CBD Punjab Achieves Target Of 50+ Beam Piles Per Day

 

 Punjab Central Business District Development Authority (PCBDDA), also known as Central Business District (CBD Punjab), is working on full throttle at CBD Punjab Boulevard and Kalma Chowk Underpass Remodelling Project. Authority has completed 560+ piles up to date.

Executive Director Technical PCBDDA, Mr. Riaz Hussain has said that “we are working at a pace of almost 50 piles per day our team is committed to the timely completion of the project. We have also expedited the construction work of the parking plaza concrete pouring of retention walls are completed and by the end of December we will reach the ground surface level.”. He has also requested the general public to plan their commute according to the traffic advisory issued by the authority & CTO Office while traveling in the vicinity of Kalma Chowk to avoid any inconvenience. City Traffic Police (CTP) Lahore and PCBDDA are simultaneously working to ensure hassle-free traffic flow. 

City Traffic Officer, Lahore Dr. Asad Malhi has visited the site multiple times to ensure hassle-free traffic flow. During his recent visit, he said “This project will eradicate many problems related to traffic flow. I completely understand there are temporary problems due to construction and we are in continuous discussions with PCBDDA, for their solution. CTP has deployed an excessive number of traffic wardens at Kalma Chowk”. 

PCBDDA and CTP Lahore, have also issued an updated traffic advisory according to that the opposite road of Ali Zaib Road will be closed for 15-20 days for traffic coming from Firdaus Market to Center point. Authority and CTP Lahore have highlighted three alternative routes. Traffic coming from Barkat Market and going to Liberty Market will take a left turn from Kalma Chowk or will use the U-turn of Muslim Town Morr, to reach Liberty Market through Gaddafi Stadium. Similarly, traffic coming from Model Town for Liberty Market will also go straight to Muslim Town Morr, take a U-Turn and reach Liberty market through Gaddafi stadium, commuters coming from Firdaus Market going towards Liberty Market or Main Boulevard, Gulberg, can go via Hussain Chowk.

Alibaba.com to Discuss Potential E-commerce Opportunities with Lahore-based Businesses at Hybrid Event

     

Alibaba.com, a leading platform for global business-to-business (B2B) trade announced that it will hold an export seller summit in Lahore on 8 December 2022 at Nishat Hotel. The event will emphasize on the opportunities for exporters, manufacturers, wholesalers, traders and retailers in Lahore to reach the global online B2B buyer base.

The hybrid event, which will be live streamed concurrently online will gather existing and aspiring exporters and provide tips and advice on practical ways to start an online export business using the Alibaba.com platform. Additionally, it will answer frequently asked questions by small and medium-sized enterprises about how to overcome obstacles and expand their businesses in the global B2B e-commerce industry.

The Alibaba.com seller is being organized to highlight the emerging ecommerce narrative “Bharo Digital Export ki Nayi Udaan Lahore se”. It will shed light on diverse topics including the potential of B2B e-commerce, how to start exporting using Alibaba.com, trends in selected categories such as apparel, leather and textiles and the Alibaba.com ecosystem. Real-Life Alibaba.com seller success stories will also be shared.

 

The event will feature a line-up of experts in the export and e-commerce fields, including Mr. Song Song, Head of Alibaba.com Pakistan; Mr. Maaz Mehmood, Executive member of Sundar Trade and Industry Association; Mr. Ahmed Jahangir, Executive Director of Home Textile Business at Nishat Mills; Ms. Amy Li, Marketing Head at Alibaba.com Pakistan; and Mr. Aziz Ur Rehman, Founder of Adan Enterprises.

Alibaba.com will also discuss about the previous success stories of sellers working through their platform in Pakistan and how it is acting as an e-commerce pillar to this industry. Alibaba.com is now more focused to increase the e-commerce industry in Pakistan, especially in Lahore to make B2B trade as easy and as accessible as possible for buyers and sellers.

The Alibaba.com event is now open for registration. Interested parties please sign up here

https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/1116690414629/WN__q4UUsezRg2os7FyZTwNSA.

 

These Were the Killer Phones Under PKR 45,000/- in 2022

                  

What a year 2022 has turned out to be - through ups and downs, the smartphone industry went through many hoops. While the year started on a high note with many smartphone launches, it is culminating on a rather sombre note - given the industry situation. However, as we look back at the year with positive hopes for the technology industry, here is a list of smartphones that captured our imagination below PKR 45K.

realme C35 (PKR 38,999/-)

Oh boy! What a design marvel was the realme C35. With its Glowing Silk Design, this phone was surely an eyeturner, especially in its Glowing Green avatar. With a current price tag of PKR 38,999/-, the realme C35 is a unique all-rounder that packs a punch both inside and outside. With a Unisoc T616 Octa-Core processor, it clocks a top speed high performance delivering a 6.6-inch Ultra Smooth Display and 5,000 mAh battery to give you juice for an entire day. Another good aspect of the phone is its 50MP AI Triple Camera that takes great photos. The realme C35 comes in a 4GB + 128GB storage setup which makes it perfect for storing photos, videos, games and all your favourite apps without the lag.

