Pakistan American Business Association

9302 Old Keene Mill Road, Burke, VA 22150

July 2017

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Starting a business

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Social Media Management

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PABA Chairman Visits

NUST Pakistan

Contents …..

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Summer Vacations

Issue No. 31

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President’s Executive Authority

www.pabausa.org

Virginia is honoring our immigrants with a well-deserved “Immigrant Heritage Month” as declared by Governor Terry McAuliffe.

With that in mind, I want to review some important facts and figures about the impact our immigrants have here in Virginia and then highlight a couple of them.

Virginia has about 900,000 people who were foreign born – just over 11% of our popula-tion. The number immigrants moving into Virginia grew by almost 58% between 2000 and 2010, and continues to grow today.

And the immigrant population is a large part of any economic growth we will see in the future. You see, 17.5% of the business owners in Virginia are immigrants. Over $3 billion in business income is generated by these businesses. And between 2006 and 2010 almost 54,000 new businesses were formed by our immigrant neighbors.

So as we debate what to do with our immigration policies in this country, let’s remember that legal immigration is a huge positive in our country and we need to keep that in mind.

Continued …. P - 2

M. Siddique Sheikh,

Chairman & Founder PABA

Immigrants Add to Our State’s Economy

By Michael W. Thompson

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Equity and Financing

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Pakistan Briefs

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What to do with the illegal residents in our society is going to be debated over the coming months and we need to figure this out in a rational and reasonable and firm manner.

In the meantime, I want to highlight three Virginians who were either born in foreign countries or their parents were born overseas.

Mohammad Siddique Sheikh came to the United States from Pakistan 50 years ago with $10 in his pocket. Through hard work, focus and determination he has built a conglomerate of wide-ranging business the anchor of which are more than a dozen gas stations. He is one who believes in giving back to his community. He was appointed by Governor Bob McDonnell to the Board of Visitors of George Mason University, Virginia’s largest institution of higher learning. He has served on a number of state and Fairfax County community boards and commissions and was recently appointed as a board member of BB&T Bank, nationwide. Believing the influence that many can have when banding together, he established the Pakistan American Business Association which has thousands of members who are suc-cessful business leaders.

Raul “Danny” Vargas is a noted business and community leader, media commentator, and marketing/public relations professional. His mother came to the States from Puerto Rico and Danny grew up on the streets of New York City. His mother worked long and hard and now, thanks to her dedication and love, Vargas is now a well-respected and noted business and community leader. He has been an executive at AOL, France Telecom, Global One and Raytheon. And he was appointed by Virginia’s Gover-nor as Chair of the Virginia Board of Workforce Devel-opment. He was Chairman of the Dulles Chamber of Commerce, the first Hispanic to chair a mainstream Chamber in Virginia. Vargas ran for the House of Dele-gates as the Republican standard bearer. This second generation American citizen is an example of why immi-gration is so important to our nation.

Puneet Ahluwalia came to the U.S. from India in 1990. He worked long and hard and learned about real estate investments. He built a successful mortgage loan business catering to the broad citizenship of Northern Virginia but with a real focus on the immigrant population – helping folks who, like him, came to this country looking for free-dom and financial security. That business was a casualty of the housing crisis in 2008. Using his networking capabili-ties and his love for public policy issues and the political rivalry here in America, he is now working full time as a po-litical consultant in Washington DC working our partnerships with overseas companies and organizations that want to do good works by combining American financial support with those who are trying to help people in South Asia better their lives. He was recently elected to the State Central Committee of the Virginia Republican Party. Puneet Ahluwalia is truly a proud American citizen.

Let’s remember that although we face a necessary and difficult discussion about those “illegal residents” who came to this country unlawfully, most came here for the same reasons as those legal immigrants. They came to provide a better life for themselves and their families.

Soon we are going to have a robust debate on immigration reform when Congress finally decides to take up this important issue. Let’s have that debate in reasonable manner looking at the entire immigration policies of this country. And we should calmly discuss who we want to come to this country, what these folks can do to build our economy over the long haul.

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Continued From Page - 1

Mr. Michael W. Thompson is the Chairman and President of the Thomas

Jefferson Institute, Virginia’s premier center-right public policy foundation.

Continued on Page - 4

Refinancing is something that most people will do at some point in their home ownership years. The reasons are many; sometimes it's to get a better rate, sometimes to combine a first and second mortgage. Still others will re-finance to take money out from the equity on the home and pay bills or do renovations. Whatever the reason, equity plays a major role.

