60TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE ESTABLISHMENT OF DIPLOMATIC RELATIONS BETWEEN PAKISTAN & KUWAIT. FEBRUARY 20, 2024 (2024-4)

 

Pakistan enjoys cordial and brotherly relations with the State of Kuwait. The diplomatic relations between the two countries were established in 1963. The Kuwaitis acknowledge with appreciation the assistance provided by Pakistan during Iraqi invasion of Kuwait in 1991. This year, both countries are celebrating 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations.

The bilateral relations are deep rooted in shared faith and values, identity of views; and convergence of interests. The relation has a sustained history of standing by each other in testing times and supporting each other at various international and regional fora. Kuwait extended much needed support to Pakistan for the former's exit from FATF Grey List. Kuwait also provides Pakistan oil on deferred payments. During Covid pandemic, Pakistan helped Kuwait by sending its medical professionals (while Indian, Phillipino and others were leaving Kuwait). Since then, over 3000 Pakistani healthcare professionals including doctors, nurses and medical technicians are serving there. The two countries share common perception on most of the international and regional issues, including Palestine, Kashmir (at OIC forum) as well as raising voice against Islamophobia. On India's illegal actions in IIOJ&K, since 5th August 2019, Kuwait being non-permanent member of the United Nation Security Council (UNSC) and an important member of the OIC, supported Pakistan's position at the two fora.

The relationship has been marked by the numerous high level visits between the two countries. At the leadership level, the former Amir of Kuwait, Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmed Al Jaber Al-Sabah, paid his first State visit to Pakistan on 19-20 June 2006. Former Kuwaiti Prime Minister H.E. Sheikh Jabir Al-Mubarak Al-Hamad Al- Sabah visited Pakistan on 10-11 November 2013 on invitation of the then Prime Minister. Former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif paid a two-day official visit to Kuwait on 6-7 March 2017. The President of Pakistan Dr. Arif Alvi visited Kuwait in October 2020 to condole the demise of late Amir Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al Jaber Al Sabah. Recently, the Amir of the State of Kuwait accepted the President's invitation to visit Pakistan. At the Foreign Ministers' level, in recent times the former Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi visited Kuwait on 18-19 May 2019 at the invitation of his counterpart, H.E Sheikh Sabah Khaled Al Hamad Al-Sabah in order to address the issue of visa restrictions on Pakistani nationals in place since 2011.

The former Foreign Minister of Kuwait Sheikh Dr. Ahmad Nasser Mohammed-al-Sabah visited Pakistan on 18-19 March 2021 at invitation of the former Foreign Minister. The former Kuwaiti Foreign Minister again visited Islamabad during 17th Extraordinary Session of OIC-CFM in December 2021 and then at 48thSession of OIC- CFM in March 2022.

Both the countries Signed visa abolition agreement (diplomatic and official passports only) on 11 November 2013 at Islamabad.

The two countries have established Institutional Mechanisms of cooperation including Bilateral Political Consultations (3rd round held in Islamabad on 27 January 2021) and Joint Ministerial Commission (4th session held in Islamabad in September 2018). Next session of both mechanisms will be convened in last quarter of this year on mutually agreed dates.

As far as bilateral trade between the two countries is concerned, it stood at US$ 2.4 billion in FY 2021-22. Investments from Kuwait during FY-2021-22 stood at US$ 45.6 million.

Kuwait hosts approximately 100,000 Pakistani nationals, as per figures given by Kuwaiti authorities in February 2021. They remitted US$ 934 million in FY 2021-22.

To commemorate the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Pakistan and Kuwait, Pakistan Post is issuing a postage stamp of Rs. 30/= denomination on 20^th February 2024.

Inauguration of Commercial Operation of First Wind Farm Power Project in Pakistan. (2012-26)

 

Alternative Energy Development Board (AEDB) is striving hard to give a boost to wind power generation in the country and expeditiously carrying in out multidirectional activities to commence wind farm projects in wind potential sites. AEDB has been endeavoring to harness and capitalize the colossal wind energy potential available in the coastal areas of the country. Through continuous promotion, AEDB has been able to attract and engage private national and international investment in this sector. Private sector has been triggered to invest in wind power. Currently, 47 Wind Power Projects of around 3300 MW capacity are in process.

