Interview

By Khawaja Fahad Iqbal He was such a strange guy. He had no regard for his own future, his career and his comfort. Ever since I have come to Japan to pursue my PhD, my friends and relatives have been trying to convince me that look! This is golden opportunity for you! Don’t go back to Pakistan after completing your studies. Find a well-paying job in Japan, establish yourself here and live a comfortable life. Whenever I hear such advice from people, I start thinking about this strange guy. He was born and raised in Japan, became a doctor, and then left everything here for the life of hardships in the mountains and deserts of Afghanistan. He was born and raised in Japan, became a doctor, and then left everything here for the life ...

February 23, 2022 at 7:10 am | Economic Affairs

In Preview of International Maritime Arena Marine ecosystem is being monitored through regular patrolling of Marine Protected Areas, Control Boarding operations onboard merchant vessels to ensure compliance with international and national regulations, Port State Control Measures, continuous surveillance of harbour against any environmental hazard and through collaborative training & rehearsing response mechanism against any oil spill incidents. Today, the world faces paramount challenges related to the use of fossil fuels. Environmental pollution, the reality of anthropogenic climate change, and the potential hazards associated with oil and gas have induced policy-makers to draft ambitious plans for transitions to renewable alter...

February 22, 2022 at 9:38 pm | Economic Affairs

Japan’s Ambassador to Pakistan His Excellency, Mr. Wada Mitsuhiro, is the current Ambassador of Japan to Pakistan since November 2021. He is a career diplomat and joined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan in 1983. Since then, he served his country on many diplomatic fronts including as Deputy Director-General, International Cooperation Bureau and Southeast and Southwest Asian Affairs Department; Minister, Embassy of Japan in the People’s Republic of China; Assistant Director-General, Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau; Secretary-General; Secretariat for PALM7; Assistant Director-General, International Cooperation Bureau, MOFA; Consul-General of Japan in Detroit (Michigan and Ohio); Consul-General (Ambassador) of Japan in Hong K...

February 22, 2022 at 8:59 pm | Economic Affairs

The Economic Affairs had a candid discussion with Mr. Najeeb Agrawalla, Chief Executive Officer, 1Link. Here are the excerpts of the interview; The Economic Affairs: How did you come to this field and what was the motivational factor? Mr. Najeeb Agrawalla: I am actually a banker by profession but I would like to call myself a marketer because I graduated from the IBA in business administration majoring both in Finance and Marketing class of 89’. In those days it was very easy and if you don’t know which field to choose between the two, you would do masters in both. I started with Unilever and then I went to Phillips, which used to be a big company back then. Then in 96' I moved to the financial sector, joined American Express ...

January 17, 2022 at 9:30 am | Economic Affairs

LONDON: Arcelik, the home appliances arm of Turkey's biggest industrial conglomerate Koc Holding, is working on acquisitions to speed up its international expansion, particularly in Asia, its chief executive said on Monday. The company, which sells washing machines, dryers and refrigerators under labels including Beko and Grundig, wants more such "white goods" brands, but could also look at small appliances such as coffee makers and food processors. "(M&A) is important because we have global ambitions," CEO Hakan Bulgurlu told Reuters in an interview in London. He forecast "significant demand growth" in southeast Asia and the Indian subcontinent, including Indonesia, Vietnam and the Philippines, as well as Bangladesh, Pakistan ...

March 21, 2017 at 12:26 pm | News Desk

When Atrio Café and Grill opened at the end of 2012, its rooftop was all the rage, making the tensile structure on the rooftop a landmark of Jinnah Super Market. The inspiration came from the Sahara Mall in Dubai, says Kazim Hassan, the brain behind its interior. “The one in Dubai is a huge structure with multiple cones. Atrio rooftop structure is a miniature of that concept. The rooftop floor design of Atrio is inspired by grapevine” His inventory includes projects with massive budgets ranging from commercial projects to interior and set designing for dramas, movies and morning shows. However he terms Atrio Café and Grill his favorite until now. He hints about an upcoming restaurant in F-7 with another rooftop and a project, salon an...

January 22, 2015 at 10:00 pm | News Desk

Bina Sultan, (BNS) was invited to display her collections at a show in Seoul (South Korea), recently in November 2014. BNS managed to impress the Koreans by its variety of fusion outfits & its traditional garments. _e show consisted of a range of out_ts from their new collections "Kashmir" which hightlights the beauty of hand embellished garments. EA: For our readers, please shed light on your unbeaten career outline with us? BNS: _e career initially is an unstoppable struggle when your mind follows the ambition for what you want to do in life. With the passage of time, you decide upon your interest and passion and start your journey in the right direction. My entire career is about doing something I enjoy & being passionate a...

January 19, 2015 at 4:19 pm | News Desk

Married as a child bride at age 12 in rural Pakistan, Ghulam Sughra Solangi rose against all odds to become a leader and voice for  oppressed women in her community. She is a renowned trailblazer for women’s rights and leadership who has spent most of her life struggling for the rights of marginalized communities in rural Sindh. She is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Marvi Rural Development Organization and she is one of the luckiest Pakistani women who became first Ashoka Fellow in 1999 and in 2011 received International Women of Courage Award by the US Secretary of State, Hillary Rodham Clinton.  EA: Our readers would like to know about our early life and how you begin your career. SS: I was born on March 02, 1970 in ...

