Total PARCO Pakistan Inaugurates its First Miyawaki Forest

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Lahore (Muhammad Yasir) Total PARCO Pakistan has inaugurated its first Miyawaki Forest with Park and Horticulture Authority. The forestation project along two canals, covering over 9,000 square meters,is being undertaken by Total PARCO Pakistan with the assistance of Parks and Horticulture Authority (PHA) Gujranwala at Jinnah Park, Gujranwala.

“Miyawaki” is a forest regeneration technique that aims to recreate self-sustaining multi-layered indigenous forests on degraded land with little human intervention. The chosen indigenous species of plantsgrow 10 times faster andabsorb 30 times more carbon dioxide, compared to conventional methods.The dense plantationalso becomes 100 times more bio-diverse and provides great habitat for wildlife.

Total PARCO Pakistan believes insustainable initiativesthat contribute towards the vision of greener and cleaner future for Pakistan.

Newlywed Saboor Aly & Ali Ansari dance their heart out at shendi event

Posted on by Ali Qasim

Lahore (NUT-DESK)

Celebrity couple, Saboor Aly and Ali Ansari officially tied the knot in an intimate wedding ceremony, held on Friday.

The newly wedded couple recently held a fun night, shendi event – a combination of shaadi and mehndi event and enjoyed with their showbiz industry friends and family members.

Pictures and videos form the fun event took the internet by storm, as fans can’t stop gushing over the beautiful couple.

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Hiba Bukhari stuns in bright red for Rukhsati

Posted on by Ali Qasim

Lahore (NUT-DESK)

Hiba Bukhari and Arez Ahmed were joined by family and celebrity friends for their wedding celebrations.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CYgetTgvY0v/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

Saturday marked the Fitoor star’s Rukhsati where the diva slipped into a bright red Lehenga paired with heavy gold jewelry. Groom Arez kept his look dapper in a black Sherwani and matching Turban.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CYfqe3gv80t/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

The lovebirds, who said their vows earlier this week, were spotted smiling ear-to-ear in viral photos on the internet. Earlier Hiba took to her Instagram Stories to share her pre-makeup look from the day.

The event, that was held in Karachi, was attended by various media personalities including Rabia Mughni.

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REAL MAGIC OF COKE STUDIO SEASON 14 REVEALED

Posted on by Ali Qasim

Lahore (NUT-DESK)

Celebrating the Real Magic of Pakistani music, Coke Studio has proudly released the official trailer for Coke Studio Season 14 – revealing the boundary-pushing artists that light up the season.

The Season is a new vibe, premised on the fact that music in 2022 is revolutionized. Fans are mainlining music direct and uncensored – the way creators intended. Bedroom producers and social media poets grab the same loyalty from their followers as mainstream stars. And they’re not afraid to say what’s on their mind.

If the old rules have gone up in smoke, it begs the question: what does a 14-year-old platform like Coke Studio really know about today? To answer that you have to take a look at the Coke Studio Season 14 roster; envisioned, assembled and let loose by visionary producer and curator Zulfiqar (Xulfi) Jabbar Khan.

It’s a mad mash-up of Gen Z soloists and the grandmasters that lit the way. This year’s reboot also embraces the bond between music, aesthetics and attitude. Each of the thirteen songs comes with a unique video, created by some of Pakistan’s most progressive directors including Kamal Khan, Murtaza Niaz, Jamal Rahman and Coke Studio veteran Zeeshan Parwez. Production managers and stylists were also invited to let their imaginations go wild. Visual storytelling is shoulder to shoulder with music this year because Pakistan’s film industry (having a low-key renaissance of its own) is impossible to ignore. With Pakistan’s premium live sound expert Ishaq Nazir and sound tech squad that included Sherry Khattak and Turaab Khan in pivotal roles, the result is a confessional season wrapped in delicious visuals and sound.

