Rocket Internet-Backed Car Listings Site Carmudi Raises $25M To Fuel Growth In Asia And Mexico

(GNN) - Carmudi, a car classifieds site that focuses on emerging markets, announced today that it has raised $25 million to gear up its operations in Mexico and several Asian countries. This round, Carmudi’s second, includes Asia Pacific Internet Group (a joint venture between Rocket Internet and Ooredoo), Holtzbrinck Ventures, Tengelmann Ventures, as well as an undisclosed private investor.

This brings the total Carmudi has raised so far to $35 million. Its last funding round was in April 2014. The company, which was founded in 2013 and now operates in 20 countries, will use the funds to expand in seven Asian markets (Bangladesh, Indonesia, Myanmar, Pakistan, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, and Vietnam) as well as Mexico.

The company’s other markets are spread throughout Africa and the Middle East and include Cameroon, Congo, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Nigeria, Qatar, Rwanda, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Tanzania, the United Arab Emirates, and Zambia.

Carmudi co-founder and global managing director Stefan Haubold says that the company plans to add more countries to its roster, but hasn’t decided which ones yet. Its latest round will be used to invest in product technology, in particular making its mobile app easier to use, and scaling up operations in Asia and Mexico.

The site currently has a total of 300,000 listings for vehicles worldwide, and claims five million users a month. Carmudi’s Android apps were rolled out last year, and it launched a iOS version earlier this month.
Carmudi’s mobile apps have been downloaded 300,000 times so far. In total, mobile visits now account for about 60 percent to 70 percent of its total traffic, which is important because the company is targeting markets where many users access the Internet primarily through smartphones or tablets.

Haubold claims that Carmudi is now the top car classifieds site in the Philippines, Bangladesh, and Myanmar. In Asia, alternatives to Carmudi’s service include local car listings and classifieds sites in each market.

Haubold says his company differentiates through its mobile apps, which let buyers upload photos and descriptions of their cars; services like loan calculators; and inventory sweeps that clear out listings after a certain length of time (60 days for most listings and 45 for ones placed by dealerships) so buyers see fresh inventory.

In some Southeast Asia markets, Carmudi’s rivals include iCar Asia, which grew last year by making acquisitions of smaller car classified sites in Thailand and Indonesia. Haubold does not consider iCar Asia a competitor, however, because Carmudi has newer listings and operates in markets that do not overlap with iCar Asia.

Carmudi monetizes through listing fees, but is currently focused on expansion and growth, says Haubold.
Rocket Internet has been busy building a network of e-commerce services and marketplaces throughout Southeast Asia, including many (real estate classifieds platform Lamudi, price comparison site Pricepanda, and car-calling app Easy Taxi) included in the Asia Pacific Internet Group’s portfolio. This creates online and offline (in the case of logistics) networks that may eventually help each individual startup scale up faster.

Mining contracts: Pakistan must study global models to court investors

(GNN) - ISLAMABAD: After facing a legal battle with Tethyan Copper Company (TCC) Pakistan – a joint venture between Canadian and Chilean giants – in the international court, Pakistan must make endeavours to study mining deals around the world in a bid to frame a model agreement for awarding gold and copper mining contracts.

Pakistan has already lost a major opportunity to search for gold and copper reserves in Balochistan because of a poor framework that sparked controversy with TCC over the grant of contract and dented investor confidence.

Balochistan, the largest province in terms of area but the most under-developed, not only boasts of a large number of mines containing deposits of precious and other metals, it has also huge reserves of oil and gas. The northern areas too hold big deposits of gold and copper that await exploration and could give a boost to the country’s faltering economy.

Around the world, business tycoons are involved in tricky games to win contracts, but they spoil things when they lose. Moreover, the countries rich in natural resources have been facing poor law and order situation as is happening in many Middle Eastern states.

Balochistan, blessed with huge reserves of mineral and other natural resources, has also been grappling with insecurity and violence since long due to alleged involvement of external forces.
However, according to experts, the poor law and order conditions appear to be a blessing in disguise for international investors, who are promised a lucrative package of incentives in an attempt to win their support.

The province has a 16km long belt of gold and copper reserves that passes through Iran and Turkey and then enters Afghanistan. Only a Chinese company is working on the Saindak gold and copper project in the province.

Though TCC tried to break the monopoly by undertaking exploration of metals, different lobbies came in the company’s way and it was forced to pack up after spending over $400 million. It also approached the International Court of Arbitration to seek compensation.

The rift between the government and TCC started in 2009 when Pakistan’s ambassador in Chile wrote a letter, suggesting that a Chinese company should be awarded another area for exploration rather than Reko Diq. As a result, the government turned down the demand of the Chinese firm to grant rights for Reko Diq.

