profit.com.pk Monday, 09 April, 2012

KARACHI

STAFF REPORT

t he businessmen of Sindh

specially Karachi led by Karachi

Chamber of Commerce &

Industry (KCCI) have

approached Prime Minister

Yousuf Raza Gilani against the forth

coming energy conference while

showing their serious concerns about

the conference and its apparent

objectives.

Showing deep reservations and concerns

regarding the energy Conference which

has been scheduled to be held in Lahore

on April 9, 2012, KCCI, in letter sent

recently, has informed the Prime

Minister that firstly, this was being held

at a very short notice and the business

community of Sindh has not been taken

into confidence nor invited to participate

in the prior and preparatory

deliberations of the conference. Also the

objectives and some Agenda

components unfortunately carry

negative connotation. “We are

apprehensive that this debate being

undertaken in the background of

Government of Punjab sponsored

“energy riots” in Punjab may add fuel to

the fire and may accentuate the on-

going attrition amongst a range of

stakeholders especially amongst the

federating units. This, at this point in

time, will not augur well for the political

and economic well being of the country”,

it said. According to the letter the main

objectives of the conference especially

the objective at “b” states, “Develop

consensus on fair, equitable and

transparent distribution of available

energy among the federating units” This

objective denotes that the current

distribution is probably inequitable and

not transparent whereas in reality the

distribution of energy is being

undertaken in accordance with the

Constitution of Pakistan. hence putting

out such an objective in itself

tantamount to questioning the basic

parameters and framework enshrined

under the Constitution of Pakistan.

It is extremely important to put across

some fundamental facts before the

honourable Prime Minister relating to

current energy crisis

The existing electricity shortages to a

large extent have accentuated because

of shortage of ‘Gas’ as such it is

important to explore how these

shortages have happened.

The country is presently producing

approximately 4000 MMCFD of Gas from

all Gas Fields compared to 3800 MMCFD

in 2008. hence there has been a definite

growth in supply of Gas. What has

caused the shortages is basically the

manner in which it has been used in last

few years.

SNGPL in last four years has laid out

around 36000 km of additional Gas

Pipelines for supply of about 750 MMCFD

of Gas to multiple entities especially the

rural villages, CNG stations and also to

some big consumers.

The Federal Ministry of P&NR and SNGPL

were aware that there are likely to be

Gas constraints as such the Supply Side

should have been more responsible and

undertaken after due diligence and

examination of pros and cons. To us, this

frugal and irresponsible “Supply of Gas”

by the SNGPL is one of the root causes

that has led to severe Gas shortages in

last over a year which in turn has

impacted the power supply as well.

Gas companies are allocated fixed

Quotas. It is SNGPL, who in 2008

started allocating new Gas connections

exceeding their allocated limits. In the

same period SSGCL entertained only

150 MMCFD additional Gas connections

in a very conservative and cautious

manner. It is important to mention that

as of today SSGC has a backlog of

applications for more than 350 MMCFD,

which in turn can generate 150,000 new

direct employments and numerous

indirect jobs. In case SSGC and

Government of Sindh had not taken a

cautious stance and additional

connections would have been given to

generate more employment then the

situation in Sindh could have been the

same which prevails today with SNGPL.

hence in all fairnss Sindh has sacrificed

its progress at the cost of ‘National

Interest’. It is also a fact that Sindh

Government has developed Industrial

estates which are not yet colonized due

to paucity of Gas. There are 1000 plots

in SITe-II, & huge number of Plots in

Port Qasim, and many in Textile and

Garment City awaiting Gas connections.

Critical question is “Can Sindh be

penalized for being circumspect and

informed and adopting policy of

connections keepiong in view the supply

side?” In case Government of Pakistan

does not acknowledge the rational

attitude the tendency for irrational

decisions will take root.

Sindh provides 72 percent of Gas and it

has a Constitutional Right under Article

158 of the Constitution over its use. This

is explicitly provided and it will be very

unethical to challenge this provision

relating to the right of the province

where such resources lie.