GoS leased around 26,000 acres land to AEDB for 18 projects of cumulative 906 MW capacity. These projects are at various stages of development. A brief account of these projects is as follows:

·         Following three projects of cumulative 156 MW capacity are under construction

·                     49.5 MW FFC Energy LTD., Jhampir, Sindh – Construction and testing completed, ready for commissioning

·                     56.4 MW Zorlu Enerji (Pvt.) Ltd., Jhampir, Sindh – Construction completed, testing stated, will be commissioned in March 2013

·                     50 MW Three Gorges First Wind Farm Pakistan (Pvt.) Ltd., Jhampir, Sindh – Construction underway

·         Following two projects of cumulative 100 MW are going to achieve financial close by the end of this year

·                     50 MW Foundation Wind Power I Ltd. Khuttikun, Gharo, Sindh

·                     50 MW Foundation Wind Power II (Pvt.) Ltd., Khuttikun, Gharo, Sindh

·         Following eleven projects of cumulative 550 MW will be achieving financial close by 2013

·                     50 MW , Luck Energy (Pvt.) Ltd. Jhampir, Sindh

·                     50 MW Tenaga Generai Ltd. Khuttikum, Gharo, Sindh

·                     50 MW Sapphire Wind Power (Pvt.) Ltd. Jhampir, Sindh

·                     50 MW Metro Wind Power Co Ltd. Khampir, Sindh

·                     50 MW Gul Ahmed Wind Power Ltd. Jhampir, Sindh

·                     50 MW Master Wind Energy (Pvt.) Ltd. Jhampir, Sindh

·                     50 MW Sachal Engineering Works (Pvt.) Ltd. Jhampir, Sindh

·                     2 x 50 MW Wind Eagle (Pvt.) Ltd. Jhampir, Sindh

·                     50 MW Dawood Power (Pvt.) Ltd. Bhambore, Gharo, Sindh

·                     50 MW New Park (Pvt.) Ltd. Gharo, Sindh

·                     Wind power projects of 1000 MW are in pipeline

·         GOP has announced Upfront Tariff of US cents 14.66/kwh for prompt development of wind power projects

·         Investors are taking keen interest to execute project on this tariff. The investors are requesting allocation of land for their projects. Taking into consideration the available potential, the number of investing companies and quantum of up-coming wind power projects in the area, AEDB, has requested GoS to identify and allocate 100,000 acres more government land for wind power projects at wind potential sites in Sindh province.

·         The wind energy market has been made conductive through various prolific measures. A few of them are stated below:

·                     Grid Code has been amended to accommodate wind power

·                     Standardized project documents are prepared for projects having tariff on cost plus basis and made available to investors; standard project documents for projects opting Upfront tariff are drafted and are under discussion

·                     Lenders confidence is built through supportive measures

·                     Almost all renowned wind turbine manufactures are in the market to supply equipment

·                     Local capacities are being developed for EPC services and for manufacturing of towers locally

·                     Generalized environmental study conducted for whole Gharo, Sindh Wind corridor for prompt processing

·                     Short and medium term grid integration planning study conducted for integration of 1000 – 1500 MW wind power

·                     Security issues of the investors at project sites are addressed with the support of GoS

The time has reached when Pakistan is going to enter into a new era in energy sector as wind power is going to have commercial operation in the country for the first time in its history. The 49.5 MW wind power project of M/s FFC Energy Ltd. (FFCEL) installed at Jhampir, district Thatta, Sindh is expected to achieve Commercial Operation Date (COD) in December 2012. The project has already been operationalized and connected to the national grid and has started dispatching test energy. It’s formal “Commercial Operation” is expected to start on 24th December 2012. This has become possible owing to dedicated efforts by the government and private sector entities. This would become a strong foundation for the wind power development that has over 50,000 MW potential only in Gharo corridor and is expected to take a significant place energy mix.

