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Business is never so healthy as when, like a chicken, it must do a certain amount of scratching around for what it gets. — Henry Ford
Sethi urges Pakistani businessmen to focus on African region
BUSINESS Sunday, 26 May, 2013
LAHORE ARETAKER Punjab Chief Minister Najam Sethi has said that Pakistani businessmen should focus on the African region as it is destined to become a global growth centre for having enormous trade and tourism potential. Sethi was speaking at the second Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) Africa Show on Saturday. LCCI President Farooq Iftikhar and Dean of African Ambassadors, High Commissioner of Kenya Mishi Masika Mwatsahu, LCCI Senior Vice President Irfan Iqbal Sheikh, Vice President Mian Abuzar Shad, and Zafar Mahmood, convener LCCI Standing Committee on Pakistan Africa Business Promotion also spoke on the occasion. Sethi said that Pakistan should not lose any opportunity to tap the African market wherein the neighbouring India had already made great penetration. “It is not only the gold, diamonds and oil reserves that are a great attraction but a number of other untapped sectors including education and tourism provide a solid reason to Pakistani businessmen to increase their interaction with their African counterparts,” he said. He said that Pakistani diplomats working in the outer world need to reset their priorities as foreign diplomats in Pakistan are committed to securing trade and presence of large number of African ambassadors and high commissioners in the event arranged by the Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry is an ample proof of their commitment to their respective countries. The caretaker chief minister showed displeasure over the absence of Foreign Office representative in the mega Africa Show saying that they should have participated in the event. The chief minister said that Nelson Mandela is an amazing leader because of his dedication and inspiration. He encouraged the actions of others and motivated
others towards acceptance of people that are different, Sethi added. Speaking on the occasion, the Dean of Ambassadors Mishi Masika Mwatsahu congratulated the people and the govt of Pakistan for holding elections that many international observers have described as free and fair. This is a significant achievement for Pakistan’s democracy, she added. She said that Africa Day is a day of significant importance to the people of Africa because it commemorates the day of the African Union. It is the day in 1963 that the 30 out of the 32 independent African states
FBR chairman takes notice of concealing invoices LAHORE APP
Federal Board of Revenue Chairman Ansar Javed on Saturday took notice of concealing invoices, under invoicing and under assessment of containers carrying imported goods. FBR sources said that DG Audit, Customs Muhammad Ikram Khan pointed out to FBR chief the gross irregularities being committed at NLC Dry Port Thokhar Niaz Baig. The DG Audit informed the FBR that packing lists and invoices are not found placed on more than 60 percent of the total containers carrying imported goods only at one NLC dry port under control of collectorate of Appraisement. He further disclosed the modus operandi of scam that importers with the connivance of customs officers conceal the invoice value and physical description of imported goods which increases the discretion of customs staff and likelihood of under invoicing and under assessment is very high which resulting huge monetary loss to national kitty. The DG disclosed that according to Customs Rule 2001, all imported
cargo when entered into customs area for clearance must accompany with a copy of packing list and invoice must also be placed on the inner side of the door of container. He said that according to para 389 read with para 391 of Customs Rules, liability of placing such documents vests with the owner of goods and carrier. He said that the owner of goods and the carrier will explicitly stipulate the requirement of placing documents in the manner prescribed as an obligatory condition, to the person packing or shipping the cargo. Muhammad Ikram Khan also conveyed other serious observations carrying weight about other gross malpractices at NLC dry port for immediate action to set the things in right direction on merit and transparent examination and inspection of containers. Large scale irregularities were also committed at NLC during the car amenity scheme in which only a special group of 6 Inspectors, Appraisers and Examiners out of a total of 20 cleared hundred of vehicles at less custom duty than prescribed while remaining customs officers were sidelined without any plausible reason.
