Category: Information Technology

Around 40 million children in Pakistan are affected by COVID-19 school closures, forcing students to rely on virtual learning, and for those with no internet access, education can is almost out of reach.

This has been stated in a new joint report ‘How Many Children and Youth Have Internet Access at Home? of UNICEF and the International Telecommunication Union (ITU).

According to the report, 88 percent of South Asia’s school-age children do not have an internet connection in their homes.

The report further stated that even before the pandemic, a growing cohort of young people needed to learn foundational, transferable, digital, job-specific and entrepreneurial skills to compete in the 21st-century economy.

The digital divide is perpetuating inequalities that already divide countries and communities, the report notes. Children and young people from the poorest households, rural and lower-income states are falling even further behind their peers and are left with very little opportunity to ever catch up.

The report noted that globally two-thirds of school-age children have no internet access at home. There is a similar lack of access among young people aged 15-24 years old, with 759 million or 63 percent of young people unconnected at home.

“That so many children and young people have no internet at home is more than a digital gap –it is a digital canyon,” said Henrietta Fore, UNICEF Executive Director.

“Lack of connectivity doesn’t just limit children and young people’s ability to connect online. It prevents them from competing in the modern economy. It isolates them from the world. And in the event of school closures, such as those currently experienced by millions due to COVID-19, it causes them to lose out on education. Put bluntly: Lack of internet access is costing the next generation of their futures.”

There are also geographic disparities within countries and across regions. Globally, around 60 percent of school-age children in urban areas do not have internet access at home, compared with around three-quarters of school-age children in rural households. School-age children in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia are the most affected, with around 9 in 10 children unconnected.

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The Directorate of Intelligence and Investigation, Inland Revenue, Faisalabad, on directions of the Federal Board of Revenue, Islamabad and the Director-General (DG), Intelligence and Investigation, Inland Revenue to curb the menace of illicit trade of counterfeit and non-duty paid cigarettes, has busted 300 cartons of cigarettes of different brands from multiple locations and stock-houses of traders in Faisalabad.

The DG Intelligence and Investigation, Inland Revenue, in successive official meetings and communiqués has conveyed the field formations regarding the zero-tolerance of the Government and the Federal Board of Revenue towards the menace of counterfeit cigarettes. These counterfeit cigarettes are not only hazardous to health but also cause huge losses to the national exchequer in terms of evasion of duties and taxes.

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In line with these policy guidelines, Tobacco Squad of Intelligence and Investigation, Inland Revenue, Faisalabad under the supervision of Deputy Director, Imran Zafar, exercising powers u/s 38 of the Sales Tax Act, 1990 read with Rule 62 of the Federal Excise Duty, 2005 visited the business premises and sales office of a registered person in Timber Market. The godown located near Lari Ada, Tandlianwala, was searched after getting a search warrant from the area magistrate, police station city Tandlianwala. The authorities 150 recovered cartons of counterfeit, non-duty paid cigarettes from there.

The owner was asked to provide a sales tax invoice or Bill-T and other allied documents, but they failed to produce any document whatsoever, and 150 cartons of non-duty paid cigarettes were recovered accordingly.

In a similar action undertaken by this Directorate, Tobacco Squad of Intelligence and Investigation, Inland Revenue, Faisalabad acting on a secret tip, reached the Deputywala Interchange, M-3 Motorway, Faisalabad and found 150 cartons of non-duty paid cigarettes about half a kilometer away from the Deputywala Interchange on Faisalabad Road under a makeshift shed. Two persons present there were questioned, but they failed to produce any documents, i.e., sales tax invoices or Bill-T, etc.

The cigarettes were counterfeit and non-duty paid. The consignment was taken into custody. Estimated tax and duties evaded on the recovered merchandise may run in millions of rupees.

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The Director-General, Intelligence and Investigation, Inland Revenue, appreciated the action of the Faisalabad Directorate. He also urged the department to speed up the drive for curbing the illicit trade. The drive aims to allow fair business, as per approved health, quality, brand specifications, and standards take place.

The drive also aims to apprehend criminal elements involved in robbing the exchequer of due tax and duties, and playing with the health of the general public may be brought to law.

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Adviser to Prime Minister of Pakistan for Commerce and Investment, Abdul Razak Dawood, took to Twitter on Tuesday and announced that Pakistan’s exports have increased to $2.156 billion in November 2020 as compared to $2.011 billion in November 2019.

This November’s year-over-year comparison shows a 7.2 percent growth in export figures as per the Ministry of Commerce Data.

He wrote,

For the first 5 months of the current year, the exports have increased to $9.732 billion as compared to $9.545 billion over the same period last year. This has been due to hard work of our exporters, and they deserve praise for this accomplishment.

“I wish to congratulate our exporters that in these very difficult times with resurgence of COVID-19 cases in Pakistan & globally, our exports have increased by 7.2% in November 2020 over the same period last year”, said the Adviser, adding that the country has once again crossed the US$ 2 billion mark per month.

