliate Institution of the OIC. The OIC-CERT 5G Security WG is jointly led by Cybersecurity Malaysia, the OIC-CERT permanent secretariat, and Huawei UAE, an OIC-CERT commercial member.

Eng. Badar Ali Al-Salehi, the Chairman of the OIC-CERT said, “It has been eluded on many platforms and occasions that the only way to solve the ever-increasing cybersecurity challenge is through collaboration. The OIC-CERT 5G Security working group affirms this viewpoint and we are seeing remarkable progress in addressing some of the security concerns around 5G in general.” Meanwhile, Ts Dato Dr Amiruddin Abdul Wahab, CEO of CyberSecurity Malaysia, is in the opinion that, “5G is another disruptive technology that all parties have no choice but to embrace it. The OIC-CERT has overcome a major hurdle by defining the requirements in this framework for the OIC community and could not have come at a more opportune time as 5G matures worldwide”.

Ts Mohd Shamir bin Hashim, SVP for International & Government Engagement Division of Cybersecurity Malaysia and Co-chair of OIC-CERT 5G Security Working Group said: “Our objective was to develop a set of guiding principles for the OIC-CERT members on how to address the emerging 5G security threat. Thanks to the support of the WG members and my co-chair, Huawei Dubai. we have delivered.”
A meeting between the co-chairs and the OIC-CERT secretariat team is planned for February 2022 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, where the WG work plan for the year 2022 will be announced immediately after it is finalized in the meeting. The work plan shall address promotion and adoption of the 5G Security Framework within OIC community and outline additional technical work needed to enhance the Framework. The document remains a work in progress due to 5G evolving technological improvements and new application scenarios and there are plans to give a technical presentation of the OIC 5G Security Framework during the GISEC in Dubai in March 2022, bringing the initiative to a full circle as the formation of the WG was also announced at the same event in 2021.

The 5G heralds a new era of digital transformation. But with this progress comes new threats and vulnerabilities because of the vastly expanded attack surface. Adopting IoT, for example, will add a new set of challenges such as the security, safety, and robustness of cyber and physical systems. Therefore, there’s an urgent need to enhance cybersecurity measures proportionate to the threats emerging from digital technology advances. More than ever, cross-border collaboration is key to mitigating cyber threats and that is so true for OIC whose 57 member states are spread over 4 continents, a challenge that is exacerbated by the contrasting maturity of ICT adoption within the countries.

 

OPPO collaborates with The Colony to promote performative arts in Pakistan

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Lahore (Muhammad Yasir) OPPO in its quest to revolutionize technology for the betterment of humanity has always promoted ways for its users to connect with each other. The leading global technology brand’s goal of “Technology for mankind, kindness for the world” is at the forefront again in its latest initiative titled ‘Dance in Portrait’.

At a time when the COVID-19 pandemic has affected the lives of many around the world, the OPPO Dance in Portrait challenge highlights the importance of physical health and mental well-being. The last two years have resulted in a global sense of loneliness and isolation and a longing for physical and creative freedom. OPPO’s #DanceinPortrait provides a creative outlet to channel those emotions.

OPPO has collaborated with artists at The Colony Lahore, a performing arts center and creative hub, to create stunning dance performance videos that highlight the emotions of people during this time of hardship caused by the pandemic. With themes such as “I’ll wait here”; “We are not okay” and “When did we stop loving”, these videos, shot on the OPPO Reno 6 Pro, display beautiful and haunting dance sequences performed against a background of rich natural sceneries including the ocean, deserts, and mountains. The freedom of expression portrayed by the dancers in all forms of nature strikes a chord with the audience who can feel the amalgamation of human emotion with the environment.

Dance is a vehicle for promoting health in terms of burning calories, improving heart health and flexibility, and strengthening muscles. At the same time, it is also an art form and a way to improve cognitive health because of the use of creativity, communication and collaboration. Contemporary dance is an important medium for emotional expression. Joining in the #DanceinPortrait challenge are local key influencers & content creators who are using their Reno6 Pro 5G devices to film dance videos and encouraging other OPPO users to take part in this creative contest.

Using the #DanceinPortrait hashtag, OPPO users can use their smartphones to record dancers expressing their emotions in nature. The OPPO Reno 6 Pro, with its high-quality video hardware and software capabilities, produces polished, professional level videos that portray the true inner emotions and creativity of those filmed. Dance videos submitted by OPPO users will have the chance to win prizes.

OPPO constantly encourages its users to utilize the technology in their hands for the betterment of themselves and those around them. The OPPO #DanceinPortrait initiative pushes people to be imaginative and use their creativity in a positive and healthy manner, expressing their hidden emotions and creating a work of cinematic art. 

The main aim for OPPO is to improve the lives of its customers through innovation and engagement. The brand unleashes the creativity of users by providing opportunities to highlight human emotions. Using OPPO devices and the #DanceinPortrait platform, users can connect with themselves and others through the making of high-quality visual content that promotes physical and mental health while reminding us that we are all in this tough time together and will emerge stronger.

President Arif Alvi awarded Pakistani Teams for winning 1stand 2nd Prize in Huawei ICT Competition Middle East 2021

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Islamabad (Muhammad Yasir) The Award Distribution Ceremony for Huawei’s ICT Middle East Competition in collaboration with the The Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunication of Pakistan was conducted at the President House in Islamabad. President of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, Dr.ArifAlvi, Secretary Telecommunication and Information Technology Dr Sohail Rajput, Vice President of Huawei Middle East, Mr. Wang Shun Li, CEO of Huawei Pakistan, Mr. Mark Meng, the winning Pakistani teams, along with other officials from MoITTand Huawei Pakistan were all present at the occasion.