Despite this clear provision under the

basic charter, the distribution of Gas

over the years has always been

undertaken ‘fairly’ and in the overall

interest of the country.

hence despite, the Article 158, Karachi

faced severe shortages of Gas in last

winter and there was continuous load

shedding from November-2011 to March-

2012 which impacted Industry and KeSC.

Agenda Item I: Generation

Distribution and Conservation

- In the Agenda relating to Group I,

there is an item ‘f’ saying ‘Is there a

case for continued supply to privatized

KeSC from NTDC system when load

shedding in Karach is 2-3 hours but in

rest of country is 12-16 hrs”. This is an

unfortunate Agenda and it reflects upon

the mind set and the basic agenda of

the conference organizers.

The facts are that KeSC is an

Independent Private Company and it is

being given 650 MWs of electricity from

the Country’s hydel Resources so that it

receives same ‘energy Mix’ as being

distributed to other entities. This again

is a constitutional matter and by

questioning this, the draftees of the

Agenda probably wish to deny the

economic & financial hub of the country

the same ‘energy Mix’ as available to

other cities. The less hours of load

shedding is an outcome of ‘electricity

Management’ by KeSC as it allocates

energy to its ‘paying clients’. This

efficiency is sheerly on account of

“KeSC Management” rather than on

account of taking away any other

federating units share. hence by

incorporating such unconstitutional

items, the entire framework of this

conference and its objectives have

become seriously tainted and malafide.

In our view, this conference is unlikely

to yield any worthwhile results and will

only breed further difference especially

given the current political climate in the

province of Punjab.

In this background, it is sincerely

recommended that instead of reopening

and questioning issues settled under the

Constitution of Pakistan, the

Government should concentrate on

“Resolving’ the major bottlenecks and

move ahead and take strategic decisions

required to bring more energy on the

grid and by taking the required reform

and governance actions for containing

losses, and leakages.

Some energy ‘doables’ in the short

to medium run can be:

- Undertake urgent exploitation of

“Indegenous Resources’ which can

quickly relieve the pressure on the

expensive imports of oil and the fast

depleting Gas reserves.

GoP is presently importing 6 million tons

of coal. KeSC & PePCO have already

finalized projects for converting their

Power Plants from Gas/Oil to Coal. This

will increase the imports of coal to over

22.0 million tons within next one year or

so. GoP can save oil and coal imports by

facilitating the Government of Sindh in

undertaking speedier actions at Thar

Coal Mining.

GoS needs to be encouraged to undertake

Minning through its Own Resources for

establishing a ‘Washing & Bricketing

Plant’. Such facility alone can provide a

massive saving of Gas which can be

diverted to Industry. Cheap supply of fuel

to Power Plants will help in bringing down

electricity prices considerably.

Provinces must be encouraged to make

investments in Re projects especially

Wind, Small hydro, Solid Waste and

Sea-waves/Tidal energy projects. WB /

ADB may be requested to help provinces

to build capacity on Re projects.

Policy be framed on “OFF GRID”

solutions for villages and separte

settlements like one under taken at

Surian Cantonment RYK urgently so that

valuable Gas resources / electricity is

conserved for profitable and economic

requirements of the country.

Transportation can only be subsidized by

revitalizing Pak Railways and bringing in

LRT in mega cities, rather than allow

precious Gas resources use in CNG.

Things will become better during

summer and Insha Allah after

commissioning of new Gas Fields

including Kudan Poshaki, Sanjhero,

Sawan, Latif, Reti Maroon, which will

add approximately 350 MMCFD of

additional gas to national bulk.

There is complete consensus that it is

primarily on account of lopsided

priorities, poor management and

massive leakages and lack of

accountability which are the primary

reasons for dearth of energy in Pakistan.

There is an urgent need to put in place

an Action Plan rather than politicize and

create further attrition. A collective

national effort is needed to face the

challenge. Prompt measures need to be

taken by the government instead of

opening up contentious debate.

