July 23, 2022

Pakistan start up cup’s grand finale hosted by TIE Islamabad and the U.S. Embassy

Islamabad, July 23, 2022 (PPI-OT):The Indus Entrepreneurs (TiE) Islamabad joined forces with the United States Embassy in Islamabad to host the Grand Finale of the 2022 Pakistan Startup Cup at the Islamabad Marriott Hotel. The Pakistan Startup Cup is a local business model competition designed to increase the quality and quantity of entrepreneurs throughout the community.

The event was attended by the Ministry of Information Technology, Ministry of Finance, and U.S. Embassy Islamabad. The chief guests distributed cheques and prize money to the winning teams from across Pakistan. Speaking on the occasion, the President of TiE Islamabad, Murtaza Zaidi, said “Over the last decade, the Pakistan Startup Cup has mentored more than 2,000 startups.

The competition engages leading industry experts to mentor startups and help them refine their business models. We have proudly partnered with the U.S. Embassy to provide our entrepreneurs with an enabling environment.”

The U.S. Embassy’s Acting Public Affairs Officer, Aaron Tarver, added that “The U.S. Embassy sponsorship of the Pakistan Startup Cup has and will continue to increase entrepreneurial and startup activity across the country through sustained coaching and mentorship. This can only help generate a robust entrepreneurship culture in local communities in every region.”

More than 900 startups benefited from coaching and business preparation activities and mentoring through the competition this year. They were narrowed down to the top 21 business ideas, with teams presenting the ideas at the finale with an eye towards the first-place cash prize of one million rupees to invest in their business. The second and third place winners also received cash to develop their start up ideas.

The Pakistan Startup Cup aims to connect, scale, and inspire entrepreneurs and innovators from across the country. This year, the eighth cycle of Pakistan Startup Cup was launched in Quetta, Gilgit, Mirpur, Lahore, Islamabad, Peshawar, and Karachi. The top 21 startups from across Pakistan participated in over 170 hours of workshops and over 50 hours of mentoring from industry experts.

The business applications received in the competition included new ideas in ed-tech, health-tech, fin-tech, and Agritech, E-commerce and food businesses, among others.

For more information, contact:
Spokesman
Information Office Public Affairs Section
Embassy of the United States of America
U.S. Embassy, Islamabad- Pakistan
Tel: +92-51-2082911, +92-51-2081136
Cell: +92-300-5012640
Fax: +92-51-2278607
Email: webmasterisb@state.gov

July 23, 2022

Two Hundred Women Students from Newly Merged Districts Graduate from U.S. Embassy-funded English Works! Program

Islamabad, July 23, 2022 (PPI-OT):At a graduation ceremony today, Ambassador Donald Blome congratulated 200 women students from KP who successfully completed the U.S. Embassy-sponsored English Works! Program. Two hundred women students of the English Works! Program hosted by Shaheed Benazir Bhutto Women University (SBBWU) Peshawar successfully completed this six-month program that improves English proficiency, develops computer literacy skills, and builds job market knowledge for motivated students with limited financial resources.

During the graduation ceremony, Ambassador Blome also launched a new English Access Micro scholarship Program that will provide two years of after-school English language training for 565 students from economically disadvantaged communities in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

“Today we celebrate a remarkable achievement,” Ambassador Blome told the graduating students. “I know how difficult it can be to learn a foreign language. You and your families should be very proud of your accomplishment. I hope the knowledge and skills you gained from this program will carry you forward to do great things.”

Vice Chancellor of FATA University Prof. Dr. Muhammad Jehanzeb Khan and Vice Chancellor of Shaheed Benazir Bhutto Women University Prof. Dr. Safia Ahmad also attended the ceremony along with the graduating and newly enrolled students from KP.

The two programs are sponsored by the U.S. Embassy in Pakistan through grants totalling $16.9 million. The Access Program includes a minimum of 360 hours of virtual and in-person instruction over two years, and the English Works! Program includes 240 hours of instruction over six-months. More than 24,000 Pakistani students have participated in these programs in Pakistan since 2005, an example of the broad cooperation between our two countries in this, the 75th anniversary of U.S.-Pakistan relations.

July 23, 2022

Capacity Building and Sensitization of Islamabad District Judiciary on ADR Mechanisms begins at Federal Judicial Academy

Islamabad, July 23, 2022 (PPI-OT):The Federal Judicial Academy arranged Capacity Building and Sensitization of Islamabad District and Judiciary on Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) Mechanism at the Academy on Thursday. Mr. Justice Mian Gul Hassan Aurangzeb, Hon’ble Judge, Islamabad High Court, inaugurated this capacity building and sensitization for 39 judicial officers in collaboration with the Legal Aid Society (LAS), Karachi.