Policy revision
The present government of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz has blamed the previous administration of Pakistan Peoples Party for corruption and kickbacks. Now is the time for the new government to demonstrate transparency and good governance and try to reach a settlement with TCC. This will set a precedent and encourage investors to pour money into Balochistan.

The government should revamp the Mineral Policy of 2013, framed by the PPP-led coalition government, to remove bottlenecks, if any, and provide a level-playing field for all investors.

The policy should not favour investors from only one country that discourages other potential investors. Incentives should also be put in place for those willing to set up gold and copper refining units. This will stop export of unprocessed metal and lead to shipment of finished goods, fetching better prices.

The inflow of investment will also create significant job opportunities for the locals in the insurgency-plagued region.

TCC had also been planning to invest $5 billion in Reko Diq over a period of five years with creation of jobs for 3,000 people and another 4,000 for daily-wage workers, who would assist in infrastructure work at construction sites.

Apart from these, the government should make efforts to appoint independent experts on key posts in an attempt to instill confidence in investors. Any hiring on political grounds could spark controversy and disrupt a smooth flow of investment.

In a recent case, the Balochistan government appointed a son of former chief justice of Pakistan as vice chairman of the provincial Board of Investment, which triggered a row and calls for his resignation. Eventually, he stepped down from the post.

Published in GNN, Tribune, AIP, July 14th, 2014.

Domino effect of the GSP Plus

(GNN) - KARACHI: The European Union granting the country Generalised Scheme of Preferences (GSP) Plus scheme did not just augur well for the textile industry but also left a favourable impact on the business of Oracle Corporation in Pakistan, according to the company’s managing director.

 Speaking to Tribune, Oracle Corporation’s county head said the GSP Plus status along with the successful spectrum auction that landed 3G services in Pakistan are going to add to the country’s economic growth.

Oracle Pakistan provides IT solutions to over 1,100 clients in the country out of which 50 of them are textile companies. Citing one of the Oracle’s recent deals with Nishat Chunian, the fourth largest textile company in Pakistan, he said more firms may opt for or improve IT solutions as their profits grow due to the favourable impact of the GSP Plus in the 28-nation EU market.

“The more these two developments help increase companies’ profitability, the more small and big businesses will opt for different Information Technology (IT) solutions,” said Ahsen Javed, responsible for overseeing Pakistan as well as Oracle’s South Asia Growth Economies (SAGE) West region covering Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives, Nepal and Sri Lanka.

Textile is one of our focused sectors and we are bullish about it, Javed added.

3G licences and IT solution providers
Another indication of better economic growth is the country’s recent move towards availing 3G services.

The transformation of Pakistan has opened new doors of opportunity. It is not just good for the telecom sector, which is one of the major client base for Oracle, Javed said, but also for other sectors where IT systems play an important role like banks, airlines, hospitals among others.

“I am glad 3G services are finally here as it will have a profound impact on economic growth.”
Asked to identify a sector which would report growth, Javed said it would be difficult to pinpoint.

“However, if manufacturing somehow manages to grow faster, it will help Pakistan a lot owing to the size of large scale manufacturing in the country,” he added, while speaking on the relationship of economic growth and the penetration of IT solution providers.

He said there is room for improvement in every sector but a lot depends on how Pakistan tackles its energy crisis, which is one of the biggest impediments in growth and has a direct bearing on the business of IT solution providers.

Cloud computing the future
According to Javed, irrespective of developed or developing countries, customer challenges are similar and the companies are looking for cost effective and simple IT solutions because the current costs are high and difficult to sustain. This is why companies like Oracle are now focusing on innovative and simple solutions for their customers.

“Cloud computing is going to help the customers as it simplifies solutions and reduces cost of operations,” he said. “The future lies in cloud computing and therefore, with time more and more companies will shift to it.”

Cloud computing is a model for delivering IT services in which resources are retrieved from the internet through web-based tools and applications, rather than a direct connection to a server. This reduces overall costs of operations.

Javed said that he is not aware of the precise rate but the growth of cloud computing services in Pakistan, like many other countries, is definitely in double digits.

“Since caution in terms of cost is observed everywhere, our strategy is to reduce the overall costs and provide simple but modern IT solutions,” he added.

Published in GNN, Tribune, AIP,July 14th, 2014.

PPP to remain part of democratic alliance: Khurshid Shah

KARACHI: Leader of opposition in the national assembly, Khurshid Shah Sunday said that the federal and Sindh governments should provide security to the installations instead of bickering over and added that the institutions would have to get forward meeting the dangers, Geo News reported.