October 5, 2014 at 11:52 am | News Desk

As Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf youth mantra enticed the youth to PTI like the positively phototactic moth is drawn to light, PTI held its end of the deal by opening doors to 40pc young candidates. One of these young candidates nominated by PTI, Murad Saeed, won his seat from NA-29 Swat, after defeating his senior political rivals. Saeed hails from Kabal of district Swat. During Operation Rah-e-Rast, the second battle of Swat in 2009 between Pakistan Army and the militants, a stray mortar shell had destroyed his house critically injuring his mother and brother. It served as Saeed’s call to politics as he was now determined to serve his people. So even at that crucial time, Saeed went from town to town forming ISF (Insaf Student Federation) ...

August 13, 2014 at 3:55 am | News Desk

”Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl [JUI-F] is a moderate religious political party. We condemn all types of terrorism and extremism and we support government in its endeavor to eliminate terrorism. It is a misconception that JUI [F] is against military operation in North Waziristan, but we are trying to engage government for adopting a comprehensive anti-terrorism policy at state level”, said Jan Achakzai in an exclusive interview with Economic Affairs. You said that JUI F is a moderate political party. How you will define extremism?   Yes, JUI - F is a moderate religious political party. Maulana Mufti Mahmud who led JUI during the 70s played an important role in the formation of 1973 Constitution for Pakistan. The constitution fundamen...

July 13, 2014 at 12:55 am | News Desk

Mr Heyward is a senior career officer with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) and was until recently Assistant Secretary Africa Branch, a position he held from June 2011. Prior to this, he was Assistant Secretary, Consular Operations Branch. He has previously served overseas as Australia's Ambassador to East Timor; Ambassador to Brazil, also accredited to Colombia and Venezuela; Deputy Permanent Representative, Australian Permanent Mission to the United Nations, Geneva and Deputy Head of Mission, Australian Embassy, Argentina. Mr Heyward holds a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Tasmania, and a Graduation Certificate in Management from Monash University. He is married and has two daughters. “There are many vari...

July 13, 2014 at 12:42 am | News Desk

Tausif-ur-Rehman Suleman Pervez Ahmed, Lahore’s youngest and finest entrepreneur found himself caught in the newsflash as Brands Asia acknowledged him as the Entrepreneur of the Year, 2014 and Origins as Brand of the Year. He spent his last four years making his idea of a fashion retail brand grow into a prospering investment. Mr. Ahmed can be defined as a risk taker who has financial as well as operational expertise. His educational background includes graduation from Royal Holloway College and a diploma in Entrepreneurship from London School of Economics. With an accurate assessment of fashion market in Pakistan, he carved his way into the industry as he launched Origins in 2010 The brand further gained international recognition a...

July 13, 2014 at 12:14 am | News Desk

Ahmed Bilal Masud, an electrical engineer by profession is at the forefront of a leading telecom company, Huawei Pakistan as the Deputy CEO. After completing his degree from NUST (National University of Science and Technology), he set off for work in the telecom industry in 1997 when Pakistan had only two telecom operators. The launch of pre-paid service brought revolution in country’s telecom industry. Bilal was among those favoring the introduction of pre-paid to extend the mobile-reach to common people. However, some telecom marketers were against the move.  “They believed that the prepaid service wouldn’t be up-and-coming”, Bilal told Economic Affairs in an exclusive interview in Islamabad. The reason was that people like to...

June 12, 2014 at 5:56 pm | News Desk

Tausif-ur-Rehman Hussain Ahmed Fazal, the Director of Hussain Textile Mills joined the family business of textile milling at an early age and with his hard work, passion and vision developed not only the infrastructure of the company to meet the changing business environment but improved sales as well. When he joined the company, there were around 14,000 spindles and now it stands at 90,000 spindles and 131 air jet looms while the turn over last year stood at PKR. 15.764 billion. His textile mill is now the largest producer of organic cotton yarn in Pakistan having a production capacity of 816480 kg per month. It manufactures all kinds of dyed fabrics including PFGD, PFP, PFD bleach and printed. The company enjoys the privilege of bein...

June 12, 2014 at 5:23 pm | News Desk

On this particular day in April 2014 I walk hurriedly into a building in Blue Area, which is the head office of Utility Stores Corporation (USC), an organization that operates chain stores throughout Pakistan. The appointment with the Managing Director (MD), Khaqan Murtaza, has been rescheduled due to consumption of the previously appointed slot on his timetable. As I walk into the office, I become acquainted with the MD who is seated across the table with huge piles of paper files stacked on it. The office is set in a total bureaucratic style, very spacious with vast windows overlooking Jinnah Avenue in Islamabad. Buffered between hoarding and profiteering, the USC network is spread across every nook and corner of the country.  It pro...

May 10, 2014 at 3:28 am | News Desk

Now that Islamabad has its first solar powered car, we wonder what more could our engineers do.  Ahmad Aslam, who is an electrical engineer by profession, has designed and manufactured a two-seater solar vehicle which runs at the speed of 80 kilometers per hour. Besides being charged by solar panels, its batteries could also be charged by direct electricity source consuming only 1 PKR of electricity per kilometer which is astonishingly low. The quest to know more about the features of this car drove the Economic Affairs team into the office cum experimental lab of Aslam Azad, located in Blue Area, who happens to be the investor of this solar car. Shiraz Nizami What are the features of this solar car? This is the world’s first ever...

May 9, 2014 at 5:49 pm | News Desk