The recent oil price drama –

steep rise, angry protest,

marginal correction – was

amusing, to say the least. Ditto for

the fortnightly check. The simple fact

of the market is that oil will remain

elevated for at least the foreseeable

future. And considering our

overwhelming reliance on imported

energy, domestic prices will also keep

rising. So if last week’s antics were

anything to go by, the run-up to the

general vote will be anything but

smooth, something the PPP setup no

doubt realises well.

Interestingly, the strong bid in

international oil is being factored in

despite no justifying demand-supply

dynamics. europe is wrecked by the

sovereign debt crisis, China is

slowing, Indian manufacturing is

hemorrhaging, emerging market

growth is fizzling out and even

encouraging numbers from the US

are proving shady at best. Left to

market mechanism, oil would be no

higher than the $80 per barrel, if

not lower.

The $30 odd excess is a testament to

the risk premium associated with

political tension in the Persian Gulf,

particularly the Iran’s standoff with

western powers. It is a glaring

example of how countries that

depend too much on imported fuel

lose out because of developments

they have practically no control over.

Of course, the problem is

compounded when the current

account situation is cause for serious

concern (because of rampant

corruption involving but not limited to

some of the highest offices in the

government).

how the government postures will

prove the litmus test for its sense of

commitment with the people.

Prudence dictates that it immediately

draw viable options, ranging from

ensuring sustained supplies – it will

help to settle futures contracts while

the market is still in backwardation –

to reducing long term reliance on

imported oil. The latter will need

exploiting indigenous hydel, gas and

coal reserves – a long drawn exercise,

but it must start somewhere. For the

immediate term, though, there is little

relief. Oil will continue to rattle both

our brains and our pockets.

COMMENt

Oil troubles

ENERGY CONFERENCE

KCCI wakes upand smells thecoffee... and a ratg KCCI not consulted over National Energy Conferenceg Approaches PM over matter g Sindh businessmensceptical about the conference

Govt clutching at straws over wheat production Page 02

PRO 09-04-2012_Layout 1 4/9/2012 12:16 AM Page 1

news02Monday, 09 April, 2012

ISLAMABAD

ONLINE

The governmentestimates wheatproduction amountingto 24.02 million tons

this year fairly sufficingcountry’s annual requirementof noting less than 24 milliontons, an official told Online onSaturday.however, he informed thatthere was no risk of shortage ofthe commodity in the countryas the sufficient stock of carryforward available collectivelywith the provincial and federalgovernment. The officialunderlined the fact; netproduction is fell down slightlyagainst its target of 25 milliontons due to certain factors andthe major reasons are shortageof fertilisers and water scarcity. When in this regard contactedFederal Secretary Shafaqthussain Naghmi,he told Onlinethat this year entire wheatproduction of the country is yetto be estimated, however, inPunjab wheat production was

estimated around 18 milliontons and waiting for otherprovinces assessments. “Wheat harvesting is going tostart from mid April in Sindhand in the end of this month orin the beginning of next monthin Punjab,” the federal secretarysaid, adding that this yearwheat requirement is expectedto remain about 24 million tonsin the country. While talking toOnline Muhammad IbrahimMughal, Chairman of AgriForum Pakistan said that wheatproduction target was set 25million tons for this year butthe output could be around 23to 23.5 million tons. he said the country had 4million tons of carry forwardstocks and demanded thatgovernment should allow 1.5million tons wheat export toIran from fresh stock underbarter trade system and inreturn Petroleum productsshould be imported. “This yearPunjab should procure 3million tons wheat fromfarmers while PakistanAgriculture Storage and

Supplies Corporation (PASSCO)and Sindh 2 and 1.5 milliontons respectively,” he added.According to the uSDepartment of Agriculturereport, Pakistan’s wheatproduction for the year 2012-13is estimated at 23 million tonswhich shows down five per centrelative to previous year’srecord harvest of 24.2 milliontons. The economic CoordinationCommittee (eCC) of theCabinet has already approvedthe purchase of 7,700,000 tonsof wheat from farmers. The eCC on Friday was of theconsensus that the provinceshave the inalienable right to liftthe wheat but the debate wenton the extension of credit cashguarantees to the provinces onthe amount of purchasingwheat after the increase in thesupport price of wheat fromRs.950 to 1050.It may be recalled that after thedue process of devolution theprovinces were allowed to liftthe wheat to maintain strategicreserves.