Talking to media on the sidelines of Family Expo function at the Expo centre here, Khurshid Shah said that Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) would not become a party to any undemocratic move and would continue remaining part of the democratic alliance.

He said that the Karachi airport attack was quite shocking, but there was no two-opinion about it that the responsibility of the airport security rested with the federal government.

Khurshid Shah said that the government would not try to arrest Tahirul Qadri. He further said that the trial under Article 6 would not be fruitful without linking it with October 12, 1999 military coup.

Jhagra sent to London for further treatment on directive of PM

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) senior leader, Iqbal Zafar Jhagra on Sunday sent to London for further treatment of the injuries that he had suffered in a traffic accident few months ago, Geo News reported.

 Family sources said that Iqbal Zafar Jhagra was sent to London in an air ambulance on the directive of the prime minister.

It may be recalled that Iqbal Zafar Jhagra a few month ago was on his way back after attending a wedding ceremony in Multan, when his car rammed into a stationary trolley on the road near Doli Shaheed, leaving him and three others on board the car injured.

Journalists stage walk out from Sindh Assembly against ban on Geo

KARACHI: Journalists on Friday staged walk out from the Sindh Assembly during budget speech of Chief Minister Qaim Ali Shah against suspension of Geo’s license.

Sindh Information Minister Sahrjeel Inam Memon expressed solidarity with the protesting journalists and told them “We are against ban on any channel including Geo”.

Speaking on the occasion, Pakistan Federal Union of Journalist (PFUJ) Secretary General Amin Yousuf said that Federal Information Minister Pervez Rashid was causing rift among the journalists.

Moderate 5.3 magnitude earthquake hits southwestern Pakistan

QUETTA: A 5.3-magnitude earthquake struck southwestern Pakistan on Friday, but officials said there were no immediate reports of damage or casualties.

The epicentre was in the city of Khuzdar, in Baluchistan province, at a depth of 26 kilometres (16 miles), meteorological official Zabih Ullah told AFP.

The quake, which struck late morning, was also felt in surrounding towns and districts. Pakistan straddles part of the boundary where the Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates meet, making the country susceptible to earthquakes.

It was hit by a 7.6-magnitude quake on October 8, 2005 that killed more than 73,000 people and left about 3.5 million homeless, mainly in Pakistan-controlled Kashmir.

A 7.7-magnitude earthquake devastated several areas in southwestern Baluchistan province in September last year. It killed at least 370 people and left 100,000 homeless.

High life: Punjab has highest number of drug users, says UNODC report

LAHORE: Adviser to Chief Minister on Health Khawaja Salman Rafique on Thursday said collective efforts by the government, the civil society, the media and non-government organisation (NGOs) were required to check use of narcotics.

He said elimination of narcotics was necessary for eradication of communicable diseases.

He said was addressing the launch of United Nation Office of Drug Control (UNODC) report 2013 regarding drug use in Pakistan and the Punjab.

He said drug use adversely affected families of drug users and was harmful for society.

Rafique said drug users injected drugs through syringes and sharing of syringes was among the leading causes of spread of HIV/AIDS and Hepatitis-C.

Rafique said the UNODC and the government should prepare a joint action plan for eradication of drugs.

He said the action plan should include an awareness campaign regarding use of drugs, capacity-building of treatment facilities and the control of HIV/AIDS.

Earlier, a representative of the UNODC presented the report regarding drug use in the Punjab.

He said Afghanistan had become one of the largest poppy cultivating countries in the world and stressed the need of effective measures to control smuggling of narcotics.

Drug use in 2013
Around 4.25 million drug users in Pakistan were considered dependent on substances and required a form of structured intervention for treatment of their drug use disorder, the report said.

It said that due to its large share of the population, the Punjab had the highest number of drug users and people who injected drugs (PWID) with 2.9 million people using illicit substances in 2013, and approximately 260,000 people who inject drugs. The number of people who inject drugs is estimated to 430,000 nationwide.

According to the report, approximately 80 per cent of PWID in the Punjab share syringes regularly, whereas two-thirds report doing so in Sindh and Balochistan, and half in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP).

Among PWID, 73 per cent reported sharing syringes, claiming lack of access to sterile injecting equipment.

The report pointed out that among the general population, only 13 per cent could accurately name three modes of HIV transmission.

Approximately 1.5 per cent of the population (1.6 million people) reported non-medical use of prescription opioids (painkillers) in the past year.

While men were found to use more drugs than women for most drug types, women were more likely to misuse tranquilisers and sedatives as well as amphetamines, the report said.

Overall in Pakistan, approximately 6 per cent of the population (6.7 million people) used controlled substance and misused prescription drugs, the report said.

