Tech and Telecom

Pakistan’s exports to China increased by 31 percent over the past nine months to clock in at $1.951 billion, said Adviser to Prime Minister on Commerce and Investment, Abdul Razak Dawood, in a tweet. He shared a series of tweets explaining details of the exports in concern. He wrote, “The Second Phase of Pakistan-China FTA (FTA-II) became operational on 1st January 2020. MOC is glad to share that during Jul-Apr 2021 our exports to China have increased by 31 percent to USD 1.951 Billion from USD 1.491 Billion in the corresponding period last year.” The Second Phase of Pakistan-China FTA…

The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) said on Sunday that Cyclone Tauktae has changed direction and will not pose a major threat to Pakistan’s coastline. The Met Office said in a statement that the cyclone had changed its direction when it was around 1,300 km away from Karachi. The system with winds of 100 to 120 kph gusting to 140 kph had been moving north-westward at a speed of 18 kph. ALSO READ Here’s What Will Happen If You Get Two Different COVID-19 Vaccines However, the cyclonic activity had caused dust/thunderstorms with moderate to heavy rainfalls in various parts of Sindh,…

The Pakistani government and the K-Electric (KE) have finally agreed to sell off the KE to Shanghai Electric Power (SEP) after years of a standstill over the issue. In 2005, Dubai-based private equity firm Abraaj Group, Saudi business group Aljomaih Holdings, and National Industries Group (NIG) of Kuwait had bought a 66.4 percent stake in KE. The government holds 24.36 percent shares in KE. In 2016, the UAE consortium that holds the majority stake of the shares, decided to sell its stake to SEP. However, the transaction could not go through due to outstanding payment issues with the government. The…

The Pakistan government has proposed to add Pakistan Post to the list of Amazon’s delivery partners across the country. It is expected that Pakistan would join the global e-commerce giant’s sellers list in a week and add Pakistan Post to its delivery partners for parcels. Ayesha Humaira, the commerce joint secretary, informed that Pakistani sellers must provide quality products because the sold items will be refundable in case of any complaints. She also revealed that further developments will be made after Eidul Fitr. “Those who don’t ensure the quality of their products would have their Amazon seller account blocked,” she…

Canadian health officials have started the review of the research on mixing COVID-19 vaccines as they believe that administering mixed vaccine jabs can boost the immunity manifold. The development follows the announcement of the National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI) which stated the AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine was not the preferred vaccine because it had been linked with rare blood clots in the brain. ALSO READ Pakistan’s Exports to EU Cross $7 Billion in 10 Months of FY2021 NACI issued the warning after hundreds of thousands of Canadians had already received the initial dose of AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine. The recipients of…

Pakistan’s textile exports are likely to increase considerably, by nearly $16.5 billion, during the fiscal year 2020-21 (FY21), making a total export value of $27 billion in the same financial year. The July-March figures showed that growth in textile and clothing exports came from the value-added sector. The value of exports reached $11.35 billion in the July-March period this year, against $10.41 billion over the corresponding months of last year, showing a growth of 9.06 percent. The consistent export of the textile sector could continue to grow up to $20 billion in the next financial year, thereby pushing the values…

The remittance inflows to Pakistan had risen by about 17 percent to a record high of $26.1 billion in 2020, with the biggest growth coming from Saudi Arabia, followed by the European Union countries and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), as observed by the World Bank. According to its latest ‘Migration and Development Brief’ report, the volume of remittances to Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka in Q1 2021 indicates that this increase has been sustained. The report also showed that the inward remittance flows to South Asia had risen by about 5.2 percent in 2020 to $147 billion, driven by…

MG Pakistan has quickly garnered a significant amount of popularity among the Pakistani public in just under a year of its debut, due in large part to the high desirability of the HS SUV. Based on the automaker’s own claims, MG has sold several thousand units across Pakistan, despite the long delivery times and the fact that the SUV is still being offered as a Completely Built-up Unit (CBU), which presumably adds to the vehicle’s cost. However, it seems that the said concern shall no longer impede the automaker’s rise in the market, as reportedly, the first local assembly plant…

In a rare instance earlier today, Careem customers were charged several thousands in extra for a single ride when a technical malfunctioning occurred in the system. Major reason behind the additional charge is said to be a system error that mistakenly charged Pakistani customers in Dirhams, Dollars and other foreign currencies. If a customer, for instance, was supposed to be charged Rs. 1,500 for a ride, the Careem system charged him/her Dhs. 1,500 – which is around Rs. 62,000. JUST IN: Careem has charged massive amounts to multiple users in random global currencies because of some malfunction. I was charged…

Pakistan Clean Air Initiative aims to fight the medical emergency of bad air quality in Pakistan. Its primary co-founders, Farhaan Riaz, Waseem Arshad, and Farhaan Mobein joined hands once they educated themselves on the problem. Mr. Farhaan Mobein started his research back in 2016 upon his return from Canada. He discovered the root of the problem to be a lack of awareness, zero implementation of face masks, and non-existent air purification equipment. The initiative set forth to tackle this problem on all fronts. Treatment as an immediate medical emergency Lack of Data and Availability Inadequate government policies and information A…