Infinix Note 12 (PKR 42,999/-)

Another powerhouse smartphone in our list is the Infinix Note 12. With attractive specs and 6.7-inch AMOLED display, the phone just makes it to our list being “almost affordable” at PKR 42,999/-. It comes with a 50MP AI Triple Camera and a 16MP Front camera and 5,000 mAh battery. The phone is powered by a Mali G57 Octa-core chipset, which might be a tadbit uninspiring when pitted against the other phones in its price bracket. With a storage space of 8GB + 128GB, this can be the phone’s saving grace.

OPPO A57 (PKR 39,999/-)

While Oppo F21 Pro was all the rage this year, the company also slipped a smartphone aimed at the affordable segment. At PKR 39,999/-, the Oppo A57 like its counterparts comes with a 5,000 mAh battery - the segment standard. It features a 6.53-inch IPS LCD display and is powered by a PowerVR GE8320 chipset, that doesn’t deliver a punch in its performance. This makes the phone slightly undesireable over its competitors.

Tecno Camon 19 Neo (PKR 37,999/-)

Sitting nicely in this price bracket, here’s a phone that impresses with its camera. The Tecno Camon 19 Neo has a 48MP Triple Rear Camera and a 32MP Selfie Camera giving all selfie lovers the best value for their money. On the processing front, the phone may not please all with a Mali G52 MP2 chipset that lags in performance. The phone has a 6GB + 128GB storage setup, so what it lacks in performance, it makes up in storage.

Pakistan’s Cricket Superstars debut as Action Heroes with Free Fire

 

Free Fire Pakistan has released a live action music video featuring cricket superstars Babar Azam, Shadab Khan, Shaheen Afridi and Shoaib Malik as superheroes. The veteran and the Runner ups for the T20 World Cup have been in the limelight for their heroics on and off the field and befittingly feature as Superheroes in this action packed film.  

Pakistan's favorite cricket players have appeared in a live action film for the first time, as they each offer their own cricket bundles in the world’s most popular battle royale game. Users will have the opportunity to see their cricketing heroes as superheroes and use their in-game bundles.

Babar Azam commented on the collaboration, saying, "It brings me enormous joy to represent Free Fire, the brand that has been driving the Esports revolution in Pakistan. Through this effective collaboration we are bringing something unique for our fans and I really hope they love it.”

"It's an honour to join the renowned group of Free Fire Ambassadors, Esports has a lot of potential in Pakistan. Excited to see myself as a superhero in their video”, Shadab Khan commented.

Shaheen Afridi commented on the collaboration: “This brings me immense pleasure to collaborate with Free Fire as it is bringing esports in Pakistan. I would like to wish Team Hotshot the best of luck representing Pakistan in the World Series, bring it home boys!.”

Shoaib Malik added that “I am truly honored to work with Free Fire and look forward to play my role in helping the brand in making esports the most popular thing in Pakistan through this exciting collaboration of ours. Best of luck to team Hotshot for the play-ins!”

FFPL IV winners Team Hotshots will represent Pakistan in the FFWS 2022 Bangkok on 24th November where they will compete for a prizepool worth PKR 45 Crore!

Check out the music video here! 

Pakistanis say YouTube is the no.1 online video and music platform

     

YouTube hosted its first-ever YouTube Brandcast in Pakistan to celebrate YouTube’s creator community, and to share the latest insights, updates and inspiration from brands succeeding on the platform. At Brandcast, YouTube also spotlighted how the platform is supporting the Pakistani creator ecosystem by building a reliable, multi-format platform that enables creators to build local and global communities that meet the evolving needs of their audiences.

According to Google and Kantar’s Unlocking Digital in Rural Pakistan research, YouTube is the most popular online video platform in Pakistan with 62% of online Pakistanis ages 18-24 reported watching YouTube once a month or more. In fact,

●        91% of Pakistani internet users say YouTube makes them feel positive

●        78% of internet users in Pakistan say that YouTube is the video platform they go to when they want to watch their favorite shows and content

●        76% of internet users in Pakistan say that YouTube helped them to learn something new

●        75% of internet users claim that the video platform has content that helps them dig deeper into their interests.

●        73% of internet users in Pakistan say that YouTube has video content for all their moods.