In addition to drug use, the report pointed to warning signs for a rapid expansion of the HIV epidemic. Survey results detected a high prevalence of HIV risk behaviours among people who injected drugs.

“Because the majority of HIV positive people who inject drugs are not aware of their status, they are also not taking precautions to prevent further transmission,” the report pointed out.

Cannabis was the most commonly-used drug, with a prevalence of 3.6 per cent of the population (4 million users nationwide).

Poly-drug use was also found to be common, with one in five people reporting using more than one controlled substance in the past year.

An estimated 860,000 people (0.8 per cent of the population) were regular heroin users and 320,000 used opium.

The majority of drug users surveyed were between 25 and 39 years of age Cannabis use was highest among 30 to 34 year olds and heroin use was highest among 35 to 39 years olds.

(By Our Correspondent) Published in GNN & Tribune, May 23rd, 2014.

Prisoners’ escape: FIA nabs sub-inspector for abetting crime

ISLAMABAD: The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) arrested a Punjab police sub inspector for releasing three UK-convicted prisoners from the Central Jail Karachi in 2010 on forged papers drafted by a section officer (law) in the federal interior ministry who was arrested by the FIA last month.

The FIA investigation team is also facing great hardship in tracing the two absconding prisoners due to lack of cooperation of interior and prisons department of the Sindh government, it has been learnt.

Sources privy to the matter in FIA informed the Express Investigation Cell that Sub Inspector Ibrar of Punjab police was arrested by the investigation team of FIA Anti-corruption cell, Islamabad Zone, a few days back due to his involvement in the prisoners’ release case.

As per FIR No- 24/14 registered by FIA Anti-corruption cell on March 28, 2014, three Pakistani citizens Nasir Khan, Asad Habib and Rizwan were convicted by the British government in three different murder and narcotics cases.

Nasir and Rizwan were sentenced to life imprisonment in murder cases on February 21, 2002 and November 8, 2010, respectively, while Asad was convicted for 25 years in a drugs case on August 7, 2004.

The three convicts were later handed over by the British government to the Pakistan government under a prisoner agreement on August 21, 2010, and were sent to the Central Jail Karachi to complete their remaining imprisonment.

Meanwhile, Section officer (Law) Ali Muhammad allegedly forwarded letters to the authorities of Central Jail Karachi in different time periods for the release of said prisoners. As a result, Nasir was released on September 9, 2010, while Rizwan and Asad were released in November, 2010.

In pursuance of such FIR, the FIA Investigation team arrested section officer Ali Muhammad from Islamabad and one of the released prisoners Asad from Karachi.

When contacted, the deputy director FIA Anti-corruption cell, Islamabad zone Jalil Khan has confirmed the arrest of Sub Inspector Ibrar for his involvement in the case.

(By Yaqoob Malik) Published in GNN & Tribune, May 23rd, 2014.

The EFF Blasts Twitter For Censoring Itself In Russia And Pakistan

The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) today upbraided Twitter for censoring itself in Russia and Pakistan, stating that the company has stepped “down from the free speech party.”

The EFF’s argument is simple: Twitter’s decision to censor content on a country-by-country basis was the “least terrible option” available to it, provided that it only did so when the company was “compelled” by a court order in a country where the company has “significant assets or employees.”

In the case of Russia and Pakistan, where local censorship is now instituted by the company, Twitter does not have sufficient local presence to make presented court orders meaningful in the eyes of the EFF.

This makes the censorship in Russia (of a Ukrainian political account) and Pakistan (where takedown requests have ranged from porn to blasphemy) unreasonable according to the EFF, because Twitter’s lack of a local presence precludes it from the behest of the requests.

The EFF is blunt in its assessment of the company’s actions. Regarding the case of censorship in Russia: “If Twitter won’t stand up for political speech in a country where independent media is increasingly under attack, what will it stand for?” And Pakistan: “As disappointing as it is to see Twitter cave in response to pressure from the Russian government, it is even more alarming to see Twitter comply with Pakistani requests based on what ["Pakistani advocacy group"] Bolo Bhi describes ‘little in the way of due process.’”

For Twitter, a service that has done much good around the world by helping to unite protestors and allowing for rapid dissemination of information including dissent, to crack down on its regular users at the non-binding behest of repressive governments is disappointing.

There is a bitter irony of Russia censoring a Ukrainian political account, given that recent Ukrainian protests that drew Russian ire and later incursion used Twitter to organize.

GNN has reached out to Twitter for comment on the presented criticisms.