Pakistan’s entry into the list of countries that are commercially deploying renewable energies for meeting energy needs to be celebrated, particularly as this is the first of many projects that are in the pipeline. The event is historic as this is advent of a new technology in Power Sector, which marks the beginning of the era of clean, indigenous and cheaper sources of energy. The Federal Government is intending to hold an inauguration ceremony to celebrate this achievement at the start of commercial operation of this power plant that is planned on 24th December 2012. President / Prime Minister are expected to be the Chief Guest of this event.

On the occasion of inauguration of commercial operation of first Wind Farm Power Project in Pakistan, a commemorative postage stamp of Rs. 15/- denomination is being issued by Pakistan Post on December 24, 2012.

60 Years of Oxford University Press in Pakistan. (1952-2012) (2012-25)

 

Oxford University Press is a department of the University of Oxford. It furthers the university’s objective of excellence in research, scholarship, and education by publishing worldwide, with branches in almost 50 countries.

Oxford University Press Pakistan (OUPP) celebrates 60 years of publishing this year, 2012. OUPP was established in 1952 with a branch office in Karachi, the first overseas publishers in Pakistan. Since then OUPP has been a success story in terms of expansion throughout the country, including Dhaka (pre-19714) with the Head Office in Karachi, Branch offices in Lahore and Islamabad, and offices and bookshops in all major towns and cities. With steady growth in output and number of staff in the Head Office, OUPP is housed today in custom-built premises in Korangi, comprising a classic, five-floored structure clad I nyellow, Gizri stone, designed by the Heritage architect Kamil Khan Mumtaz, to showcase Pakistan’s rich cultural heritage. The premises also have a spacious, purpose-built warehouse. The foundation of this building was laid in 1999 and the building was inaugurated in 2005, although OUPP had moved into the new premises in early 2003.

In terms of publishing, OUPP broadened the spectrum and diversity of its educational and general titles, and set a record for itself in the Sixties with the Ahmad and Rehana English language series that enjoyed country-wide popularity. Beginning with a modest publishing plan that comprised mainly reprints and adaptations, OUPP today publishes a fairly large number of original and well-researched school, higher education, and academic titles per year. The academic and general publications of OUPP are authenticated texts thatare authoritative sources of reference. OUPP today is a symbol of high quality in both content and presentation of its books. In 1997, OUPP published the Jubilee Series to celebrate fifty years of Pakistan’s independence. The Jubilee Series boasted works by well known and highly respected authors at home and abroad whose writings chronicled the history, society, culture, and literature. Committed to the promotion of education in Pakistan, OUPP has made good quality educational books accessible for all levels. OUPP publishes a wide range of school books for all subjects with focus on quality of text, excellent illustrations and user-friendly layouts. Most of OUPP’s O level books, especially commissioned and kept in sync with the latest O level syllabuses, are endorsed by the examining body. Almost all titles in the school educational series are supported by Teaching Guides that offer lesson by lesson explanation, answers to textbook questions and lesson plans and worksheets. Another first from OUPP is the extension of academic support to schools across the country by arranging Teacher Training Workshops as per demand for selected series and titles. This guidance and interaction with the workshop leaders and amongst themselves greatly facilitates teachers in accessing resources, planning lessons, activities, and assessments. Needless to say, OUPP Teacher Training Workshops are widely welcomed by the users of OUPP’s school publications.

Another feather in the OUPP cap are the bi-lingual dictionaries; OUPP made a mark for itself by commissioning the renowned scholar and lexicographer, Shan ul Haq Haqqee to publish the Oxford Urdu-English Dictionary based on the concise Oxford English Dictionary, which hwas launched in 2003. Work is in process for the Oxford Urdu-English Dictionary, which will be an equally valuable resource for scholars in particular and readers in general. In keeping with this tradition, bi-lingual dictionaries have been published in Sindhi as well as Pashtu, as well as dictionaries for primary, secondary and tertiary levels. OUPP supports the children’s reading programme through attractive and colourful supplementary readers.