What Is Equity? Simply put, equity is the difference between the value of your home and what you owe on it. Although the term is very common, the truth is that not every homeowner has equity, and in fact some may be in the opposite position. Equity increases over time when, as a general rule, the val-ue of a home increases while at the same time the mort-gage loans are being paid down. In difficult economic times, equity may build slowly or even be lost.

What Does Equity Have To Do With Refinancing? While it is possible to refinance a home in which there is little to no equity, it is more difficult. You can refinance for a better rate, but you won't be able to take any money out on the loan. When the house is “upside down,” mean-ing that the amount owed is higher than the current value of the home, refinancing becomes much more difficult. In most cases this situation will not qualify for a re-finance, although many mortgage companies do allow refi-nances up to a certain percentage above the market value.

Refinances in these situations can be done, but they are a little different from doing a refinance with equity.

Cash-Out Refinancing Many people refinance in order to take some cash out of the home's equity. When you do this you are drawing on the value of your home. Taking out cash against the equity you have in your home can be a helpful way to pay off bills or take on renovations. It's important to note, howev-er, that it comes with some risk. If you refinance and use up all the equity in your home, and then the value of your home drops, you could find yourself upside down. You will also be unable to use that equity in the future should you decide to sell and need a down payment on your new home. Keep these things in mind before you make the decision to proceed with a cash-out refinance. The equity you have in your home makes a big difference in the type of refinancing available to you, making the two closely related.

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By Haseeb Javed

Haseeb Javed Realtor / Crossroads, Real-tors (mobile) 703.850.7621 (office) 703.530.1830 9216 Center Street, Manassas, VA 20110

Equity And

Refinancing

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For days speculation abounded whether President Donald J. Trump would invoke executive privilege in an attempt to prevent former FBI director James Comey from testifying before Congress. Comey did appear before the Senate Com-mittee hearing after President Trump decided not to use his executive privilege. Political analysts and interested citizens scrambled to learn about the mysterious principle that we call executive privi-lege. I've written a book on the principle and thus have studied it for years and can provide a primer here. It's important to understand this principle because as congressional and special counsel investigations continue, we may indeed have an executive privilege conflict that could have far-reaching implications for the country’s political landscape. Executive privilege is the constitutional principle that the president has the right to withhold information that he be-lieves would damage the public interest if made public. Customarily, presidents have invoked this power to conceal some national security information, to maintain confidential deliberations in the White House, and to protect the integ-rity of ongoing investigations in the executive branch. It is not an absolute, all-encompassing power that a president may invoke at any time, for whatever reason he chooses. Executive privilege is a somewhat murky constitutional principle and to many it is associated mostly with the Wa-tergate scandal. As a result, executive privilege often has a negative connotation even though it has long been recog-nized as a legitimate presidential power under certain circumstances. This power goes back to the early years of the Republic, even though no president ever used the phrase “executive priv-ilege” before Dwight D. Eisenhower. Nonetheless, almost all presidents have exercised this power at some point and there have been a number of highly charged controversies surrounding executive privilege including Watergate, the im-peachment of President Bill Clinton, and the “Fast and Furious” program investigation during the Barack Obama presi-dency, among others. Executive privilege is limited by the legislative power to conduct investigations. As with most presidential powers, ex-ecutive privilege is subject to a balancing test and the needs of a congressional committee for testimony frequently is much more compelling than any presidential claimed need for secrecy. Congress has a right to access to almost any and all information that is germane to an investigation of possible wrongdoing in the executive branch. That is a principle at the very core of a democratic system based on accountability.

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The President and Executive Privilege

By Mark J. Rozell

Mr. Mark J. Rozell is Dean, Schar School of Policy and Govern-

ment, Ruth D. and John T. Hazel Chair in Public Policy, George

Mason University http://markrozell.gmu.edu/

I don’t think it matters whether its college, high school or grade school, summer feels like the best thing on earth. No more getting up at the crack of dawn to catch the school bus - AHHHH - sleeping in, a day of playing with friends – fab-ulous!

I am a fan of time off. Steven Covey talks about the im-portance of “sharpening the saw.” His insight is that if you use the saw to cut down trees, and never stop to sharpen it, the blade gets dull and eventually won’t cut anything. The same is true of you and me. We all need a break to recharge our batteries, get deep rest, and have fun.