IMAGE BY FLICKR USER ANDREAS ELDH UNDER CC BY-SA 2.0 LICENSE (IMAGE HAS BEEN MODIFIED)

Govt approves allocation for construction of Bhasha, Dasu dams

ISLAMABAD: The government on Friday approved the allocation for construction of 4,500 Mega Watt (MW) Diamer Bhasha Dam, 2,160 MW Dasu Hydro Power Project, construction of a 57 km long stretch of the Faisalabad – Khanewal M-4 Motorway and Rawalpindi-Islamabad Metro Bus project.

The decision was taken during a meeting chair by the Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to finalise the Public Sector Development Program (PSDP) allocation for financial year 2014-15 at PM House.

We have embarked upon the road to progress and the projects initiated by our government will usher our country into an era of prosperity, said Nawaz. He added that these projects will not only create millions of job opportunities in the country but also raise the living standard of our people.

Emphasising on the efficient use of public money, Nawaz told the participants of the each penny in the government’s kitty is a public trust.

The meeting was attended by Finance Minister Ishaq Dar, Minister for Planning Ahsan Iqbal, MNA Hamza Shahbaz, MNA Capt (retd) Safdar and senior officials of the concerned ministries.

Prime Minister was given a detailed briefing on the PSDP projects included in the next financial year budget.

Nawaz was informed that each project, whether small, medium or large has been evaluated with reference to cost, importance, priority and time frame.

The premier directed authorities to speed up the initiation of work on Lahore- Karachi Motorway. The premier was informed that the work on this project will be started by end of current year.

The meeting also discussed and approved the initiatives of feasibility study for construction of new rail links from Islamabad to Muzaffarabad via Murree, new rail link from Havelian to Pak China Border, feasibility study to connect Gawadar with Karachi through rail.

Feasibility studies for approach roads to New Islamabad International Airport, New Gawadar International Airport project, Jetty and Infrastructure development at Gaddani, Gawadar Port Economic Free Zone project and Pak-China Technical & Vocational Institute at Gawadar and Quaid-e-Azam Solar Park at Lal Sohnra Park Phase-II (600 MW), were also approved.

In a first, Twitter blocks 'blasphemous' tweets in Pakistan

(GNN) - The online social-networking and microblogging site, Twitter, has honoured five requests brought forward by Abdul Batin, an official of Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA), to block ‘blasphemous content’ in Pakistan, a New York Times report stated.

Batin had asked Twitter to block accounts, tweets or searches that he considered as blasphemous or unethical in the month of May.

Twitter honoured these five requests, meaning that this content can no longer be seen in Pakistan.

The requests called for the blocking of drawings of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), photographs of burning copies of the Holy Quran and messages from a handful of anti-Islam bloggers as well as the entire account of an American porn star who now attends Duke University, the NYT report stated.

The NYT report also mentioned that it is the first time Twitter has agreed to block content in Pakistan.

The blocking of these tweets in Pakistan is in line with Twitter’s country-specific censorship policy uncovered in 2012.  Twitter said it will post a censorship notice whenever a tweet is removed and will post the removal requests it receives from governments, companies and individuals at the website chillingeffects.org.

It must be noted, that in May 2012 Twitter was banned in Pakistan for a day due to a drawing competition.

Taking a stand: PTI activists protest Yaseen Khalil’s removal from cabinet

PESHAWAR: Activists of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) held a protest outside the Peshawar Press Club on Tuesday to express their anger over the removal of Yaseen Khalil from the provincial cabinet.

Protesters, from different areas of PK-5 constituency, set up a hunger strike camp and demanded the provincial and central leadership reinstate Khalil.

The party workers chanted slogans in favour of Yaseen Khalil. Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser arrived at the scene and assured enraged activists he would take up the matter with the PTI leadership. Following this, the protesters dispersed peacefully.
Khalil, when approached, told The Express Tribune he had already made it clear in the assembly that the only objection he and his voters had was the manner in which he had been removed from the cabinet.

“I should have been asked to submit my resignation,” he said.

Khalil added he has been in contact with his supporters and has urged them to refrain from agitation.
“This is our internal matter. I spoke to the protesters and asked them to end the camp,” Khalil said.

He vowed to continue to fight for the rights of his constituency as an MPA.

Similar protests have earlier been held in favour of former health minister Shaukat Yousafzai who has also urged his supporters to remain calm as he had accepted the party’s decision.

Khalil and Yousafzai were removed from the cabinet earlier this month over ‘bad performance’.

(By Our Correspondent) Published in GNN & Tribune, May 21st, 2014.

Sticking together: Lawyers demand SHO be booked for torturing colleague

HARIPUR: Scores of lawyers protested on Tuesday against the alleged manhandling of their colleague by an SHO last week and issued a three-day ultimatum to the administration to take legal action against the police officer.