LAHORE

STAFF REPORT

PuNjAB Irrigation andDrainage Authority (PIDA)has decided to amend the

rules for farmers organizationsand area water boards and sendthese to the provincialgovernment for approval.These farmers’ organizations andarea water boards wereconstituted by the Authority andamendments are aimed at toensure justifiable distribution ofcanal water among the growersand resolution of different issuesbeing faced by the farmingcommunity at local level.Decision to this effect was takenat the 43rd meeting of theAuthority held here on Fridaywith the Punjab IrrigationMinister Malik Ahmad Ali Aulakhin the chair.

The meeting was given a briefingabout the performance of farmers’organizations set up in area waterboards constituted on big canals.Different proposals weresubmitted in the meeting to makethese organizations more effectiveand active. It was proposed thatduration of these organizationsshould be increased to five yearsfrom three years, 0.5 per centincrease in funds for elections ofarea water boards and holdingelections of all members of anarea water board on same day.The meeting was informed thatAuthority would keep any newlyformed grower organization inCategory-B and promote it tocategory-A on showing goodperformance. Nevertheless, poorperformers would remain in B-category for another year. Themeeting also approved the annualPIDA budget for year 2011-12 and

decided to send the case of 15percent adhoc relief allowance ofthe employees to the ChiefSecretary Punjab.The meeting also recommendedfor providing funds required forcompletion of under constructionbuilding of area water boards onlower Chenab Canal system.Speaking on this occasion, thePunjab Irrigation Minister saidthat the present government wasstriving to facilitate the growers atevery level and inclusion ofgrowers in canal system was apart of those efforts. he urged thefarmers to play their role inimproving the shared-canalsystem so as to ensure justifiabledistribution of water andprovision of water to growers atthe tail of any canal system. healso called for taking solid stepsto check water theft and recoveryof water cess.

Govt clutching at strawsover wheat production

PIDA to ensure farmers’ organisations don’t go down the draing Seeks to amend rules for organisations and area water boardsg Vies to channelise canal water distribution

LCCI gnashes its teeth and gives ECC an earfulANGRY BIRDS

LAHORE

STAFF REPORT

The Lahore Chamber ofCommerce and IndustrySaturday flayed the

economic CoordinationCommittee (eCC) decision torevise fuel prices every fifteendays and urged the governmentto implement policy of quarterlyreview of petroleum prices. In a statement issued here, theLCCI President Irfan QaiserSheikh termed the eCC decisionan inflation-push formula thatwould crush the entire economicactivity to the extent therefore itwould be wiser on the part of thegovernment if the prices arereviewed after every threemonths. The LCCI President wasof the view that at this point intime when the energy-related

street protests, industrialclosures and resultant massivelay-offs are order of the day, theeCC should have weighed optionsand methodologies to bringeconomic normalcy in thecountry but unfortunately it haddone the other way round. Irfan Qaiser Sheikh said that theLahore Chamber of Commerce andIndustry has repeatedly appealedto the government to announcespecial incentives for the trade andindustry to rejuvenate economicactivity in the country but nothinglike that has taken place so far. TheLCCI President said that theimplantation of eCC new fuelfixation formula would createmultiple problems for the tradeand industry as businesscommunity would not be able tocalculate return on investmentwhen the cost of doing business

would be fluctuating everyfifteen days.Irfan Qaiser Sheikh said that it iscommon phenomenon that inunusual circumstances, routineworking methodologies areshelved and special measures areadopted to get rid of economicmeltdown but in Pakistanadhocism in policy making hastaken deep roots. The LCCIPresident said that Pakistan hadalready lost a number ofinternational markets and theeconomic CoordinationCommittee decision would makethe Pakistani goods moreuncompetitive. he demandedthat the new fuel priceadjustment formula should alsobe revamped as it is bound to hitthe millions of consumers hard.Irfan Qaiser Sheikh said that theeconomic CoordinationCommittee should consult thebusiness community beforemaking any business-relateddecisions as it is the realstakeholder.