A.A.H Soomro, Managing Director at Khadim Ali Shah Bukhari Securities, while commenting on the exports said,

7% growth is good news and a promising trend. This ought to increase to double digits after a few months. Govt is belatedly realizing to put all heads together to fix the paralyzed export sector. Low energy prices, cheaper incremental electricity, quick refunds, and manufacturing focus is helping.

Soomro further added that,

Recently, the Export Promotion Board headed by the PM needs more involvement from the private sector to set up policies to double exports in 5 years. At 8% to GDP, exports are starting from a low base. Initial jumps need to translate into changing mindsets.

According to Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) data for export figures in the same month (Nov) of the past decade, Pakistan has shown almost a consistent increase. The figures for November 2011 show exports of $1.53 billion, which rose to approximately $1.66 billion by 2015 and increased to $2.02 billion by 2019.

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Islamabad’s District Administration has imposed a ban on indoor dining in view of the Coronavirus situation in the federal capital.

According to DC Islamabad, Hamza Shafqaat, only take away and outdoor dining facilities will be allowed until further order.

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In this regard, DC Islamabad has directed all Assistant Commissioners/ Sub Divisional Magistrates to enforce the latest directive issued under the Epidemic Diseases Act.

Last week, DC Islamabad’s office was shut down temporarily after several employees had tested positive for the Coronavirus disease.

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As per official statistics issued by the District Health Officer (DHO) Islamabad, the Coronavirus positivity rate in the federal capital has dropped to 4.3% after peaking at 7.16% on 20 November.

In the last 24 hours, Islamabad has reported 283 new cases and 4 deaths of Coronavirus.

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N-ovative Health Technologies (NHL), a healthcare startup based in NUST Islamabad, is all set to commercially launch indigenously manufactured cardiac stents this month.

According to details, these stents will be widely available in local hospitals at one-fourth of the price of their imported competitors and will help the country to save Rs. 8 billion on its import bill.

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Some of the features of the NHL-developed cardiac stent include low recoil, superior cobalt-chromium alloy, optimum crossing profile and crush resistance, and excellent biocompatibility.

In an official statement, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) NHL, Dr. Murtaza Ali, said:

This nationally ground-breaking initiative by NHT aims to make healthcare more affordable for patients as local manufacturing of high-quality medical equipment will be beneficial for the entire healthcare industry.

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On 16th October, Prime Minister Imran Khan had formally inaugurated Pakistan’s first indigenous cardiac stent manufacturing facility at NUST.

With that, Pakistan became the 18th country worldwide to manufacture cardiac stents. Pakistan also became the 2nd Muslim state after Turkey and the 2nd South Asian country after India to locally produce cardiac stents.

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The wave of price hikes has begun once again as 2020 draws to an end. While the how and why of it is still a mystery, it seems like the members of Pakistan Automotive Manufacturer’s Association (PAMA) have decided to review the price tags for its former bestsellers.

Toyota Indus Motor Company (IMC) has increased the prices of the new Corolla along with the introduction of the X-package.

Pak Suzuki Motor Company (PSMC) has also decided to push up the prices of two of its Cultus variants and one variant of the Swift. As per the reports, the following prices will be effective from 1 December 2020.

Variants
Old Price (PKR)
Revised Price (PKR)
Price Increase (PKR)

Cultus VXL
1,900,000
1,970,000
70,000

Cultus AGS
2,030,000
2,130,000
100,000

Swift Automatic w/ Nav
2,175,000
2,210,000
35,000

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Until now, PSMC had announced seven price hikes for a variety of its vehicles over the year. The first price hike was announced on 1 January 2020, under which the prices of the entire PSMC car lineup were revised.

PSMC’s second price bump was on 2 July, in which it upped the prices of its entire bike lineup. This was followed by its third price bump on 6 July for the new Suzuki Alto. The fourth hike was announced a couple of months ago for the Bolan and the Ravi, and the fifth one took place in September when the prices of the motorbikes were revised.

The sixth price hike was in October in which the prices of the Alto, Wagon R and the Swift were revised, and the current price is the seventh within a year.

For the past few price hikes that occurred during the time of the COVID-19 lockdowns, PSMC blamed the depreciation of the local currency for the revision. Irrespective of the fact that the Pakistani rupee has recovered significantly against the US dollar, PSMC continues on with the price hikes.

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Note that PSMC had declared its eighth consecutive quarter in a loss upon the conclusion of the third quarter of CY 2020. While the automaker reported a loss of Rs. 136.38 million during the quarter, it did show a recovery of 88.30 percent as compared to the same period last year.

Although PSMC is already in hot waters as it has been reporting a low sales volume ever since the easing of lockdowns, it continues to irk car buyers by announcing multiple price hikes without the introduction of new vehicles or improvements in the current lineup.

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Jazz World, the self-care platform of Pakistan’s largest 4G operator and internet and broadband service provider, has crossed seven million monthly active users. This milestone cements Jazz World as the largest local app in Pakistan.