Lawyers observed a strike throughout Hazara division, boycotting court proceedings in protest. The black coats took out a rally from Haripur district courts and marched on Shahrah-e-Hazara, carrying banners and placards. They blocked the bustling road for over two hours and staged a sit-in near the District Police Officer’s (DPO) office.

They condemned the alleged torture of their colleague Advocate Awais Sarwar by City SHO Sajid Farooq in police custody.

They said if their colleague had committed any wrongdoing the police should have taken legal action against him rather than subjecting him to severe physical and mental torture during detention.

Local leaders of the legal fraternity said they had opted for a peaceful resolution of the dispute and lodged a complaint against the SHO with the Haripur DPO and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) IGP, seeking an enquiry against the official and his transfer. However, they said, instead of acting on their complaint, the police, at the behest of the city’s big shots, motivated some of their agents to take out a procession in favour of the SHO a few days ago.

Members of the legal fraternity said since Sarwar’s medical report proved bone injuries on his neck and a ruptured eardrum, the administration must immediately register a criminal case against the SHO.

They added failure to do so would force them to protest indefinitely.

High Court Bar Association President Shad Muhammad Khan, Haripur Bar Association President Abdul Razaq Chughtai and Dr Hasnain Raza Turabi were among those who spoke on the occasion.

According to Sarwar, there was a complaint against him by his former in-laws who accused him of opening fire at their house after which Farooq picked him up from his home last week and tortured him at the police station. According to the victim, the thrashing left his neck bone fractured and eardrum ruptured. He accused the SHO of meting degrading and cruel treatment at the instigation of Sarwar’s political rivals and an influential personality of the city.

Meanwhile, lawyers in Abbottabad, Mansehra, Battagram and Kohistan also boycotted court proceedings on the call of the K-P Bar Council against the manhandling of their colleague and demanded legal action against the SHO.

(By Our Correspondent) Published in GNN & Tribune, May 21st, 2014.

Blast in Karachi injures 8

KARACHI: A blast in the North Nazimabad Block B area of Karachi near Sachal Rangers Headquarters injured at least eight people, Express reported on Wednesday.

Rangers officials said that the bomb was planted in a motorcycle and two shops were destroyed in the explosion. No loss of life was reported.

SSP Central Muqaddas Haider confirmed that it was a planted bomb.

According to initial details, a Rangers convoy is believed to be the target of the blast.

Rescue teams reached the site of the explosion and the injured were taken to local hospitals for medical assistance. The bomb disposal squad was also summoned.

Muttahida Qaumi Movement MPA Dr Sagheer Ahmed, while speaking to the media in Karachi, confirmed that no loss of life had occurred. He added that the people with minor injuries were discharged after being provided with medical treatment.

Rangers personnel and police cordoned off the area and further investigations are underway.
This is not a first time there has been a blast in the same area.

In November 2012, a suicide bomber had rammed an explosives-laden pickup truck into the gate of Sachal Rangers Headquarters, causing a huge blast that killed three Rangers personnel, while at least 26 people were injured.

Sahi’s POA mulls involving PM in parallel bodies’ issues

KARACHI: The Akram Sahi-led Pakistan Olympic Association (POA) is considering seeking Prime Minister (PM) Nawaz Sharif’s intervention to help solve the tussle between their organisation and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) recognised POA led by Arif Hasan.

The deadlock between the two parallel bodies is driving the IOC towards imposing a possible ban if the matter remains unresolved until June. PHOTO: FILE

The deadlock between the two parallel bodies is driving the IOC towards imposing a possible ban if the matter remains unresolved until June.

“We’re definitely thinking of involving the PM in the matter,” an official close to the subject told Tribune.

“We feel that the PM should directly deal with Hasan, who is conspiring against Pakistan, as endorsed by Inter-Provincial Coordination (IPC) Minister Riaz Hussain Pirzada and Senator Farhatullah Babar. The deadlock is hurting our sports badly and this issue must end soon.”

The move was deliberated upon after witnessing the government’s active role in matters of the the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), where it has been standing firm against Zaka Ashraf.

The direct involvement of the IPC and government in the board’s matters has led Sahi’s POA to believe that they can ask for help from the authorities as well.

“We believe the POA issue can be put to bed if the government dedicates as much attention to it as it has been giving to the PCB matters.

“If you compare the POA and the PCB in terms of sports, then the POA is far bigger, as the athletes who take part in the Olympics through us represent Pakistan on a forum that includes participants from all over the world.”

POA backs placing Hasan’s name on ECL
An official press release from the Sahi-led POA stated that they fully support the idea of placing Hasan’s name on the Exit Control List (ECL) and carrying out an inquiry on the misuse of the POA’s and Pakistan Sports Trust’s funds.