The same study found that 48% of rural Pakistanis are now online, of which 78% watch YouTube. Of those that watched YouTube, 76% say that YouTube has unique content they can't find anywhere else

Farhan S Qureshi, Country Director Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Google said: ”YouTube is about making connections and finding a community you can call home. It’s where viewers come to learn, unwind, and connect with their passions. The platform empowers people by not only giving them a voice but also financial stability. Since the platform resonates well with people of all ages and from all areas, it is no wonder that YouTube creates deep connections between brands, creators, and audiences in urban and rural areas of Pakistan.”

More content; stronger community

At the heart of YouTube are creators, who are helping build genuine connections by delivering personally engaging content. Whether long or short form, there is something on YouTube that will fit the bill. In the first quarter of 2022, watchtime of the following categories of videos grew significantly compared to the same time last year:

●        Digital marketing videos grew by over 95%

●        Web development videos grew by over 90%

●        Exercise videos grew by over 80%

●        Live television videos grew by over 8 times

Pakistani creators trust in YouTube and choose it as the platform to share their talent and creativity with the world. In fact, the total hours of content uploaded to YouTube by channels in Pakistan from June 2021 to May 2022 grew by over 25% when compared to the same time the year before, reiterating its importance as a place that matters for Pakistanis to connect with their passion, learn, and be entertained.

Aamna Haider Isani - Something Haute shared at Brandcast, “While creating content on YouTube, we realized early on that our viewers weren’t just watching our content because of the topics we were covering, but for the way we were covering them. Our channel resonated well with the audiences because they know that YouTube creators are real people - they look and sound just like their viewers.”

 

YouTube’s multi-format creativity gives creators every screen and every format possible to succeed

This healthy growth in content uploaded to YouTube includes short-form videos via YouTube Shorts which was launched in July last year. Globally, YouTube Shorts is now averaging 30 billion daily views^[1], growing four times from a year ago. Shorts has been hugely successful in Pakistan as well, a testament to Pakistanis’ evolving preferences in how they choose to consume content. With the introduction of Shorts, creators like Salman Noman have managed to cross 10M subscribers, which is an incredible milestone for an individual YouTube creator.

"Before YouTube, I used to make the same style of videos on other short-form platforms and saw reasonable success. But I realized that other platforms had a ceiling to creator growth. Then YouTube introduced Shorts, which for me has no boundaries and makes the world your oasis. YouTube helped me grow my audience globally and I gained recognition because of my Shorts videos. I am so thankful for YouTube Shorts and having the platform to grow my audience." said Salman Noman.

In this same event, Iqra Kanwal – Sistrology, also shared, “YouTube is an incredible platform to reach your audience in a place where they are engaged and paying attention. It is where new forms of creativity and culture are created every day. With its multi-formats and depth of content, YouTube allows viewers to connect with their passions, audiences and creators that they love deeply and personally. 

Marc Lefkowitz, Director of YouTube Partner Development and Management (APAC) added, “We have creators developing diverse content for podcasts, sketches, automobile reviews, tech reviews, tutorials, gaming and more. In fact, the number of creators in Pakistan has grown so much over the past few years that there are more than 5,400 Youtube channels with more than 100K subscribers. That’s an increase of 35% over last year. More than 350 of these channels have more than a million subscribers. The platform intends to continue to extend its support to Pakistani creators so they can pursue their passions and build careers in a responsible manner.”

In addition, Pakistani creators also now have access to YouTube’s Help Center and Creator Support in Urdu, which makes it easier for creators around the country to access help and information about the platform.

As of June 2021, the number of YouTube channels making 1 million PKR or more in revenue is up over 110%, year over year. Whether a Pakistani from a remote village in Punjab or a metropolis like Karachi, YouTube has proven to be an effective medium for communication across the languages of Pashto, Sindhi, Punjabi, Balochi or Urdu; enabling everyday Pakistanis to turn their passion into full-time careers.

Asad and Saima - Food Fusion, YouTube Creators concluded “It feels fantastic to see the community built by Food Fusion on YouTube. From sharing recipes and information about ingredients to coming together to help raise more than Rs 8 Million worth of funds for the flood victims and also providing them with food supplies, mosquito nets, and tents, we believe that we have come a long way.”

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Commissioner Lahore Chaired Meeting For Kalma Chowk Underpass Remodeling And CBD Punjab Boulevard.

     

Commissioner Lahore Mr. Amir Jan chaired a meeting regarding Kalma Chowk Underpass Remodeling, CBD Punjab Boulevard and other development projects of the Punjab Central Business District Development Authority (PCBDDA). The authority is also known as Central Business District (CBD Punjab).