signed founding charter in Addis Ababa Ethiopia that established the defunct Organisation of African Unity the precursor of the African Union. The Ambassador said that last year while celebrating Africa Day, the formation of the Africa Pakistan Friendship and Business Association was announced as a means to further consolidate the friendship and business relations between the Chamber and Africa. She said that the work is in progress and near conclusion. She said that desires and hopes of the people of Africa are to be free, happy and
prosperous. As the inhabitants of the cradle of mankind, the people of Africa also desire to have genuine friends throughout the world. She also paid tribute to LCCI President Farooq Iftikhar and Convener LCCI Standing Committee Zafar Mahmood for arranging Africa Show. Speaking on the occasion, LCCI President Iftikhar said that Africa is a potential market for Pakistani rice while African businessmen could supply us leather, fertilizers, cotton, textile products and agricultural products which Pakistan does not produce. He said that exchange of students,
doctors, teachers and scholars should take place on regular basis. The LCCI president said that visa policies should be relaxed for each other to overcome unnecessary bottlenecks. Earlier, Chief Minister Sethi inaugurated the exhibition, took a round of the exhibition hall and spent some time at the stalls established by the embassies of Kenya, South Africa, Tunisia, Nigeria, Morocco, Egypt, Libya, Mauritius and Sudan. Meanwhile the Lahore Chamber of Commerce & Industry also hosted a dinner in honour of the ambassadors at Governor’s House.
Stress on low cost deposit to increase profitability of BoK: Javed Hashmat
FPCCI welcomes Saudi bailout package
PESHAWAR: Managing Director Bank of Khyber (BoK) Javed Hashmat has said that the bank was laying great stress on low cost of deposit to increase its profitability as big entities are not giving much profit. Talking to APP, Hashmat while dilating upon performance of the first quarter of the Bank ended march 31, 2013, said, the BoK is progressing with each passing day as its growth rate increasing considerably, adding the profit of the Bank would be certainly more than Rs.1 billion profit shown last year. "Certainly bank's performance viz a viz deposits and advances will be more than the previous year,” he said. Hashmat, who has 35 years plus banking to his credit, said that profit of return from the small and medium enterprises was more than the big entities that is why we are focusing on promoting the SMEs. Giving details of unaudited advances made by the bank in the first quarter, he said it stood at Rs.262.81 million as on March 31, 2013 similarly the deposits are Rs.569.72 million during the same period. The bank achieved Rs.310200 profit after tax in the first quarters which was Rs.250956 in 2012. To a question, the MD BoK said that the provincial economy need deep and decisive fiscal and energy sector reforms and an early realization of planned foreign financial inflows to mitigate uncertainty. He said the BoK's current paid up capital stands at Rs. 9 billion and it will be increased to Rs.10 billion by the end of 2013. APP
The Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI) has welcomed Saudi Arabia’s generous offer to bail out Pakistan from its ongoing energy crisis. FPCCI President Zubair Ahmed Malik has said that Saudi Arabia is expected to extend a bailout package of about $15 billion to Pakistan’s highly indebted energy sector by supplying crude and furnace oil on deferred payment to enable it to resolve the chronic circular debt issue which is most generous and a blessing to the incoming government of PML-N to combat the biggest problem of energy crisis prevailing for the last many years. He said that it was heartening to know that Saudis had been taking reasonable interest in helping out the inc o m i n g P M L - N government led by Nawaz Sharif as they also had extended a similar special package to Pakistan soon after it went nuclear in 1998 and faced international economic sanctions. He recalled that between 1998 and 2002, Pakistan received
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$3.5 billion (Rs190 billion at the exchange rate at that time) worth of oil from Saudi Arabia on deferred payment, a major part of which was converted into grant, he said adding that it’s a golden opportunity for the new government to strengthen its repute among the masses and overcome energy crisis with immediate effect. Malik said that as Pakistan expects about 100,000 barrels of crude oil and about 15,000 tons of furnace oil per day from Saudi Arabia on deferred payment for three years, the facility can be utilised to minimise load-shedding in the short term and provide an opportunity in the medium term to restructure the power sector by minimising subsidies, eliminating circular debt, ensuring recovery from the public sector and reducing system losses to bring it to a self-sustainable level. He appreciated the gesture by the Saudi Arabian government at this juncture when Pakistan is facing sever crisis of electricity and massive load-shedding is continuing across the country besides having another crisis of gas shortage. He advised the PML-N to avail this opportunity for the shortterm and in the meantime devise an effective and comprehensive strategy to permanent solution of the problem which is badly hurting country’s economy and public life.