Moreover, OUPP has actively promoted the reading habit through ongoing national book fairs, and was the moving spirit behind the first ever Karachi Literature Festival (KLF) and Children’s Literature Festival (CLF), which are now regular events on the readers’ calendars. These events are well attended – in fact, packed, as they feature book launches, interviews, panel discussions and also a range of activities for children that introduce and educate them to the charm of the printed word, as well as engaging their interest. The Karachi Literature Festival not only brings together national and international writers, scholars, reviewers in interaction with the audiences, but has also dispelled fears about Pakistan in terms of safety and security. The other two most effective initiatives for promoting the reading culture and bringing books within reach of the readers are the Oxford Mobile Bookshop for all levels and genres, and the Oxford Mobile Library. The Mobile bookshop has travelled all over the country, from the shores of Sindh to the heights of Swat with its treasures of knowledge. The Mobile Library, OUPP’s latest venture, is a boon for readers in the absence of public libraries. It is particularly advantageous for underprivileged areas as it provides access to books at the readers’ doorstep.

OUPP has come a long way from 1952, no doubt, but the journey continues towards further success and achievements.

To commemorate celebration of the 60 Years of Oxford University Press in Pakistan, a commemorative postage stamp of Rs. 15/- denomination is being issued by Pakistan Post on December 15, 2012.

Muhammad Luthfullah Khan 1916-2012 (2012-24)

 

Muhammad Luthfullah Khan, an Archivist, a Photographer and a Writer, was born at Madras (now called Chennai) on November 25, 1916. His father used to work for the South Indian Railways. He was educated in Madras but moved to Hyderabad later to Mumbai in search of employment. He had extra ordinary fascination for music and singing from his childhood. He participated as amateur singer at the Madras Boys and Girls Exhibition in the year 1931 and received the merit award for Hindustani Music. He signed an agreement  in 1933 for classical singing with the Indian State Broadcasting Service, later re-named as All India Radio. He performed publicly at the age of 19, during a radio concert in 1935. Known as Madras Radio Artist, he sang Ghazals at a function of Muslim Students Association of St. Xavier’s College in January 1939 and rendered classical singing at Bombay in December the same year. After partition he left India and came to Pakistan on October 17. 1947 and settled in Karachi. During quarter century of daily practice (1963 – 1988), he practiced singing with Maulana Abdul Shakoor (newphew of Ustad Abdul Karim Khan) and explored the intricacies of only one raag, the Darbari.

As a young writer his books (Pehloo, Dukhti Ragaeen etc.) were published in early 1936. He performed his first sound recording (voice of his mother) on 29th of July 1951 by using “Sound Mirror” tape recorder, having a single speed of 7.5 inches Per second. Paper tape, coated with magnetic material, was used.

His museum gallery displays rare photographs, photography equipment, international and Pakistani coins, a set of 12 inch 78 rpm discs of Late “Barey Ghulam Ali Khan Sahib”, sound recording equipment and accessories, drawing instrument and stationary items used in documenting the collections and personal items of nostalgic importance as well as a wonderful matchbox collection. (This was his main hobby also). But the pick of this array is an album containing posters of old Hindi and American movies, some of them dating back to twenties. (Late Mr. Theodore Phailbus had the most wonderful collection of Posters in Pakistan). All are arranged in properly illuminated showcases and display boards.

Electronic devices installed include “Revox” tape recorders. Such a broad based collection requires periodic maintenance for which he gas established in a separate room a small workshop with inventory of spares and tools.

His archive contains a large number of rare books on a variety of subjects, including religion. In this personal files, papers are arranged in chronological order in a healthy state. Indexing has been done in simple manner to facilitate easy location of the desired document. His monumental work is un-paralleled in the literary history of the sub-continent.

Different articles were published on his work in the newspapers and magazines. Up to the year 2001, the total number of such essays was 185. Muhammad Luthfullah” Khan penned down eight books pertaining to Urdu literature, Islamic Studies, history and those informing about the lives of great poets and prose writers including:-

1.    Tamashaey – Ahley – Qalam

2.    Sur ki Talaash

3.    Hijratoun key silsiley

4.    Zindagi ka Safar

He has tanscribed all the Urdu Ghazals of Mirza Ghalib into Roman Alphabets. His library comprises the following six categories:

1.    Music of the subcontinent.

2.    Urdu literature – Poetry (Ghazals, Marsia, etc.) and Prose (Novel, Tanqeed etc.)

3.    Religion (Religious books – recitation and narration)

4.    Speeches of public figures including Mr. Mohammad Ali Jinnah, Mr. Liaquat Ali Khan and Mr. Z.A. Bhutto

5.    Education – Mainly Music and Urdu Literature.

6.    Art – Fine Arts, Interviews supported with transparencies, Musical Instruments description with slides.

The music section is further categorized as under:-

1.    Instrumental

2.    Pure Classical

3.    Semi Classical

4.    Ghazal

5.    Geet

6.    Folklore

7.    Qawali

The taped recordings of each category are contained in different colour boxes. Original Gramophone records have been preserved.

