Pakistani News for the Rest of Us

The Pakistan Telecommunication Company on Wednesday launched the “Apna Des” calling card for Pakistanis travelling abroad.
Though the Apna prepaid calling card is available in Pakistani currency but will help the users in a foreign country to make a call to Pakistan, said Shahid Haq, executive vice-president marketing.
Initially, the service of the card will be available …

NetSol Technologies, Inc. announced that its majority-owned subsidiary, NetSol-Akhter has expanded it corporate client list to fifty companies located in Karachi, Pakistan. These corporate clients include Reuters Ltd., Fuji Films, the Textile Institute of Pakistan, Sigma Motors Ltd. (Land Rover) and the Institute of Business Management and Technology. The rollout of the company’s broadband services …

Berkleemusic.com, the online extension school of Berklee College of Music, today announced the recipients of the world’s first-ever online music scholarship program. After reviewing applications and demos from talented musicians worldwide, five gifted musicians and future music industry leaders were selected that exhibited significant promise, achievement, and inspired life stories. Each recipient will receive a …

The federal cabinet has decided to issue new Pakistani currency notes of Rs 20 and Rs 5,000. The cabinet, which met with Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz in the chair, also decided to redesign the Rs 50 and Rs 1,000 notes. The new notes will incorporate the latest security features to protect them from forgery and …

The Karachi Stock Exchange (KSE), emboldened by a remarkable performance in 2004, plans cross-border listings, Internet trading and over the counter market.
“The future projects include cross-border listings, Internet trading and over the counter market,” said the KSE’s annual report released on the eve of its Annual General Meeting on October 28.
The report covered up to …

Fifty students and teachers from one of Kolkata’s premier institutions will carry this message to Pakistan in January next year, soon after students from Karachi land here on a peace mission.
Bhowanipore Education Society has sought formal approval from the Union home ministry for the goodwill mission, and has even started groundwork with the Islamabad government.
It …

The Resource Group, a call center company, has acquired Pennsylvania-based Telespectrum, which is expected to contribute $80 million to its annual revenue, a senior Resource Group executive said Tuesday.
“In a single transaction, Telespectrum contributed $80 million and 2000 people to our business,” Zia Chishti, the company’s chief executive told Dow Jones Newswires in an e-mail …

Malaysia and Pakistan agreed on Oct 26 to take the first step towards a free-trade pact and look at cutting import duties on some of each other’s exports.
Foreign ministers from the two Muslim Asian nations said after a meeting in the Malaysian capital that officials from both sides would start work soon on a preferential …

Pakistan will be making its debut in international rugby on Wednesday when it takes on Sri Lanka in the 19th Asian Rugby Football Tournament.
The biennial tournament will feature 12 teams split into three tiers vying for the Cup, Plate and Bowl Championships.
Pakistan is in the Bowl competition along with Sri Lanka, India and China. The …

IMAX Corporation and the Government of Punjab Province, Pakistan today announced an agreement to install the first ever IMAX theatre in Pakistan. The theatre will be located in Lahore, Pakistan, and be part of a multi-function shopping and entertainment park the Punjab Government is developing. The agreement was reached on September 28th, construction will begin …

The winter is approaching but no news yet of winter expeditions to Karakorum. Mountaineering challenges are scarce these days some say, yet the fierce Pakistan mountains offer just that - and with a stunning view.
Pakistan holds at least five big dares, as none of its 8000ers has been climbed in winter!
Up until now only 7 …

Uzma Aslam Khan’s novel “Trespassing” bills itself as a love story, a tale of forbidden lust a la the Capulets and Montagues. But in tackling culture clash, war and international relations, the book strives to be more than a tale of dangerous love.
The relationship between Daanish and Dia is the story around which all others …

The deregulation of Pakistan’s telecom industry is fast gaining momentum with dozens more communications providers and millions of customers entering both the fixed line and mobile markets.
Before the government announced the opening of its fixed line telephone sector to private investors in July last year, the landline penetration rate was just 2.5 percent of Pakistan’s …

Three new species of mammals and eight new species of birds have been added to the existing inmates of Karachi Zoological Gardens (KZG). According to sources, most of the new entrants have been donated by various wildlife lovers.
Before their arrival, there were 33 mammal species and 43 bird species at the zoo with the total …