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If you cannot work with love but only with distaste, it is better that you should leave your work. — Khalil Gibran
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BUSINESS B Sunday, 26 May, 2013
Striking Dubai workers face mass deportation NEWS DESK
Better than home countries
world away from the glitzy skyscrapers and pulsing nightclubs of downtown Dubai, Bangladeshi labourer Mohamed Ashraf stares at the metal gates of his labour camp, terrified about his future after management broke a strike at the company where he has worked for six years. Backed by security forces, bosses at Arabtec - a massive construction firm with interests across the oil-rich Gulf states ended a strike on Monday, but the fallout continues as more workers are receiving deportation orders. "Between 20-25 people just got the [deportation] letter now," Ashraf, a scaffolding installer at Arabtec, told Al Jazeera after receiving a phone call from a co-worker. "When we got the news of the [first] deportations [on Monday] everyone came down shouting. When the police came, we just went back to our rooms. People were trying to be part of the group without coming to the front," he said. Unions and strikes are illegal in Dubai and across the Gulf and rather than demonstrating or holding placards, a few thousand workers simply stayed in their accommodations last weekend and didn't show up for work. The strike ended after management refused to accept demands for increased wages from people earning about $200 a month to complete mega-projects in 40 degree Celsius heat. Worker demands varied from a monthly pay raise of between $100-$135, while others wanted free food that they say was promised to them. Arabtec, Dubai's largest construction firm, has tens of thousands of employees and contracts to work on the city's airport, the Abu Dhabi branch of the Louvre museum, and other high-profile projects. It's unclear how many workers downed their tools or how many received deportation orders, although it seems dozens if not hundreds will be forced to leave the country they have helped to build. A call to Arabtec's media office rang unanswered Thursday, and an emailed request for comment was not returned. "Arabtec has been working closely with the UAE Ministry of Labour, the Dubai Police and the concerned security authorities to resolve as soon as possible a partial workers stoppage by a limited number of Arabtec labour employees," the company said in a filing on Tuesday. Projects will be delivered on time in spite of the strike, the company said. The Labour Ministry had said that Arabtec was paying the workers according to contracts.
A minority in what they consider their own country, the idea of independent trade unions for foreigners is unfathomable to most UAE citizens. Strikes and protests by workers are considered a security risk in a city that prides itself on being open to investment, tourism and different cultures. Supporters of Dubai's economic model say a lack of collective bargaining rights is good for workers, as it leads to more growth and job creation. Part of the reason why countries such as France are in the economic doldrums, they say, is because the labour market is overly regulated and employees spend more time protesting than actually working. For many residents and most citizens, the Dubai model of cheap, imported labour and no union recognition has been a boon. If hundreds of Arabtec employees are deported, there will be thousands of new recruits clamouring to take their place, leading some to argue the Dubai model is a success as workers understand their own self-interest and can vote with their feet. Annual per capital income in the UAE is $48,158, according to the Heritage Foundation think-tank. In the span of 20 years, the city has transformed itself into an international hub for tourism, real estate investment and financial services. But the wage gap between Emirati citizens and Western technocrats on the one hand, and the working class on the other, is massive. Many labourers arrive in Dubai saddled with debt, usually a result of visa fees and other charges imposed by local labour agents in their home countries. These practices are illegal in Dubai, but tracking perpetrators in Bangladesh or India is almost impossible for police forces in the UAE. The UAE can't be held accountable for corrupt labour practices in migrant-sending countries, according to some analysts.
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Police pressure Dubai is an autonomous city and part of the United Arab Emirates, a federation run by an unelected emir where the press is censored and public demonstrations are illegal. The camp where Ashraf lives with some 2,500 Arabtec employees is located in Sonapur or the "land of God", a series of dusty streets and barracks-style labour camps guarded by private security and home to about 200,000 workers. "We live with five men to a room and 40 or 50 men share a bathroom," Syed Khaled, a concerete mixer for Arabtec, told Al Jazeera. "The company is very cruel and going on strike is a good idea." Khaled said he earns about $102 per month, less than what he would make in his native Bangladesh. The difference, he said, is that the work in Dubai is steady, whereas at home he might be employed one month and then have no job for the next two.