ALI HAIDER

The micro-credit movementacross the globe is not simplyabout money but ratherusing the money to achieve

its respective end. When in the righthands money has the power toliberate the enslaved, to unleash thehorizon of dreams and when not inthe right hands, has the potential tounleash nightmares. Lessons ineconomics teach us that for there tobe an effective demand the consumermust be willing and capable ofpurchasing the product. Merelywilling but not backed by a capacity todo so is not sufficient to createeffective demand. In Pakistan, theimportance of the SMe sector cannotbe over-emphasized since it comprisesof almost 90 per cent of allenterprises currently operational inPakistan. There is no dearth of talentin the country however the talentmust be backed by money to tap its

true potential. With millions of peopleliving below the poverty line,Khushhalibank with its microfinanceprogrammes has been able to touchthe lives of thousands of people acrossthe country. The success of the bankcan be ascertained from the fact thatit has now developed a large customerbase in the poorer districts of thecountry while the recovery rate of theinstitution remains above 95 per cent.One such person who has been able tostand proudly on her feet with thehelp of the microfinance programmeis Mairaj Bibi. As a divorcee and a single parent of ayoung boy, Mairaj Bibi residing inSahiwal aged 53, lived through limitedresources and barely any supportfrom her relatives. however, her driveand determination to overcome herdifficult circumstances led her tofulfill one of her many dreams ofopening a small Karyana store. Withabsolutely no working capital, shemortgaged her jewelry to a local

money lender andmanaged to getsome money tostart her business.Initiated with tenprofitable productlines sheconsequentlymanaged to get aquick return on herinitial investment.Moreover, herprofessionalconduct, regulartimings, dealing inhigh quality itemsand concentratingon limited productlines resulted inhigh sales for theentrepreneur. Amonth into thebusiness, she wasquite confident and financially soundto add further product lines in hersmall shack store. having met some

vendors, she added twenty productlines on a fifteen day credit system. Within three months she was able toget good returns from the business,yet it was not very profitable since amajor portion of her profit was beingconsumed in paying interest to thelocal vendors. At that time, she was

taking loans ontwo hundred andfifty per cent rateof interest fromvarious sources,including familymembers, and alocal moneylender. This poseda great danger toher business.Thus, shecontinuedsearching forsome reasonablesource offinancing for herbusiness and herquest finallyended when sheheard aboutKhushhalibank’smicro loans onmuch feasibleinterest rate,

which she availed in no time.Now after five years in the business,

she has transformed her shack storein to a well furnished one, with morethan a hundred quality product lines.She has increased her daily sale fromRs400 to Rs3,000. Presently, she isrunning a sound and well managedKaryana store which she dreamt of acouple of years ago. She is verypleased with life and her son now goesto a good school in the city. “A womanis not made for defeat, women can bedestroyed but not defeated,” she saysas she continues to make plans forexpanding her business.Mairaj Bibi is a glaring example ofthe sheer will and determination ofthe women of Pakistan who arewilling to fight against heavy odds.expanding her business and workingwith an employee of her own, shecontinues to believe that there ismore yet to come. her future plansentail opening another small store inher village while simultaneouslyproviding the residents of thelocality with the facility of havingtheir products delivered at theirdoorsteps. “A woman is not weak,she is not fragile and her spiritcannot be suppressed even if she isshackled in chains.”Instead of accepting defeat, MairajBibi transformed the defeat into anopportunity that will transform herlife and that of her children.

g Flays fuel fixation formula g Repeats ‘lack ofincentives for trade and industry’ rhetoric

