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Governor State Bank of Pakistan, Dr. Reza Baqir, unveiled the Asaan Mobile Account (AMA) today in a launch ceremony held at SBP headquarters Karachi. AMA allows opening of a branchless banking account by dialing a simple code *2262# on a mobile phone. The account holder can then deposit money in his or her account at any branchless banking agent and use the same for transactions through mobile phone. AMA is an initiative of State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) to achieve National Financial Inclusion Strategy (NFIS) target of promoting digital financial inclusion in the country. AMA has been launched with the key support of various stakeholders including PTA, NADRA, Branchless Banking (BB) Providers, Cellular Mobile Operators (CMOs) and Virtual Remittance Gateway (VRG). VRG has been licensed jointly by SBP and PTA under the regulations for mobile banking interoperability. The launch ceremony was chaired by Dr. Reza Baqir, Governor SBP and addressed by Ms. Sima Kamil, Deputy Governor SBP, Chairm...

  By Abdul Qadir Qureshi   (Pakistan News & Features Services) Corruption and mismanagement at the Karachi Water and Sewerage Board (KW&SB) seem to have become so rampant and the menace was only to grow further to the extent of being irreversible if most drastic action was not initiated to overcome it.  The situation in this public utility organization is reported to have reached its present stage due to malpractices carried out at the behest of the various political parties who desired to have their maximum possible control at this organization as they considered it a goose delivering golden eggs.  A number of official documents containing disgusting material verified the growing concerns about the ruining of this particular organization which enjoyed good reputation in the past in the absence of political interventions.  One of documents showed the name of one Aijaz Kazmi, a Superintending Engineer (BS-19), in his last quarter of service, getting himse...

  By Abdul Qadir Qureshi   (Pakistan News & Features Services) The participants at a policy dialogue organized by the Aga Khan University Institute for Educational Development advocated for a teaching license can help certify that a teacher has the skills and knowledge needed for effective classroom practice. The dialogue aimed to raise awareness, gather evidence and make technical recommendations on the possibility of introducing a teaching license in Pakistan. Such a certification can serve to enhance teaching quality and, subsequently, students’ learning.  A teaching license can also raise the professional status of teachers and open new employment opportunities for them locally as well as abroad.  One of the keynote speakers, Dr Linda Darling-Hammond, professor emeritus of education at Stanford University, drew upon the history of the medical profession to highlight the long struggle that it underwent before it arrived at its current state. Likewise, she felt...

  By Abdul Qadir Qureshi  (Pakistan News & Features Services) A delegation of the National Library Association (NLA) visited the Junadagh Library & Resource Centre, located near National Stadium in Karachi, which is set to be formally inaugurated with fanfare early next month. It’s a project of the Junagadh State Muslim Federation (JSMF).  The NLA contingent comprising of its President, Syed Muzaffar Ali Shah, Advisor, Syed Khalid Mahmood, Joint Secretary, Hira Yaseen, Information Secretary, Younis Hashmi and its members Abu Bakr Ghori and Syeda Najma Sultana held a meeting with the JSMF Secretary, Abdul Aziz Arab, on November 20 in which matters of mutual interest came up for discussion.  The NLA officials assured the support of the Association to the JSMF in their endevours of setting up the Junadagh Library & Resource Centre at their premises which was ready for inauguration on December 4 in an impressive ceremony in which the Sindh Education Minister ...

  By Abdul Qadir Qureshi   (Pakistan News & Features Services) Movies remain a massive value creator. Global box office revenues were reported to have totaled $42 billion in 2019, an all-time high, contributing almost one-third of the estimated $136 billion in the value of worldwide movie production and distribution. Hollywood supports more than two million jobs and 400,000 American businesses; British film and TV are worth around £60 million each day to the UK economy.  The coronavirus pandemic has upended the content pipeline, halting film production and closing cinemas. Film production has restarted in some countries and the industry has adopted remote-work protocols where possible. But the virus creates uncertainty, and the biggest short-term risk seems to be consumers’ dwindling confidence in physical venues.  Bibi Hajra Arbab, currently working at one of the largest media companies of the world, has completed her masters from San Francisco State University ...

  By Abdul Qadir Qureshi   (Pakistan News & Features Services) As part of preparations for the 26th UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26) in Glasgow, a film series Voices from the Roof of the World (VRW) has been launched on TV and online.  A joint initiative by the Aga Khan Development Network agencies, Aga Khan University, Aga Khan Agency for Habitat, Aga Khan Foundation and University of Central Asia, the 10-episode first season has been produced by filmmakers from Pakistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and India.  The series focuses on the climate crisis in the earth’s highest mountain region from the Pamirs to the Himalayan Mountains. Home to 240 million people and countless rare and endangered species, these mountains are also the largest depository of ice outside the polar ice caps, providing water to a quarter of the world's population. “With VRW support and tutelage, these filmmakers have captured poignant personal stories of people and cultures ...

  By Abdul Qadir Qureshi  (Pakistan News & Features Services) The National Library Association (NLA) paid glowing tributes to the Chairperson of the Library & Information Science department, University of Karachi, Prof Dr Farhat Hussain Khan, and his immediate predecessor, Prof Dr Munira Nasreen, who retired from service just a few months ago.  Speaking on behalf of the NLA, its Advisor, Syed Khalid Mahmood, in his speech, highlighted the role of library teachers, particularly professors, in producing an able lot of professional librarians, serving various organizations in both public as well as private sectors.  The NLA Advisor congratulated Prof Dr Munira Nasreen on completing her tenure successfully at the University of Karachi, while he expected Prof Dr Farhat Hussain to earn more laurels for the department with his proactive approach.  Prof Dr Farhat Hussain, who presided over the ceremony, graciously acknowledged the role of library activists who w...

  By Naeem-ul-Haq in USA (Pakistan News & Features Services) Although the battle in the middle didn’t reflect this kind of total supremacy for the home side but lady luck continued smiling on Pakistan all along and they managed to whip South Africa 2-0 in the two-Test series and followed it up with 2-1 victory in the three-match series of Twenty20 Internationals.  Both the Test matches were keenly contested and while South Africa’s big guns, notably skipper Quinton de Cock and his predecessor Faf du Plessis, failed consistently with the bat, Pakistan rallied through their tail-enders to undo the good work of the South African bowlers who continued to be troubling and testing the local batsmen.  Already the big news has broken from South Africa with du Plessis having announced his retirement from Test cricket. He didn’t mention it but it’s obvious that his miserable failure in the Pakistan series was the reason of his sudden decision to hang his boots. He had not looke...