The competition is a Huawei annual ICT initiative, designed to nurture global ICT talent. Over the month of October, Huawei’s Talent Ecosystem team carried out multiple roadshows at more than 134 universities, hitting a registration number of 10,150 candidates. 8 excellent students were interviewed after regional training and the top 6 qualified for Regional Exam which was scheduled to be held from 21st – 23rd Dec in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The final round of the competition witnessed participation of 11 teams from countries covering the entire Middle East Region.

On 23rd Dec, Pakistan’s team one consisting of Sateesh Kumar, Iqra Fatima, and BhagchandMeghwar along with their instructor Dr. Faheem Khuhawar Instructor won 1stprize of 20,000 USD. Not only so, the 2ndprize was also grabbed by Pakistan’s team two consisting of Hafiz Rizwan, Adnan Ali, and Mukhtar Muhammad along with their instructor.

President Dr. ArifAlvi, speaking at the closing ceremony of Huawei ICT competition here, saying” I am aware of the cooperative arrangement of the Huawei Academy with about 80 different universities in Pakistan to develop and groom young talent. I also appreciated companies like Huawei for training a large number of students in the field of information technology, noting the international companies wanted to create an ecosystem for harnessing talent. I believe that ten million people would get jobs in the information technology sector in the future.”

Secretary Telecommunication and Information Technology Dr Sohail Rajput reiterated the sentiment, saying, “First of all, I congratulate all the Pakistan excellent talents won this ICT competition final. This shows we have the talents, the youths and energy which can bring a lot of things for Pakistan. If we want to increase our exports and reduce our trade deficit, the only way is invest to our youths because this is our biggest asset. And Formula investing in youth and talent is the IT. Under president’s leading and put more investment in ICT sector, we can easily get our target in short future.”

After everyone viewed a short video summary of the competition, Mr. WangShunlistated at the ceremony, “This is the super competitiveness that Pakistan will rely on the youths who are equipped with ICT technology most in the future. For this mission, I really hope to be able to count on this partnership with all of you, together we can drive the digital transformation of Pakistan and help to develop the next generations of local ICT talents to boost Pakistan’s digital economy.”

Sateesh Kumar, member of Pakistan’s team that clutched the first prize was grateful for the opportunity, saying, “In my first attempt, I could not quality for the finals but that didn’t come in the way of my drive, I tried harder & pushed my limits, added more skills and gave a second attempt in which I made my nation proud. Huawei gave us a wide range of opportunities through which my team and I can revolutionize our world, starting with Pakistan.”

Karandaaz organizes HACKADESIGN to drive financial inclusion through Design Experience

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Lahore (Muhammad Yasir) Karandaaz Pakistan successfully hosted a two-day hackathon, called HACKADESIGN, in partnership with Pakistan Fintech Network (PFN), Pakistan Fintech Association (PFA), and IDEATE Innovation at a local hotel. The Hackadesign was a financial services design competition held between more than ten teams comprising of fintechs, product managers and UX enthusiasts. The participants gathered in Hive and used a human centered design process moderated by a design expert to prepare creative design prototypes of bank account opening process using a mobile phone application.

A good mobile application design must include: i). A simplified user experience; ii). An inclusive experience enabling omni-channel access; iii). A personalized touch; and iv). A seamless process that can be completed in a few steps. At the end of the second day, the teams presented their prototypes to an esteemed panel of judges from the financial industry including Ms. Naureen Hayat, Shariq Mubeen, Syed Faraz Javed and Raza Matin.

After through deliberation, the judges declared Unikrew Solutions (Pvt) Ltd as winners, while the students of Information Technology University were declared runner up of the Hackadesign. The representatives of the winning teams received prizes from Dr Shamshad Akhtar, Chairperson Karandaaz Pakistan. In her keynote speech, Dr Shamshad Akhtar mentioned that, ‘”Distance to a bank branch and cumbersome account opening process are key barriers to financial inclusion.

According to the latest Financial Inclusion Insights Survey of Pakistan, about 37% of the financially excluded stated ‘no banks nearby’, while another 30% stated ‘not having required documents at the time’ as key reasons for not having a bank account. So I think this workshop is not only needed but also opportune, given the numerous regulatory enhancements introduced by the SBP, including the recently unveiled Digital Banking Regulation.

It gives me pleasure to share that a total of 171 applications were received out of which more than 50 applicants comprising 12 teams were shortlisted for this workshop and I sincerely hope that some of the designs are picked up by the financial institutions for designing their digital onboarding process.” 

March 5 announced as date for 13th LADIESFUND Women’s Awards for Pakistan

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Karachi (Muhammad Yasir)

Official meeting between the Honourable Governor of Sindh Imran Ismail and LADIESFUND President Tara Uzra Dawood to discuss the facilitation and strengthening of Gender Inclusivity in Pakistan. For the last several years, the Governor’s office and Dawood Global Foundation LADIESFUND have supported many initiatives for women empowerment, education of girls as well as the launching of The Buraq Center by LADIESFUND, an all-female incubation center and co-working space.

The fruitful meeting resulted in a confirmation that the 13th LADIESFUND Women’s Awards for Pakistan 2022 would be held on Saturday, 5 March 2022 at Sindh Governor’s House.

This highly anticipated event honours the most extraordinary and noteworthy women in Pakistan and includes People’s Choice Awards for Trailblazer, Momentum and Woman of the Year awards, as well as honours Lifetime Achievers, courage, and awards across sectors. It also celebrates women’s contribution towards the economy and job creation.