It further read that the government and IOC member in Pakistan, Syed Shahid Ali, should take up the issue with the IOC to recognise the properly elected POA headed by Sahi.

The press release came a day after government officials Babar and Pirzada had requested the government to put Hasan’s name in the ECL.

Hasan was invited by the IOC to Lausanne, Switzerland for a meeting along with IPC officials on May 21, but it remains to be seen whether he will make it if his name is put on the ECL list.

Hasan was repeatedly contacted for his views on the recent developments but has been unavailable to give comments.

(By Nabeel Hashmi) Published in GNN & Tribune, May 21st, 2014.

Hockey: Last-eights berths of junior event decided

KARACHI: The quarter-final teams of the 33rd National Junior Hockey Championship were decided on Tuesday, with Army, PIA, NBP, Railways, Wapda, Customs, Pakistan Education Board, and Punjab (C) securing berths.

Railways and Army fought hard to grab top position in their pool, but the former earned a lone-goal victory in the end.

 Railways and Army fought hard to grab top position in their pool, but the former earned a lone-goal victory in the end. However, both teams qualified for the quarter-finals on equal points.

Wapda outclassed Customs in the second match with a 5-1 victory. The winners slammed a goal in the sixth minute, while in the second-half, a penalty corner doubled their lead. Three more goals in the 39th, 44th and 58th minute ensured a win for Wapda.

Meanwhile, Punjab (C) outshined Sindh (C) 9-2 in the last match of the day.

(By Our Correspondent) Published in GNN & Tribune, May 21st, 2014.

Market watch: Led by oil stocks, index slips into the red

KARACHI: The index opened on a mixed not before losing momentum mid-way, plunging 0.75% with oil names mainly Oil and Gas Development (OGDC PA -2.1%) and Pakistan Petroleum (PPL PA -0.9%) under duress on reported local institutional selling.

K-Electric Limited continued to be the volume leader with 21 million shares, gaining Rs0.17 to finish at Rs7.24. PHOTO: AFP/FILE

At the end of the day, the Karachi Stock Exchange’s (KSE) benchmark 100-share index fell 0.37% or 108.46 points to end at 28,842.92.

The benchmark index saw some steady recovery before dropping down again, said Jawwad Aboobakar of Elixir Securities.

“Second-tier names to the likes of Avanceon (AVN PA +4.9%), Highnoon Laboratories (HINOON PA +5%) and Glaxo SmithKline (GLAXO PA +3.47%) hit their respective upper price limits.

“Investor interest was also apparent in Pakistan State Oil (PSO PA +0.35%), with the company expected to announce a stock dividend in their upcoming annual result due in July, while the market continues to take a bet on possible measures by govt to manage energy sector receivables,” he said.

“We expect the market to trade volatile before the federal budget that is expected to be announced in the first week of June. Investors should opt to stay long in fundamentally strong and undervalued plays with BAFL, HBL, NBP, KEL, PSO, POL and NML,” Aboobakar suggested.

Trade volumes rose to 134 million shares compared with Monday’s tally of 111 million shares.
Shares of 366 companies were traded on Tuesday. At the end of the day, 145 stocks closed higher, 199 declined while 22 remained unchanged. The value of shares traded during the day was Rs6.9 billion.

K-Electric Limited continued to be the volume leader with 21 million shares, gaining Rs0.17 to finish at Rs7.24. It was followed by Hascol Petroleum Limited with 13 million shares, losing Rs0.87 to close at Rs67.78 and the Bank of Punjab with 8 million shares, losing Rs0.17 to close at Rs9.55.

Foreign institutional investors were net buyers of Rs382 million, according to data maintained by the National Clearing Company of Pakistan Limited.

(By Our Correspondent) Published in GNN & Tribune, May 21st, 2014.

Budget proposals: Cement manufacturers hope for some relief

LAHORE: In a bid to get some relief in the forthcoming budget of 2014-2015, cement manufacturers have urged the Federal Board of revenue (FBR) to facilitate the industry by reducing prevalent duties on alternative fuels.

The cement industry has already requested to reduce the duty rate on non-calcined petroleum coke (HS Code 2713.1100) and shredded rubber scraps to 0% from the current 5% and 10% ad valorem. PHOTO: DESIGN-FAIZAN DAWOOD/FILE

The initiative will enhance its competitiveness in the international markets, they argued.

“Cement production is an energy-intensive process and various alternatives are being explored worldwide,” said an official of the All Pakistan Cement Manufactureres Association (APCMA). “The alternatives are not only aimed at cutting energy costs but also have ecological benefits of conserving non-renewable resources, reduction of waste disposal requirements and reduction of emissions.”

He stated that these global norms have persuaded cement manufacturers in Pakistan to experiment with different options such as petroleum coke and shredded rubber tyres, as they possess higher energy value.