Jazz World is an online customer engagement platform that allows subscribers to check prepaid balance and postpaid bill, recharge their Mobile balance, pay phone bills, and access usage history along with information on the best packages.

The platform also allows users to submit complaints, buy SIMs, stream games, and receive information on seasonal content and discounts. Innovative new features include the ability to let users create their preferred bundles, share balance with friends and family, and save their credit/debit cards for ease of payments.

This is a translation of Jazz’s customer-centricity ambitions into a consistent, digital experience that allows subscribers timely and effective assistance with most of their account requirements. Jazz World’s popularity has played a critical role in maintaining the connection with, and confidence in, the Jazz brand, which today serves more than 64 million subscribers.

“Jazz World is a testament to our commitment to developing best-in-class digital products to facilitate our customers. 7 million monthly active users is a big milestone and we would like to thank all our users for placing their trust in us. Jazz remains committed to providing the best-in-class customer experience to our loyal users,” said Jazz Chief Digital & Strategy Officer, Aamer Ejaz.

The consistent increase in engagement comes on the back of new user feedback led, scroll-based User Interface with an intuitive design. The new look of Jazz World is in sync with the objective to transition from a basic customer app to a digital lifestyle partner.

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The Federal Minister for Education and Professional Training, Shafqat Mahmood, had announced on 23 November that all the educational institutions including schools, colleges, and tuition centers in Pakistan would be shut down from 26 November onwards amid the second wave of COVID-19.

Additionally, online classes will continue until 24 December, followed by winter break from 25 December 2020 to 10 January 2021.

Regarding the examinations scheduled for December, the minister had stated that with the exception of professional examinations, they have all been postponed until 15 January 2021.

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Following the announcement by the government, the Higher Education Commission (HEC) announced a new Policy Guidance for the Higher Education Institutions (HEIs), according to which all the examinations that had been scheduled for December 2020 have been delayed. However, it excludes the MDCAT, entrance examinations, and recruitment examinations.

Additionally, the University of Punjab (PU), the University of Health Sciences (UHS), the University of Sindh Jamshoro, the University of Karachi (KU), the Allama Iqbal Open University (AIOU), and the National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST) have officially postponed their exams.

PU has delayed its examinations for BA/BSc. and the Associate Degree Parts 1 and 2, and MA/MSc. Part 1, while Bahauddin Zakariya University (BZU) has delayed all its examinations.

Both KU and AIOU announced the postponement of all their examinations that had been scheduled to begin on 26 November.

UHS announced on Twitter that “all undergraduate and postgraduate theory and practical examinations” scheduled from 26 November to 24 December have been delayed until further notice.

The University of Sindh Jamshoro has also announced the postponement of all its theory examinations until mid-January 2021.

Additionally, the NUST Entry Test (NET) 2021 (Series-1) that had been scheduled to start from 28 November has also been postponed.

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Furthermore, the Punjab education boards have announced that they will not be conducting practical examinations for intermediate and matriculation classes this year.

The Elementary and Secondary Education Department and the Higher Education Department of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa have also announced that all their examinations that had been scheduled for December will be postponed until further notice.

Similarly, the annual examinations for classes one to eight in Balochistan have been postponed to 10 March 2021.

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Pakistan’s former Minister for Finance, Ishaq Dar, who is currently in self-exile while facing corruption references in the Accountability Court in Pakistan, appeared on BBC’s HardTalk on Monday and was at a loss for words when the host, English journalist Stephen Sackur, candidly questioned him.

When Sackur asked Dar about the properties he owns, he replied, “It’s all declared in my tax returns”.

Upon being demanded for a straight answer to the question, Dar stated, “I have my main residence in Pakistan which has been taken over by this regime. My sole property is my residence”.

In response to Sackur pointing out the properties owned by his sons in London, the former minister said that his children have been in the business for seventeen years and that whatever they own is not under his direct ownership.

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Responding to this, Sackur asked Dar why he does not return to Pakistan if everything in his record is crystal clear, and to make his case in the court of law? Dar replied, “I am here for my medical issue,” and that “there is a human rights crisis in Pakistan, and people under the custody of the National Accountability have been virtually killed”.

Sackur questioned the hypocritical stance of Dar’s close ally and erstwhile boss – the former Prime Minister of Pakistan, Nawaz Sharif – regarding how he had initially worked hand-in-hand with Pakistan’s military dictator General Zia for several years before suddenly deciding that military interference in the politics of the country is completely unacceptable.

Dar simply responded, “Maybe evolution process”.

Sackur questioned if it was because Nawaz Sharif had been in power then and that now he is not, to which Dar replied, “Mr. Sharif would have been ‘fourth-time’ prime minister, had he not gotten into trouble with the establishment”.

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The interview, although not directly telecast in Pakistan, has made its way to the local audiences via social media, and has elicited a variety of responses.

Sackur himself tweeted on Tuesday afternoon, “My interview with former Finance Minister [Ishaq Dar] seems to be causing quite a stir in Pakistan”.

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