So what should we encourage our children to do during the summer break? I am a fan of a blend of structured and non-structured activities. Creativity is fueled by daydreams and an open heart and open mind. Doing nothing might be different than we think. It might just be we are doing our thinking in a more relaxed way, without any pressure from a teacher or peers. No tests for daydreams! Hurrah!

It’s a great time for valuable non-school activities – like travel, going to a museum, lots of physical activity like swim-ming, taking hikes, learning a new sport like soccer or golf. Some of these activities become the very source of your life’s work. As a child I joined a church choir – discovered that I had a beautiful singing voice – and years later be-came a professional opera singer. My school didn’t have this activity, but my church did.

Another special time in my early years was summer camp. My parents didn’t have much money, but somehow they were able to enroll me in a two-week music camp. In addition to having fun, we literally spent the entire day im-mersed in music and I discovered my passion. This linked with my church singing and my 50-year career.

I am also a fan of a summer job. Usually we think summer jobs are simply something we find with a bit of luck. On a deeper level I think we have more influence on the kind of job we find and take than appears to be the case. When I am advising college students about careers, I always look at their part-time job experience for clues. More often than not, the seeds of a career are already planted in what we think of as an accidental summer job.

For those of you who struggle with math, this is a great time to enroll in a private tutoring program like Kumon or Mathnasium. There are others in the market as well, and they often use personally designed learning that really can be helpful to students of all ages. For college students home for the summer you might consider enrolling in the com-munity college. Usually such courses transfer back into your degree. Many students enrolled at the University of Vir-ginia, Virginia Tech or one of the other fine Virginia schools take a course in their community college and find that it absolutely is as good as classes anywhere! And you will make new friends.

Finally, no matter who you are or what your interest, I really believe you need to read! The world of books is a world of magic. And yes, reading them on your computer is just fine. The beauty of summer is you can binge read. You don’t have to put the book down to do your homework. And the only “test” is how much fun it is to turn the page. Lots of books in my life I’ve been sorry to finish. I loved being in the imagination of the story so much.

Oh – find somewhere to do something for someone less fortunate. Children make the very best volunteers. And working side by side with adults is truly rewarding for all. Kids love being with grown ups doing something im-portant.

HURRAH School is out! Live your freedom fully.

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HURRAH SCHOOL IS OUT! By William Reeder

Mr. William Reeder is Dean Emeritus Professor

and Heritage Chair George Mason University

PARTNERS

Universal Air & Vacuum

Services

The Thomas Jefferson Institute, Virginia’s premier center-right public policy foundation, hosted a special discussion with Senator John McCain at the Willard Hotel in Washington D.C. that was also attended by former Under Secretary of State for Democracy and Global Affairs, Paula Dobriansky. Challenges faced by the United States around the world were the main area of focus of the discussion held in a relaxed environment. Senator McCain, who is the Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, offered his suggestions on how to confront these challenges. Chairman Pakistan American Busi-ness Association, Mr. M. Siddique Sheikh also attended the discussion. In his brief remarks, Mr. Sheikh laud-ed the services of Senator McCain for the country. He informed the audience that the Pakistan American Business Association was working for more than three decades to promote trade and business ties between Paki-stan and the United States. Mr. Sheikh observed that in spite of the long-standing relationship between Pakistan and the United States spread over several decades, there was still a trust deficit on both sides. He posed a question to the Senator as to what needs to be done to bridge the chasm be-tween the two countries. Senator McCain alluded to the long-standing US concern on terrorist groups using Paki-stani border as a safe haven, which has been a major irritant in ties between the two coun-tries.

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Special Discussion With Senator John McCain

Moeez Sheikh photographed with PABA

Chairman at his graduation at Battlefield High

School, with cords for National Society of

High School Scholars and Muslim Students

Association. He also received medals for

academic excellence, IT Program and robotics

at various levels.

Mr. M. Siddique Sheikh with

Congressman Tom Garrett

*ADB extends $300 Million For Improving Public Sector Entities Pakistan and Asian Development Bank has signed a loan agreement of $300 million for Public Sector Enterprises Re-form Program. The loan will help the government achieve and sustain reform initiatives aimed at enhancing the perfor-mance of Public Sector Enterprises (PSEs) by improving their corporate governance and accountability, and reducing their contingent liabilities. An IMF report last year revealed that three public sector entities – the Pakistan International Airlines, Pakistan Railways and Pakistan Steel Mills – alone have caused over 700 billion rupees in losses to the na-tional kitty. In addition to that, power sector companies in the public sector have accumulated debt of about 660 billion rupees, more than half of it happening in the last three years.