The cement industry has already requested to reduce the duty rate on non-calcined petroleum coke (HS Code 2713.1100) and shredded rubber scraps to 0% from the current 5% and 10% ad valorem.

These substitutes will allow the cement manufacturers to reduce energy costs, allowing them to export its surplus capacity, explained the official.

(By Our Correspondent) Published in GNN & Tribune, May 21st, 2014.

Sindh wants center to pay Rs27 bn for police improvement, rationalise power bill

KARACHI: The Sindh Cabinet on Saturday gave its approval to some of the decisions taken in the meeting with Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on May 14, 2014.

The May 14 meeting between the prime minister, governor Sindh Dr Ishratul Ebad, Sindh Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah and Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan in Karachi, had decided to expedite the ongoing targeted operation with full force and maintain law and order situation in Karachi.

On Saturday, the Sindh Cabinet recommended that the federal government provide them a financial package of up to Rs27 billion to pay for up gradation of police stations, acquiring equipment, that will help it make the targeted operations a success.

The cabinet also decided to establish a separate Counter Terrorism Department that would provide training to the Rapid Response Force (RRF) and help build legislation to clean up the Sindh Police of its black sheep.

The meeting, which was attended by all the provincial ministers, advisors and special assistants belonging to both the Pakistan Peoples Party and Muttahida Qaumi Movement also discussed matters relating issues of illegal immigrants, the first power policy of Sindh government and eradication of polio, measles and Rubella virus from Sindh.

Cabinet members expressed their apprehensions over the polio cases and spread of measles in District Thatta. They decided in favour of a massive vaccination campaign with 100% coverage against the diseases with public participation

The chief minister expressed his dissatisfaction over the performance of NARA for failing to register aliens and eradicating illegal immigrants from Karachi, before recommending that the federal government merge Nara with NADRA.

Sensitive police station and jails
Declaring 26 police stations of Karachi and three prisons, including Karachi, Hyderabad and Larkana Central prisons as sensitive, the cabinet approved a move for increasing salaries of officers deputed at these locations.

The cabinet also decided to strengthen security at these locations by bolstering the force and reinforcing their structures, especially of the prisons. Five convicts had been shifted to prisons outside the province and 77 from Karachi to other prisons in the province.

The Cabinet also directed the IGP Sindh for providing security to all mosques, imam barghas, mandirs, religious places of minorities, especially in other parts of Sindh.

Chief secretary Sindh told the participants of the meeting that schemes for shifting the ATC Courts to Malir Cantt was underway. He added that red warrants against criminals who have fled the country have been sent to the federal government.

He added that recruitment of an additional 10,000 men, 2,000 former army personnel, 400 investigation officers for the police force in the province was in progress.

Giving a briefing on cases, he said that of the 705 cases in which a charge-sheet had been presented in the anto-terror courts, 59 have been decided.

Acting IGP Sindh Ghulam Haider Jamali told the Sindh Cabinet that the targeted operation had reduced murders by 33%, and caused a 65% drop in target killings. Street crime was down by 6% and extortion cases were down by 9% decrease in registration of extortion cases. 188 suspects had been arrested and challaned during the ongoing operation. Further, 850 murder suspects have been arrested pending trial.

Draft power policy
With Sindh under criticism for not paying its bill and facing a power cut off from the national grid, the Cabinet discussed and deliberated over the draft of a power policy for the province.

Tabled by the Advisor to CM for Energy and Finance Syed Murad Ali Shah, it was decided that the Cabinet members would go through the proposed draft and share their recommendations within 15 days.

The draft policy proposes the establishment of a Sindh Transmission and Dispatch Company (STDC) to transmit the power generated by Sindh Government.

An establishment of Sindh Power Development Board (SPDB) and NEPRA like institutions in Sindh is also part of the proposal in the draft policy document.

The provincial energy secretary during in his briefing was of the view that Sindh government was actively launching the power projects on ADP and PPP mode of investment and trying its best to at least bridge the power shortage by enhancing its own production capacity over the next four years.

It was recommended that renewable energy such as solar energy and wind energy be encouraged to resolve the grievances of the people.

The cabinet, expressing its apprehension over excessive billing and increasing durations of load-shedding from 16 to 20 hours in Sindh, recommended to the federal government to reconcile its bill for justified payment and reduce load-shedding. Failing to do so, it was resolved that the matter will be raised in Council of Common Interests.

For his part, the chief minister wanted WAPDA to justify their bills, adding that the Sindh government will pay only genuine bills. He further complained that nothing had been done even after both the prime minister and federal minister for water and power had ordered the concerned authorities to resolve the problems.