Muhammad Luthfullah Khan, till the age of 96 was working to collect cassettes of Urdu verse and prose. He had archived a wide variety of more than 5,000 voices including the speeches of Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah, Mahatma Gandhi, Maulana Abdul Kalam Azad and poetry of great poets like Faiz Ahmed Faiz, Friaq Gorakhpuri, Josh Maleeh Abadi, Noon Meem Rashid, Hafeez Jalandhri, Akhtar-ul-Iman and many other eminent poets. Faiz Ahmed Faiz has gifted recording of his poetry in his voice.

Muhammad Luthfullah Khan has computerized his directory of musical collection. The same Raag is indexed for different instruments and vocalists. Among the vocalists he often listens to, with devotion, are Salamat Ali Khan, Amanat Ali Khan, and Roshan Ara Begum. His most liked Vichtarveena player in Pakistan is Habib Khan. Other outstanding instrumentalists include Ustad Bundoo Khan for “Sarangi” and Sharif Khan Ponchwala for Sitar. He considers Villayat Khan as unique in playing of Sitar.

Most of the catalogues have been prepared through computer in the shape of properly bound hard copies. It was too much of a work to be done by a single person.

This is the lifetime achievement of a dedicated hobbyist – indeed a wonderful work, which may not have a match in the Subcontinent.

His birth place in India (Madras / Channai), is said to have another collector of old records namely Mr. V.A.K. Ranga Rao.

In recognition of his splendid contributions to the field of Art, Literature and Culture, which was span on more than 70 years, especially pres4erving national and international Heritage in shape of cassettes, CDs and books, he was conferred upon a large number of awards from different organizations and circles indlucing Presidential Award for Pride of Performance by the President Islamic Republic of Pakistan in 2012, National Literary Award for the year 1998 on his book “Hijratoon Ke Silsle” and Kamal-e-Fun Award (Life time achievements) awards by the Pakistan Academy of Letters, Islamabad.

Muhammad Luthfullah Khan, passed away on Saturday, March 3, 2012 at the age of 96. He was committed and devoted person who spent most of his life collecting voices from different walks of life.

To pay tribute Muhammad Luthfullah Khan (The Archivist), Pakistan Post is issuing a commemorative postage stamp denomination of Rs. 15/- on November 25, 2012.

Fifty Years of National Investment Trust. NIT. (2013-23)

 

It is an occasion of immense pleasure and pride for NIT to complete its 50 years of successful operations in the mutual fund industry. The institute has been providing un-tiring service to small, medium and large investors and has now entered the period to commemorate celebrations of its Golden Jubilee.

National Investment Trust Limited (NITL) is the pioneer Asset Management Company in Mutual Fund Industry and carries a market share of around 18% of the entire mutual funds industry where as NIT’s equity funds constitute 86% of the industry’s open end equity funds. It was established in 1962 and has the credit of being the First and Largest Asset Management Company of Pakistan with the Net Assets under its management of around Rs. 74 Billion as on June 30, 2012.

NIT’s Mission is to serve the investors by providing best possible return on their investments and to invest in the Capital Markets in a manner, which could provide depth for the investors’ and necessary capital to the industry. Over vision is to be recognized as the beacon of positive change in the Capital Markets. Leading by example, with an aim to provide the necessary opportunity to all the stakeholders and to contribute towards healthy growth of the Mutual Fund Industry.

NIT’s operational network spreads all over the country with 23 own branches and 01 centralized Investors’ Faciliation Center (IFC) in Karachi. In addition, various authorized bank branches are facilitating our investors. The Company is also represented in Dubai (UAE) by Arab Emirates Investment Bank (AEIB) and is catering to the needs of around 57,256 unit holders as on June 30, 2012. NITL has assigned a credit rating of AM2 – by PACRA, which reflects that the company has a very strong capacity to manage risks.