Entrepreneurial spiritMairaj Bibi and her struggle to defy the odds

A woman is notmade for defeat;women can be

destroyed but notdefeated

PRO 09-04-2012_Layout 1 4/9/2012 12:16 AM Page 2

news

Monday, 09 April, 2012

03

JOSE AntOnIO OCAMpO

Ihave been honored by WorldBank directors representingdeveloping countries andRussia to be selected as one

of two developing-countrycandidates to become the Bank’snext president. So I want to makeknown to the global community theprinciples that will guide myactions if I am elected – principlesbased on lessons learned fromdevelopment experience.That experience has taught me thatsuccessful development is alwaysthe result of a judicious mix ofmarket, state, and society. Tryingto suppress markets leads to grossinefficiencies and loss ofdynamism. Trying to do withoutthe state leads to unstable and/orinequitable outcomes. And tryingto ignore social actors that play anessential role at the national andlocal levels precludes the popularlegitimacy that successfulpolicymaking requires.Indeed, the specific mix ofmarkets, state, and society shouldbe the subject of national decisionsadopted by representativeauthorities. This means that it isnot the role of any internationalinstitution to impose a particularmodel of development on anycountry – a mistake that the WorldBank made in the past, and that ithas been working to correct.Because no “one-size-fits-all”strategy exists, the Bank mustinclude among its staff the globaldiversity of approaches todevelopment issues.

Development is a comprehensiveprocess that involves economic,social, and environmentaldimensions – the three pillars ofsustainable development.And, frankly, I have concerns aboutsome of the World Bank’s viewsand priorities in recent decades.For example, while the Bank hasmade important contributions tothe nurturing of deep financialsectors, it still has much to learnabout financial inclusiveness andthe role that well designeddevelopment banks have played infostering sustainable and inclusivegrowth in countries around theworld. We should never forget, inthis regard, that the World Bank isitself a global public-sectordevelopment institution.The Bank contributed significantlyin its early decades to thedevelopment of high-qualityphysical infrastructure, a criticalarea that, unfortunately, was latermarginalized. The return of thisissue to the center of the Bank’sfocus is a welcome development.Above all, I believe that economicdevelopment should be viewed as aprocess of persistent structuralchange, which, if successful,supports constant technologicalupgrading of production and trade.This approach was central to theWorld Bank’s activities up to the1970’s, and, while it has beenpartly revived, it is still far frombeing incorporated into the Bank’soperations.The goal of development is greaterand more equitable human welfare.human development is about much

more than the generation of humancapital: it is essentially aboutexpanding the scope of humanfreedom. And that can be achievedonly with universal education,health care, and social protection.Targeting can be a usefulinstrument of universal policies,but it can never serve as asubstitute for them. Likewise,social protection goes beyond thenarrow concept of the “social safetynet” that has dominated debate inrecent decades. The concept of the“social protection floor,” recentlyproposed by the (produced by theInternational Labor Organizationunder the leadership of formerChilean President MichelleBachelet) provides betterintellectual grounding.equity and inclusiveness requireplacing the advancement of thepoor and other marginalizedgroups at the center ofdevelopment specialists’ concern.In particular, gender equalitydeserves special attention, anapproach that the World Banktoday rightly characterizes as smarteconomics.Guaranteeing these objectives isnot just about compensating formarket outcomes and social forcesthat generate or reproduceinequalities. It is also aboutincorporating these objectives intoeconomic policymaking, by placingthe creation of fulfilling jobs andwell-developed welfare institutionsat the center of the economicagenda, and by respecting the roleof cultural diversity in economicdevelopment.

This approach also applies to theenvironmental pillar of development:intervention to counter damagegenerated by the economy is notenough. environmental concernsmust be fully assimilated intoeconomic policymaking – that is,into the incentive structure thatdrives decisions. Only then caneconomic development be madecompatible with the contributionsthat developing countries must maketo mitigating climate change andpreserving our planet’s remainingnatural forests and biologicaldiversity.The World Bank’s capacity tocontribute to achieving these goalsdepends on it remaining a trueglobal institution with a specialresponsibility vis-à-vis the world’spoorest countries and acommitment to helping middle-income countries face their ownchallenges. It must count on thevision and contributions of moreadvanced nations, as well as thoseof emerging powers. And it mustdo so as part of the system ofglobal governance, strengtheningits cooperation with othermultilateral organizations, inparticular those in the unitedNations system and regional andsubregional development banks.These are the developmentprinciples and priorities for whichI stand. If elected to head theworld’s leading developmentinstitution, I will work with all ofits members to fulfill them.