Deputy Commissioner Lahore, Mr. Muhammad Ali, CEO PCBDDA, Mr. Imran Amin, Assistant Commissioner Model Town Mr. Ibrahim Arbab, Executive Director Commercial PCBDDA Mr. Mohammed Omer, Executive Director Technical PCBDDA Mr. Riaz Hussain, senior officials of City Traffic Police Lahore, WASA Lahore, PHA Lahore, PTCL, Lesco, Metropolitan Corporation Lahore, PSCA Lahore and PCBDDA were present during the meeting.

Mr. Riaz Hussain ED Technical of PCBDDA briefed Commissioner Lahore, about the development progress on Kalma Chowk Underpass Remodeling Project. During the meeting he briefed the attendees that pile beam work from Saint Marry Park to Center Point is near completion and pile beam excavation is also started on Ali Zaib Road, authority has done all the necessary arrangements to ensure public safety and flawless traffic flow.

While talking to the media Commissioner Lahore Mr. Amir Jan said that. “CBD Punjab is a multi-billion project which has the capacity to attract huge investments which will be beneficial for urban regeneration, infrastructure, and economic development of Punjab. I have instructed the management of CBD Punjab to expedite the work on Kalma Chowk Underpass Remodeling Project and ensure its timely completion, I would like to laud the authority for planning and implementing an excellent traffic diversion and public safety plan.". He further said that he will personally monitor the development progress of the project.

While expressing his views Mr. Imran Amin CEO of PCBDDA said that “to facilitate the daily commuters we will try our best to complete the project before the deadline. We are expanding Main Boulevard which will be transformed into a centralized boulevard that will combat traffic congestion and environmental hazards. CBD Punjab is a project of one of its kind for which infrastructure is being upgraded. The authority has done detailed and minute planning in compliance with high-rise buildings and vertical city expansion. Residents of Lahore will witness a positive change in the near future”.

Commissioner Lahore instructed all the concerned departments to work collectively and provide full support for the completion of the project. Development projects like Kalma Chowk Underpass Remodeling and CBD Punjab Boulevard have great potential to enlist Lahore in the list of developed cities of the world.

U.S.-Pakistan Women’s Council and S&P Global Commemorate Pakistan Million Women Mentors Initiative

           

S&P Global Pakistan (S&P Global) has successfully mentored more than 12,000 women as part of its pledge to mentor 20,000 under the U.S.-Pakistan Women’s Council’s (USPWC) Pakistan Million Women Mentors (PMWM) Initiative.

The company announced this milestone during an event co-hosted by the U.S.-Pakistan Women’s Council and S&P Global commemorating Global Entrepreneurship Month that featured S&P Global employee mentors, women mentees, and civil society partners. U.S. Ambassador to Pakistan Donald Blome provided opening remarks.

Launched in 2020, PMWM is a movement led by USPWC member, Pod to connect one million women and girls in Pakistan to mentors. S&P Global was the first USPWC member to support the initiative, pledging in March 2019 to reach 20,000 women and girls to advance women’s participation and leadership in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) careers. In his remarks at the event, U.S. Ambassador Blome said, “Mentorship is critical to fostering the next generation of business leaders and entrepreneurs, and the Council’s Pakistan Million Women Mentors initiative is playing an important role by helping to encourage, inspire, and support future women entrepreneurs and leaders in STEM in Pakistan.

Corporations in Pakistan and the United States have pledged to mentor more than 40,000 women so far, and we hope to continue growing this number. S&P’s commitment to mentor 20,0000 women was critical to catalyzing other companies to step forward in both Pakistan and the United States.”

S&P Global partnered with leading non-profits to reach women across Pakistan including USPWC member the Indus Entrepreneurs (TIE), and the Society for International Education (SIE), She Means Work (SMW), Epiphany, xCircle and CaterpillHers. These organizations conducted outreach and assessed the mentoring needs of the diverse profiles of girls and women across all regions of Pakistan. Collectively, the program’s community partners have helped connect thousands of mentees to S&P Global Pakistan employees who serve as mentors.

Speaking at the event, S&P Global Pakistan Managing Director Mujeeb Zahur thanked the mentors for the work they have done to date. “I am immensely proud of our employee volunteers who have shown how we can all inspire positive change. Their dedication has ensured that the organization remains on track in fulfilling its pledge. S&P Global will continue to take charge of progressive workplace policies in Pakistan and work with leading organizations to enhance women’s economic participation and impact.”

More than 150 S&P Global mentors have so far delivered 190+ sessions on STEM and other diverse topics to over 12,000 women through PMWM. The initiative provided critical support to women during COVID-19 fostering Pakistani women’s economic resilience by virtually connecting women entrepreneurs and women in the workforce from diverse social, linguistic, and academic backgrounds with a network and critical tools to build their capacity.

The company’s participation in the USPWC and program is a part of its commitment towards diversity, equity, and inclusion, and aligns with its worldwide #ChangePays campaign, which provides research on the benefits of increased female participation for the capital markets and the world economy.