'Slave' states Other workers, including some who supported the strike, said the money they are earning in Dubai is far better than anything they could hope for back home."The strike ended because of pressure from higher management and police," he said. Sharan Burrow, general secretary of the International Trade Union Confederation, said workers such as Khaled are "effectively living in 21st-century slave states". "It's appalling," she told Al Jazeera of the situation in Dubai and across the Gulf.
CORPORATE CORNER Samsung Galaxy S4 road-show begins in Karachi
LAHORE: Samsung Galaxy S4, the world’s fastest selling phone in the Samsung lineup is going places in Pakistan. The company announced today a series of nationwide road shows that will bring the irresistible Galaxy S4 closer than ever before to consumers throughout the country. The activation drive will kick-off from 25 May to 28 May, 2013 at the Dolmen Mall, Karachi, with similar activities planned in Lahore and Islamabad, respectively. The event will showcase incredible features of Galaxy S4 in a fulfilled and experiential way. This includes individual, group-based learning and exiting games. Highlight of the event ranges from activities like becoming hero of the day by taking a picture from Samsung S4 Drama Shot Feature with proper light setup & background to competing for Samsung S4 Gaming Champ in one on one interactive game session. Treadmill run with the handset in the hand
"The governments and employers must sit down and respect the rights of workers to bargain collectively. Most companies are forcing their workers to live in squalor. An unconscionable number of workers die due to unsafe conditions. These governments are using and abusing migrant workers." Known for its Ferraris, "seven-star" hotels and other ostentatious displays of wealth, less than 20 percent of the UAE's roughly 7.9 million residents are citizens. To attain citizenship, a person must usually demonstrate a blood connection on the father's side to the Emirates' original inhabitants. Migrant workers choose to come to Dubai on their own free will, and most locals believe labourers are offered a better life in the UAE than what's available in their home countries. Some labourers seem to support that view. "We are happy to be here; this is not our country. We could have left anytime," Mahmoud Jamal, a labourer from Bangladesh, told Al Jazeera. "We are willing to work. We just want to stay here." Jamal, a strike supporter, said he's now worried he won't be able to renew his residency visa as a result of the labour dispute. Under the kefala system, a worker's legal status in the country is tied to his employer. Foreigners cannot change jobs without permission from their company. Supporters say these rules allow citizens to retain their rights while creating economic stability, while critics say they are a form of modern servitude. A call to Dubai's Ministry of Labour office was put on hold for 30 minutes without a response on Thursday. An email requesting comment was also not answered.
Local concerns Most labourers seem to reserve their scorn for local bosses, unscrupulous visa agents in their home countries, and labour camp officials. "We are sweating, working hard in the hot sun and we aren't getting benefits," Arshad Hamid, a scaffolding installer who has been with Arabtec for six years, told Al Jazeera. "The office boys are getting benefits and their salaries are higher."
Other workers complained that foremen receive regular wage increases, but they do not. Stuart Poole-Robb, the CEO of KCS, a London-based consultancy, once worked in the UAE helping with security for a petroleum facility. He said conditions in the labour camps could pose a risk to the UAE's broader stability. "I am stunned salaries are still at the level they are," Poole-Robb told Al Jazeera. "By treating people like this they [the Emirates] are opening themselves up to serious problems." Agents working for Iran, a country the Gulf states fear, were stirring up trouble in the labour camps around the petroleum facility, he alleged, and bad working conditions made some workers receptive to their overtures. "The camps could end up acting like a Trojan horse," he said. "These workers deserve a living wage like anyone else." Dubai's backers say some companies do abuse workers, but these are isolated incidents that could happen in any society rather than structural problems.