The cuts radiate optimism and big dreams. There are Abida Parveen, Naseebo Lal and Faisal Kapadia. There are Atif Aslam, Ali Sethi and the incandescent Meesha Shafi, Momina Mustehsan and Quratulain Balouch. But there is also formerly-indie-now-Grammy-nominated Arooj Aftab and socials-big artists like Hasan Raheem, Kaifi Khalil and Shae Gill – seriously talented performers on the cusp of blowing up. There are also risky cross-overs like Young Stunners in a ballad and metal overlaid by Faris Shafi. Dynamic performers such as Soch, Asfar Hussain, Lahore Jazz Ensemble, Zain-Zohaib, Karakoram, Eva B, Abdul Wahab Bugti and Ameer Buksh, Butt Brothers and Justin Bibis round out the roster. It’s all held together by visionary collaborators like Abdullah Siddiqui, ActionZain, Talal Qureshi, Adnan Dhool, Arsalan Hasan and Rovalio. Fusing them all together was the masterstroke of Xulfi and Coke Studio.

The season features an excellent line-up of instrumentalists, including Kami Paul, Veeru Shan, Awais Kazmi, Action Zain,  Melvin Arthur,  Saad ul Hasan, Haroon Daniel, Payam Mashrequi, Arsalan Hasan, orchestra section led by veterans Nijat Ali and Javed Iqbal, choir led by Turaab Khan, Asad Ali, Asif Ali, Haider Ali, Bilawal Lahooti, Omair Farooq, Zain Peerzada, Sherry Khattak, Annan Noukhez, Yusuf Ramay, David Joseph, Aziz Kazi, Waqas Hussain, Rohail Nawab, Haider Abbas, Faiz Qazi, Joshua Amjad, Muzammil Hussain, Gul Muhammad and Mairah Khan.

Coke Studio 14 navigates hairpin turns in values and expectations as a platform for the thinkers of today. The performers, producers, directors and designers hold a mirror to the anxieties and the euphoria of now. It’s a complex ecosystem based on cooperation, not competition.

Their art verbalizes a collective feeling that we’re stumbling towards Faiz’s Promised Dawn. The lights have clicked on. We’re no longer shivering on the margins of the world, questioning whether we dare to exist. This is the era of Pakistan’s self-actualization, and as Pakistan’s biggest cultural export, Coke Studio knows it. “Artistic, talented, progressive – if we get our powers together, we are amazing” says Xulfi “For me, Coke Studio can open peoples’ hearts to Pakistan.” Each contributor bared their soul this season, embracing where they come from, speaking with conviction and man, it’s a joy to say: they’re ours, they’re ours, they’re ours. 

 The season reveal video can be viewed here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sGXJ0c7XU88. The first episode of Coke Studio Season 14 will be released on 14th January 2022.

In the meantime, be sure to listen to your favorite songs from Coke Studio on Spotify https://open.spotify.com and keep yourself logged on to www.cokestudio.com.pk and https://www.instagram.com/coke_studio to follow the Coke Studio journey.

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Hysab Kytab’s PFM integrated by NdcTech in Bank of Punjab’s Digital App

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Karachi (Muhammad Yasir) The Bank of Punjab will be integrating a local FinTech Hysab Kytab’s solution for Personal Finance Management (PFM) into its Digital Banking services. This collaboration will be enabled through NdcTech, an award-winning regional partner of Temenos. The Temenos leading Digital Banking platform has been acquired by The Bank of Punjab for all its channels across Pakistan. As part of this collaboration, Hysab Kytab will license their Personal Financial Management (PFM) solution while NdcTech will integrate the solution to provide a next-generation user experience, for mobile & internet users.

Once integrated, this App will enable the users to have a 360-degree view of their financial activities, track and record their spending, create budget plans, track saving goals, receive personalized insights, and much more. By using PFM, the users shall be able to make informed financial decisions based on additional analytics available to them. Hysab Kytab’s consumer app has users in over 160+ countries clocking above 12 Million transactions and counting.

Commenting on partnership Mr. Yasir Ilyas – Head of Hysab Kytab said that ‘’Hysab Kytab’s Personal Financial Management (PFM) tool will allow BOP’s customers to view their financial information on one big picture. Customers may create budgets and track their expenses, achieve their dreams by creating saving goals, know their net worth and have access to visualization of their category-wise spending, track subscriptions, view trends, have access to their spending and cash flow insights, and much more.’’