A version of this article was firstpublished in Project Syndicate

ISLAMABAD

ONLINE

IN an apparent bid to savemore than Rs 70 billion andto control grey trafficking bytelecom operators, the

government has decided toestablish “International Callinghouse” in the country.Officials sources in the Pakistantelecommunication Authority(PTA) said that earlier nomechanism exist in the country todetermine the incoming to differentoperating networks in the country.The sources also said that due tocertain flaws in the existing system

of telecom authority operators werefree in their world and wrongfigures were given by telecomcompanies to Telecom authoritypertaining to the incoming callsthey receives.Sources informed that traffic ofincoming calls from national andinternational networks remain highbut companies did not presentedthe actual details of their incomingand outgoing calls from local andinternational levels.“If a company receives hundredincoming calls from local andinternational networks, then itshows fifty incoming calls whiledetails about else calls were kept

secret and complete details werenot provided” sources informed. Due to flaws in determinationsystem of PTA companies pays halfof the amounts to government andaccording to sources annuallygovernment faces loss of more thanseventy billion rupees. Keeping in view the whole situationgovernment has decided toestablish international callinghouse in PTA to undertake all suchissues. Sources further informed that afterthe formation of Internationalcalling house in the country pricevariation among differentcompanies would also be removed

and same rates would be fixed forall the telecom operators in thecountry. After removal of pricevariation calling rates would bestable for about three years. Afterformation of international callinghouse authority would be able tomonitor the entire business of thecompanies and billion of rupeeswould be added into the nationalexchequer. Sourced told this house would besetup in the PTA while equipmentfor this house would be provided bytelecom companies.Sources informed that in thisregard summary has been sent toPrime Minister for its approval.

What should theWorld Bank do?

ICCI eyes a scrumptious slice of the budget pie

Servis launched new campaign for its brand LIZA

LAHORE: Service Sales Corporation, Pakistan’s leadingfootwear retailer, has launched a new campaign for Liza,its brand for women’s shoes. The campaign “Liza: TheFun Side of Life” has a lively TVC that revolves around ayoung, cheerful girl who manages to attract everybody’sattention because of her striking shoes. The ad isaccompanied by a jingle that leaves you humming thetune long after you have seen the ad or heard it onpopular FM stations. SSC’s marketing team comprisingGM Marketing Naim-ul-Abd, head of CommunicationMian Shahzad Khalid, and Trade Marketing headhassaan Khalid believe that the differentiating factorsfor this campaign are its lively story line, the choice ofMehreen Raheel as the lead model along with Mekaal,and overall aesthetics of production thanks to theproducer, director, the shooting location and setup, andtheir team at the agency. The campaign perfectly sets themood for a very trendy summer as the new Liza summercollection is on display in stores now with the promise ofa fashion savvy summer. The campaign is currentlygetting great reviews from customers and businesscommunity. PRESS RELEASE

LG brings new total solution for floorheating, cooling and hot water supplyLAHORE: LG electronics (LG) is participating inMostra Convegno expocomfort (MCe) 2012 in Milan toshowcase the hydro Kit, a total hVAC solution to meetincreasingly demanding air conditioning, floor heating,radiator and sanitary hot water supply needs. honoredas a Percorso efficienza & Innovazione (efficiency andInnovation Path) product for MCe 2012, LG’s new hydroKit manages sanitary hot water supply and floor heatingmore efficiently than a conventional boiler despite usingless energy. The system also does its part to protect theenvironment by significantly reducing CO2 emissions.Thanks to advanced heat pump technology and aninnovative compressor, the hydro Kit can achieve energysavings of up to 77 percent over a boiler, which translatesto approximately 3.6 times greater energy efficiency. Inaddition, the hydro Kit’s heat pump works much moreefficiently and conserves more energy than a traditionalheating system based on fossil fuels or electricity,enabling customers to reduce running costs as well ascarbon emissions. Along with these benefits, LG’s systemattains a significantly higher coefficient of performance(COP) — up to 4.2 — than a regular boiler. PRESS RELEASE