'It won't improve' Reports including Human Rights Watch's "Building towers, cheating workers" and a documentary from the BBC programme Panorama exposing abuses at Arabtec have irritated some Emiratis, who believe the country is unfairly targeted by Western organisations. In response to the bad public relations stemming from the treatment of workers, the UAE has instituted some changes, including the creation of a telephone hotline through which employees can report abuse. Rights groups, however, say there has been virtually no improvement for workers in the past decade. Earlier this year, Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashed Al Maktoum, Dubai's ruler and the UAE's vice president, initiated a campaign to thank blue-collar workers for their service to the country. But Mohamed Ashraf isn't feeling particularly appreciated. As he ponders his next move, the long-time labourer doesn't have much optimism. "If we formed a union and we had a leader he would take our problems to management and they would just deport the leader," he said. "I don't think the situation will improve." * Names have been changed to protect the identities of workers
TV centric LG Cloud goes global LAHORE: LG Electronics (LG), which launched its own LG Cloud service in the United States, South Korea and Russia last year, will roll-out the TVcentric service in more than 40 countries including the Middle East, Europe, Asia, Central Asia and Latin America regions by the end of next month. LG Cloud enables users to stream content directly to LG CINEMA 3D Smart TVs as well as provides a convenient location to store entertainment content that automatically synchronizes between PCs, smartphones and TVs. “LG Cloud eliminates the time-consuming process of having to download or manually transfer content between devices,” said Mr. D.Y. Kim, President of LG Electronics Gulf FZE, “Today’s consumers are no longer loyal to only one type of screen. They move seamlessly from TVs to PCs to smartphones and it’s up to us to help them get the content they want whenever and wherever they want it. LG is one of very few companies that can offer integration across so many display products.” The LG Cloud app offers access to videos, photos and music once it is uploaded to the user’s account. Available on Google Play or the LG Smart World store, the easy-to-install app is compatible with LG CINEMA 3D Smart TVs, PCs and Android smartphones. After a quick setup process, users can begin streaming up to 5GB of content for free directly to their CINEMA 3D Smart TV without having to first download files to a smart storage device. Multimedia can be conveniently saved and streamed from LG Cloud, freeing up gigabytes of space on overloaded smartphones and PCs. Content can be uploaded to LG Cloud using the PC client, website or smart device. In the near future, smart home appliances will also be able to connect and share via LG Cloud for a truly integrated and convenient experience. LG Cloud is also capable of transcoding will also be an interesting feature of the event. Samsung Pakistan’s Head of Mobile Phone Business at SEPAK, Farid Ullah Jan, said; “People ask what the Galaxy S4 has? A better question is: what doesn't it have? Samsung Galaxy S4 will continue to inspire the world of global smartphones. The Samsung Galaxy S4 Activation drive across Pakistan will give a unique platform for visitors to know the fascinating features of the stunning
and streaming multimedia content to mobile devices by N-Screen. It even has a resume play function for seamless viewing or listening across multiple products. Pause a video or song on a smartphone and LG Cloud will continue playback from that same point on an LG Smart TV. LG Cloud also makes it possible to view photo slideshows while simultaneously streaming music. LG’s unique service allows members to easily store content in their own personal LG Cloud account. Signing in to an account on an LG CINEMA 3D Smart TV is quick and easy thanks to the automatic Single Sign On (SSO) protocol, which is able to recognize both the user’s LG Smart TV ID and LG Cloud ID. PRESS RELEASE
Galaxy S4 and at the same time avail the best price in town”. Consumers can not only look forward to an interactive guided hands-on experience with the Galaxy S4, but Samsung brand ambassadors will also be present at the event to share more about the features and any one can stand to win exclusive premiums by participating in a series of on-site activities with an unprecedented chance of winning Samsung Galaxy S4. The event will not
only enthrall visitors with a complete experience of this innovative product, but will also not leave the venue without taking back interesting giveaways. Along with citizens from all walks of life, various media personalities and celebrities will also grace the occasion and special discounts will be offered on the purchase of the Galaxy S4. For Karachiites, this is surely an event not to be missed over the coming weekend. PRESS RELEASE