Mr. Navaid Kareem, Director Sales and SEVP at NdcTech said that “NdcTech focuses on building Banks of future, enabling them to become digital first. Through Hysab Kytab’s PFM & NdcTech’s extensive expertise in Banking Implementations, The Bank of Punjab will be able to provide its digital users with a holistic view of their finances, empowering them to make sound financial decisions. We look forward to creating an amazing digital user experience.” Mr. Zahid Mustafa, Group Chief Consumer and Digital Banking, at The Bank of Punjab quoted that, “Digital financial services are rapidly becoming a customer lifestyle, our customers expect personalized banking services available to them at their fingertips, round the clock, anywhere and everywhere.

At The Bank of Punjab Our Customer is at the heart of everything we do, all our digital initiatives are built around achieving contextualized and excellent customer experience, Personal Finance Management is one of the key digital capabilities we are set to build for our customers. We are excited to partner with NdcTech and Hysab Kytab to implement their market leading PFM solution embedded in our Mobile app and internet banking solution. Though PFM adoption is generally low in the country, we shall strive to design it in a user-friendly manner in order to enhance adoption.”

Jazz announces free on net and PTCL calls for its customers in Murree, Nathiagali

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Islamabad (Muhammad Yasir) To support rescue missions and help ensure essential connectivity in the calamity-hit areas, Jazz is providing free on net and PTCL calls to all its customers in Murree and Nathiagali.

Aamir Ibrahim, CEO, Jazz said, “Jazz stands with the nation during this calamity in Murree. Our teams are playing their part and working in extreme conditions to keep essential communication services switched on to aid rescue efforts and support the stranded with the hope they will be rescued at the soonest.”

This also further reaffirms Jazz’s commitment to Pakistan and its people. Jazz pledged PKR 1.2 billion support towards COVID-19 relief in the shape short to mid-term initiatives revolving around vulnerable communities, and health and welfare organizations.

Drama serial sang-e- Mah,s Special Screening in Cinema Takes Karachi by Strom

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Karachi  (Muhammad Yasir) rama serial Sang-e-Mah has perhaps gained the most popularity and hype of all 2022 dramas before even airing. Scheduled to air on HUM TV on January 9, a private special screening of the director’s cut was held for the cast and crew along with media and entertainment fraternity.

HUM TV’s latest drama Sang-e-Mah, which is under the MD Productions banner and direction of Saife Hasan with a stellar cast, seems extremely promising. Sang-e-Mah’s star cast has a mix of old and new faces, such as veteran actors Sania Saeed and Nauman Ijaz,alongside the talented Hania Amir,Kubra Khan, and Omair Rana; whereas the globally beloved singer Atif Aslam and Zaviyar Nauman will both be making their television acting debuts in Sang-e-Mah.

The plot of Sang-e-Mah revolves around a Pukhtoon family belonging to the tribal areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The story is an exciting blend of drama, romance, deceit, ego, and sacrifice.Fans are super excited to see how the characters of Marjaan Khanplayed by Nauman Ijaz and Zarghunaplayed by SaniaSaeed develop, and how their favorite singer Atif Aslam takes on the role of Hikmat who will be romantically paired with Gulmeena played by HaniaAmir.

The special screening of Sang-e-Mah’s director’s cut was an elaborate affair, with the director and cast in full attendance, along with CEO HUM TV Duraid Qureshi, CEO MD Productions MominaDuraid, President HUM Network Sultana Siddiqui, and celebrities namely Ali Rehman, Aijaz Aslam, Nausheen Shah, Hira and Mani, Mashal Khan, and Osama Tahir who enjoyed the screening, and were super excited for the first episode to air on HUM TV on January 9, 2022.

An interactive press conference with the audiencealso followed the special screening of Sang-e-Mah’sdirector’s cut, on the same evening, where the cast and crew talked about their respective roles in the drama.

Speaking on the occasion,“It’s an unconventional story set in the North of Pakistan about ‘Ghag’, a custom that has ruined the lives of several women. Sang-e-Mah attempts to shed light on the repercussions of ‘Ghag’ and discourages the use of this custom”, commented MominaDuraid, CEO MD Productions & Creative head HUM Network.