KARACHI: Mr. Roy Chang, Head of HHP Division SamsungElectronics along with Mr. Farid Jan, Business Manager - HHP ,Mr. Abu Nasar product manager HHP and Ms. Najiyeh Akbar,Manager Marketing HHP, Samsung Electronics Pakistanshowcase Samsung new smart phone at the launch of SamsungGalaxy Note Studio in Karachi. PRESS RELEASE

CORPORATE CORNER

RAWALPINDI: Seen in the picture, from (left TO right) Mr.Sheharyar Mirza, General Manager (far Left) along WITH HISExcellency DATO’ Ahmad Anwar Bin, High Commissioner ofMalaysia AND HER Excellency Dr. Aishath Shehenaz Adam,High Commissioner of Maldives in Pakistan inaugurating the2012 Regional Food Festival at the Pearl Continental Hotel,Rawalpindi. PRESS RELEASEInternational Calling House – A name that grey trafficking operators fear

ISLAMABAD

APP

SuFFICIeNT funds should be allocatedin the forthcoming budget for energyprojects and construction of dam and

water reservoirs to tackle the energy short-ages. “Besides this, the government shouldinitiate various power projects to bridge sup-ply and demand gap as it is high time to de-velop all available energy generatingresources including hydel, thermal and windto end the energy crisis”, yassar Sakhi Butt,

President Islamabad Chamber of Com-merce and Industry (ICCI) made these re-marks during a meeting held here.

he said that the industrial sector couldnot wait for long and the government shouldpresent quick solution to fill in the gap be-tween demand and supply of energy.

he said that Government should allocatemore funds in upcoming budget for tapping

Thar Coal potential because these reservescould play a pivotal role in meeting energycrises both in long term and short term whichwould enhance industrial competitivenessdue to cost effectiveness.

yassar Sakhi Butt said that Governmentshould also strive hard to attract foreign in-vestors by giving them lucrative incentives toinvest in energy projects in Pakistan, aimingto bring down expensive oil-based energygeneration in the country.

he said that Pakistan’s electricity de-mand was increasing by 7 per cent annuallyand allocation of small amount of funds inlast year budget 2011-12 for new dams andwater reservoirs were insufficient.

ICCI President said that high power tar-iff, a burden on businesses and consumers,could be reduced by utilizing the availablewater resources more efficiently as the wateris the most viable and cheapest way to pro-duce electricity.

g Wants allocation of sufficient funds for energy projects Protesting promotions

LAHORE

STAFF REPORT

eMPLOyeeS of the Regional Tax Office (RTO) Lahore con-tinued pen down strike on the second consecutive dayagainst the proposal of promotion of senior auditors as As-

sistant Commissioner (Inland Revenue). Federal Revenue Alliance(FRA) employees union President Mian Abdul Qayyum led ademonstration in front of the RTO here on Saturday to condemnthe decision which according to them would stop the promotion ofincome tax (Inland Revenue) employees. Participants of thedemonstration were demanding immediate withdrawal of the pro-posal claiming that it was also not agreed by Member Inland Rev-enue and Member Legal FBR which was the basic requirementbefore sending the case to Ministry of Finance. Their other demandsincluded that the Carrier path in the services must be properly fol-lowed and in this respect the senior auditors be asked to file suretybonds/affidavits so that they would not file any case in the courtslater on against this career path defined already. Two orders i.e. put-ting Sr. Auditors as unit In charges and the other one designatingthem as Assistant Commissioner Inland Revenue (OPS) be with-drawn immediately. An Inland Revenue Officer must be posted asMember (Admn). Inland Revenue Officers and Inspectors InlandRevenue be also upgraded to BS -17 and BS – 16 respectively.

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