* France to Provide 100 million Euros Credit Facility for Energy Sector Under an agreement signed recently, France will provide 100 million Euros Credit Facility Agreement for the Sustaina-ble Energy Sector Reform Program. The reforms in the Energy Sector will directly impact the overall economic growth of Pakistan. The main objective of the program is to revamp the energy sector to make it more affordable, reliable and sustainable, supporting the country’s economic growth, and alleviating the energy crisis through expeditious imple-mentation of the National Power Policy, 2013. This reform program will also help in improving the financial viability of the power sector by better managing tariff and subsidies, improving sector performance and opening up the market to private participation.

* Emerging Pakistan Branding on London’s Iconic Double-Decker Buses London’s iconic red double-decker buses are displaying Pakistan branding under a campaign being sponsored by the UK-based Bestway Group. Being run under the theme of “Emerging Pakistan”, the campaign will continue for four weeks as part of Pakistan’s 70th Independence Anniversary being celebrated on August 14. Fully wrapped double-decker buses are showcasing the pristine beauty of Pakistan with its highest peaks, beautiful landscape, rare fauna, monuments representing ancient civilization, magnificent architecture and rich and diverse culture.

* Pakistan’s Wheat, Rice Crop Yields to Fall Amid Rising Global Warming A steady rise in temperature is posing a serious risk to Pakistan’s main wheat and rice crop, according to studies carried out the Global Change Impact Study Centre (GCISC), a research wing of the Commerce Ministry. Based on crop simulation models of the GCISC, wheat crop yield will be reduced by 3.4 to 12.5 percent in semi-arid irrigated areas including Faisalabad, Sheikhupura and 3.8 to 14.5 percent in arid areas including Hyderabad, Badin, Bahawalpur and Multan. Around 16 percent decline in overall wheat productivity in rain-dependent areas has been forecast in various areas of the Potohar region including Chakwal district under different climate change scenarios towards the end of ongoing century. Rce crop yields are likely to register fall by 12 to 22 percent in almost all rice growing areas of the country by end of this century because of the rising global temperatures.

* Pakistan Extends Deadline for Sugar Exports to July 31 Pakistan has extended the deadline to July 31, for the exports of sugar as approved by the Commerce Ministry. The previous deadline expired on May 31. Pakistan’s Commerce Ministry is seeking permission to export another 0.6 mil-lion tons of surplus sugar, taking the total to over a million ton in 2017, after expectations of another bumper crop in 2017/2018 marketing year. Pakistan in the current crop year allowed 0.425 million metric tons for exports, and 0.348 MMT of sweetener has already been exported. The Sugar Advisory Board that met on June 20 sought permission for further exports from the surplus stock. Abundant supplies has helped stabilized the prices during the fasting month of Ramadan, when prices usually peak on demand. The Committee has decided that after the export of 0.45 MMT tons out of the proposed 0.6 MMT sugar, it will review the domestic price stability before moving forward with the rest of the stock agreement to boost cooperation in the aviation field.

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Pakistan Briefs

The Pakistan American Business Association was established in 1986 to bring together business people of diverse occupations, providing opportunities for them to flourish and help others grow.

Through our board, active members and leadership in the United States of American and in Pakistan, PABA has been able to achieve many successes at local, national and international level. PABA nurtures business opportuni-ties between Pakistan and the United States and enables its members to develop new businesses and promotes dialogue between Pakistani and American government officials. we have don

Local, state, national and international conventions

Job fairs for aspiring business people

Relief efforts for Katrina Hurricane and 2010 Pakistan Flood victims

International Trade Conference in Pakistan in 2004

Raised Funds for Shaukat Khanum Hospital in 1995

And much more,,,,,,,,,

PABA To Host International Trade Show in Washington D.C. Soon

Pakistan American Business Association 9302 Old Keene Mill Road Suite B Burke, VA 22015 - 4278

www.pabausa.org

What we have done

Editorial Team :

M. Siddique Sheikh

Shakeel Tufail

Augustine Anthony

Khalid Noufal

PABA AT A GLANCE

Part of Every Day

1- Tolerance 2- Forgiveness 3- Patience

Part of Life

1- Honesty 2- Sincerity 3- Loyalty