“HUM Network has always been a trendsetter. When people wanted to follow Indian soaps we set the benchmark for Pakistani dramas and the industry followed. Be it building new concepts with writers for drama or developing the fashion industry or taking Pakistani events to the world, HUM Network has and will continue to be a trendsetter and create new benchmarks for the industry,”said Duraid Qureshi, CEO HUM TV.

Green Crescent Trust’s and Shahid Afridi Foundation’s Third joint fundraiser in Lahore on 13th January.

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SAF-GCT alliance for first time jointly steps outside Sindh to extend charitable services for out-of-school children all over Pakistan.

Lahore (Muhammad Yasir)  The alliance of two leading charities of Pakistan-the Shahid Afridi Foundation (SAF) and Green Crescent Trust (GCT) for the first time are jointly stepping outside Sindh and coming to Lahore with an aim to extend their joint charitable work all over Pakistan for enrollment of the out-of-school children. The third joint fundraiser of the GCT and SAF will be held at a hotel in Lahore on January 13, 2022 to generate funds for the provision of quality school education to 10,000 out of school children belonging to the deprived communities in the country. The two non-profits joined hands in 2018 to work together for the education of the out of school children of the deprived communities. Both the charities have been jointly running 8 schools having an enrollment of 3,000 students from the backward areas.
The SAF and GCT have the aim to increase the number of their jointly managed charitable schools to 100 in the next five years for the children of the underprivileged areas. Punjab Governor, Chaudhry Mohammad Sarwar, will grace the occasion as chief guest. Leading sports celebrities including Shahid Afridi, Pakistan Cricket Team’s captain Babar Azam, Squash Legend Jahangir Khan and many players of Pakistan Cricket team will attend the event. Dr. Amjad Saquib, Founding Chairman, Akhuwat and 200 plus leading businessmen with families will also grace the occasion as guest of Honor.
The sports memorabilia belonging to these celebrities will also be auctioned to generate funds for the noble cause. Renowned humorist Anwar Maqsood will make a special appearance at the fundraiser. Other notable guests expected on the day, include Punjab School Education Minister Murad Raas, Punjab Sports Minister Muhammad Taimoor Khan, APTMA patron-in-chief Gouhar Ijaz.
Celebrity actor, Adnan Siddiqui, Anwer Maqsood and Raja Matlub will jointly conduct the proceedings of the fundraiser. The SAF having extensive charitable work in many fields all across the country in recent past conduct a successful food ration drive during Covid-19 lockdown with active in-person participation of Shahid Afridi.
The GCT has been working in the field of education for the past 28 years with a network of 155 charitable schools having enrollment of 29,000 students of the deprived families. SAF Chairman, Shahid Afridi, said that his non-profit had joined hands with the GCT in view of its 28 years-long work to educate children of the backward areas, as the concerned charities of Pakistan should combine their resources in the same manner to do the noble work of ending illiteracy in Pakistan.
GCT CEO, Zahid Saeed, mentioned that in a recent meeting, President Dr Arif Alvi also appreciated the continuing partnership between the two charities while saying that the alliance emerged as an ideal example for the non-governmental sector of Pakistan to work together to enroll out-of-school children in every part of Pakistan.

Reasons Why Capital Smart City Has Emerged As The Best Real Estate Investment Option:

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LAHORE (NUT DESK)

Capital smart city was launched back in 2019 and it has been meeting all its planned delivery timelines. With big names like Habib Rafiq and some other notables joining hands in the form of Future Developments Holdings, this society is destined for successful delivery. Capital smart city is ideally located just outside CDA sectors and designed to be self sufficient in a way that residents will not have to leave the smart city for any day-to-day needs. What a modern-day society should contain, capital smart city has designed their layout to contain all of that and then added some really cool additional facilities on top. The society addresses pain points like load shedding / extended or unplanned power breakdowns, sewerage problems, traffic jams, security, pollution and many more common issues that residents of Pakistan face. In short, this society is planned with every need of residents in mind and will definitely be a huge success. Investors are already realizing the potential and making their move with diverting investments from other places to capital smart city.