Over the years, NITL has expanded its product line to meet requirements of the investors depending upon their risk absorption appetite. Presently, the Company is managing a total of Five Funds, 3 Equity and 2 Fixed Income Funds.

Equity Funds:- i) NI(U)T Fund:- It is NIT’s flag carrier Open Ended Equity Fund and was launched in November 1962. Net assets of the Fund as on June 30, 2012 amounted to Rs. 41.487 billion. As on August 31st 2012, around 91.52 percent of the Fund remained invested in equities with around 36 percent investment in Oil & gas and Banking Sectors. The core objective of the Fund is to maximize return for Unit Holders and to provide a regular stream of current income through dividends. In addition, long-term growth is achieved through management of a diversified portfolio and investments in growth and high yielding equity securities. The risk profile of the fund is moderate to high and the fund provided a 10 year annualized return of 21.81% during FY12, NI(U)T earned a return of 7.57%. During its entire life history, the Fund has been consistent in paying dividends to its unit holders and has paid a per unit dividend of Rs. 3.50 in FY12.

ii) NIT-State Enterprise Fund (NIT-SEF):- NIT-State Enterprise Fund (NIT-SEF) was launched in January 2009 with an objective to take advantage of market conditions and acquire a selection of Eligible Stocks thereby creating an opportunity for investors to achieve superior returns. The Fund has an investment mandate to invest in eight state owned / controlled enterprises. It is an Open Ended Equity Fund, with moderate to high risk profile. The fund earned a return of 6.1% in FY12 whereas its return since inception until August 31, 2012 has been 199.23% against the benchmark return of 154.77%. The Fund paid a per unit @ 9.30% on the face value of Rs. 50/- for the unit holders of NIT-SEF in FY12. NIT will shortly offer this Fund to general public for investment.

iii) NIT-Equity Market Opportunity Fund (NIT-EMOF):- This Open Ended Equity Fund was launched in July 2008 with an objective to invest funds in the Equity Market at a time when Management Company of the Fund has reasons to believe that there is an opportunity to invest the Fund in a gainful manner and such investment is in the benefit of the Fund taking a long term perspective. The Fund generated a return of 18.04% for its investors in FY12 whereas its return since inception until August 31, 2012 has been 63.41%.

Fixed Income Funds:- i) NIT Government Bond Fund (NIT-GBF):- NIT Government Bond Fund was launched on 18th November 2009 with the objective to generate best possible return with minimum risk for its Unit Holders by primarily investing in securities issued by government of Pakistan. The risk profile of the Fund is low. As of August 31, 2012 95.08% of the Fund is invested in Treasury Bills. The total annulized return of the Fund during FY12 was 9.76%. Further since inception until August 31, 2012 NIT-GBF earned an annualized return of 11.82% against benchmark of 140.81%. With anticipation of further easing in the policy rates, NIT-GBF has increased its weighted average time to maturity of portfolio from 154 days to 185 days.

ii: NIT Income Fund (NIT-IF):- This Open End Income Fund was launched on 19th February, 2010 with an objective to generate a competitive stream of return with moderate level of risk for its investors. The Fund is primarily invested in a diversified portfolio comparising of high quality debt Securities & Instruments. As of August 31, 2012, around 62.27 percent of the Fund is invested in Treasury Bills whereas majority of the remained is invested high quality TFCs. The total annulized return of the fund during FY12 was 12.34% whereas, since inception until August 31, 2012 return has been 12.96% against benchmark rate of 12.71%.

NIT is commemorating 2012 as its Golden Jubilee Year. Special Giveaways are prepared to share with our clients and unit holders on this momentous occasion. Newspapers will publish special supplements on 12th November 2012. Pakistan Post is issuing a collection stamp in commemoration of achieving this milestone by a National Organization.

On the occasion of 50th Anniversary of National Investment Trust Ltd. (NITL), Pakistan Post is issuing a commemorative postage3 stamp of Rs. 15/- Denomination on November 21, 2012.