Hon’ble judge said,” The ARD mechanisms are useful in modern era and our judicial officers must encourage the ADR Mechanisms because these mechanisms are flexible, co-efficient, time -effective, and give the parties more control over the process and results.”

DG of the Academy, Mr. Hayat Ali Shah, also spoke the importance of Capacity Building and Sensitization of Islamabad District and Judiciary on Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) Mechanisms. He also thanked the Legal Aid Society (LAS), for their cooperation to arrange this capacity building and sensitization at the Academy.

Areas of Learning The areas of learning include: “Presentation on Turkiye Model of ADR”, “ADR-Introduction and Objectives of the Course”, “Dispute Resolution Processes”, “Mediation Framework”, “Fundamentals of Mediation Process”, “Five Pillars of Mediation,” Fish Bowl Exercise- Role Play Soomro and Bukhari to be played”, “Alternative Dispute Resolution Act 2007”, etc.

For more information, contact:
Federal Judicial Academy (FJA)
Service Road South, Sector H-8/4, Islamabad, Pakistan
PABX Exchange: +92-51-926969-70
Fax: +92-51-9269686
Email: contact@fja.gov.pk
Website: http://www.fja.gov.pk

July 23, 2022

Members of PML-N, PPP Rah-e Haq party and independents of Punjab Assembly expressed their complete confidence in the leadership of CM Punjab Hamza Shahbaz

Lahore, July 23, 2022 (PPI-OT):Chief Minister Punjab Hamza Shahbaz presided over the joint provincial parliamentary party meeting at a local hotel in which members of PML-N, PPP, Rah-e-Haq party, independents and MPAs actively participated. Complete confidence was expressed in the leadership of Chief Minister Punjab Hamza Shahbaz in the parliamentary party meeting. A final strategy was being chalked out relating to the election of the Leader of the House of Punjab Assembly during the meeting.

For more information, contact:
Office of the Chief Minister of Punjab
Government of the Punjab
8-Club Road, GOR-I, Lahore, Pakistan
Tel: +92-42-99205562-3
Fax: +92-42-99205561
Website: https://cm.punjab.gov.pk/

July 23, 2022

CM felicitates mountaineer Samina Baig

Lahore, July 23, 2022 (PPI-OT):Chief Minister Punjab Hamza Shahbaz Sharif has congratulated Pakistan’s first female mountaineer Samina Baig who has summited K2. In his message, the CM congratulated her adding that the nation is proud of her.

‘You have made the country proud by climbing K-2 head,’ he said. The nation is proud of talented women like Samina Baig who are an asset to Pakistan; he added and noted that Samina Baig professionally achieved this success.

July 23, 2022

Chief Minister Punjab Hamza Shahbaz condoles the demise of three children due to drowning in a rainwater in Narowal, seeks report from commissioner Gujranwala division

Lahore, July 23, 2022 (PPI-OT):Chief Minister Punjab Hamza Shahbaz expressed his deep sense of sorrow and grief over the death of three children due to drowning in rainwater in the village of Narowal.CM expressed his heartfelt sympathy and condolence with the heirs of the deceased children and sought a report from Commissioner Gujranwala division about the sorrowful incident.

CM directed to submit a report after making an inquiry about the incident.CM termed to equally share the grief with the heirs of the deceased children and is standing with the heirs in the hour of grief.CM prayed to Allah Almighty to grant fortitude and courage to the heirs of the deceased children to bear the irreparable loss with equanimity.

July 23, 2022

Hamza Shehbaz Sharif takes oath as Punjab Chief Minister

Islamabad, July 23, 2022 (PPI-OT):Hamza Shehbaz Sharif took oath as Punjab Chief Minister on Saturday. Governor Punjab Baligh-ur-Rehman administered oath to him in a simple but graceful ceremony at Governor House Lahore. Hamza Shahbaz retained the office of Chief Minister Punjab by securing 179 votes in the run-off elections held during the Punjab Assembly session in Lahore last night. His opponent Chaudhry Parvez Elahi secured 176 votes.

For more information, contact:
Ministry of Information and Broadcasting
Government of Pakistan
4th Floor, Cabinet Block, Pak. Secretariat, Islamabad, Pakistan
Tel: +92-51-9103557
Email: info@moib.gov.pk
Website: http://www.moib.gov.pk