Capital smart city presents potential investors with a unique balance of blocks already under development that will attract people looking to start building houses soon and there are new blocks currently being announced and balloted for, that people looking to invest less and then wait for their investments to grow monetarily would love. We suggest you open thechampion.pk and search for plot sizes of your interest especially in Capital Smart City.

This society has two sports stadia designed and being developed on international standards, not only that, it has the right infrastructure planned around those stadia to facilitate people visiting those sports venues. Society has planned a proper education centre that will fulfil all study needs of its residents and it has a healthcare district with state-of-the-art hospital planned as part of it. No matter what facility, necessity or leisure requirement the residents may have been planned and under development in this society.

Capital Smart City is a fitting new addition to our lovely city of Islamabad, another feather in the cap with unique blend of beauty, neatness and state of the art features built into the design of this amazing new society.

Capital smart city is already CDA approved and a trusted developer is owning / developing the mega project which means our hard-earned money is safe with Capital smart city. For those who are careful in evaluating their investment decisions, Capital smart city has all the ticks in the boxes; location, developer with experience, approved from regulator, excellent design, right marketing and much more.

Capital smart city has made it easier for people to invest by giving one of the most convenient payment plans that helps investors plan their cashflow without having to move a larger sum of money from business or savings to this property investment. Payment plan is flexible with two options, one being monthly payments and the other is half yearly payments. Considering the features, credible developer, on time delivery till date and flexible payment options, capital smart city is the best investment option in case anyone wants to invest in real estate sector.

IBA Karachi holds Grand Alumni Reunion 2022

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Karachi (Muhammad Yasir) The Institute of Business Administration (IBA), Karachi held its Alumni Reunion 2022 at the Main Campus.  The IBA and student society ‘Alumni and Placement society’ collaborated to make this reunion a resounding success. Federal Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives, Mr. Asad Umar graced the event as Guest of Honour. The event was attended by around 700 prominent alumni from the government and corporate sector.

The event commenced with a welcome address by Ms. Malahat Awan, Director, Alumni Relations, Resource Mobilization and Corporate Relations. Keeping the memories of the departed alumni alive, the evening began with a video tribute to honour them. Expressing her gratitude for the 38 Classes, that have set up numerous endowment and scholarship funds, Ms. Awan said that in the past 2 years, PKR 165 million have been collected in form of scholarships by the generous IBA alumni.

The Executive Director, IBA Karachi, Dr. S Akbar Zaidi, warmly welcomed the alumni back to their alma mater after 2.5 years and apprised the audience about the recent academic and infrastructural developments. Enumerating IBA’s transformation from a business school to a multi-disciplinary Institution, Dr. Zaidi said that the IBA now has 5,000 students as compared to 400 students, 20 years ago. The Institute now offers diverse subjects including History, Sociology, Anthropology and Mathematics among others. He added that 40% of IBA students receive some form of financial assistance. Adapting to the changing times, Dr. Zaidi mentioned that IBA graduates were opting for setting up enterprises of their own and excelling in that domain, furthermore those alumni that sought employment found one within 3 months of their graduation. Dr. Zaidi also urged the alumni to provide their valuable feedback, support and expertise towards strengthening IBA further.

IBA alumnus and Guest of Honour, Mr. Umar, expressed his happiness on attending the reunion and reminisced about his old teachers, student life and fond memories of the Institute. He commended IBA’s ongoing tradition of excellence and stated that the IBA alumni were performing brilliantly in diverse fields. He thanked IBA for the valuable education, the memories and the unforgettable experience.

A memento was presented to Mr. Umar by Dr. Zaidi.

Head Remittance & Roshan Digital Account, The Bank of Punjab (BOP), Farrukh Majeed, stated that it was an honour to connect with the IBA alumni. He said that CEO, BOP, Mr. Zafar Masood was also an IBA alumnus and that it was a matter of great pride for the BOP to sponsor a few IBA students so that they can acquire quality education. He also urged the IBA alumni to support the Roshan Digital Account initiative.

The reunion provided the alumni community with an opportunity to reminisce about their student life, experience the new campus, share personal and professional experiences and recall the memorable time spent at the IBA.