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Young Leaders Conference enters its 20th year with 225 participants coming together from more than 70 districts and cities across the nation

The first day of Young Leaders Conference (YLC) started with a very thought-provoking concept of self-realization. The day was all about decluttering our minds from everyday chaos and starting afresh. Waqar Ali, CEO School of Leadership introduced the concept of Alif with a new perspective and discussed the importance of diving within to see beyond what eyes can see. The day was led by Uzair Ausaf, CEO Cube Consulting who inspired the youngsters with his spellbinding stories and insightful experiences that made them believe that their dreams can become reality if they have faith within and are ready to take that first step. The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.

English Biscuit Manufacturers (EBM) and School of Leadership celebrated two decades of impact with hundreds of lives touched. Leadership from both organizations shared how they find YLC as a platform for youngsters to build confidence and get relevant exposure that can equip them with the mindset to transition from good to great. The 20th YLC displayed the true essence of Alif with youngsters reflecting to unearth their true potential, finding right questions to ask the universe and stitching it all together Attiyah Inaam, Senior Manager Corporate Communications, Sustainability & PR represented her company at the Conference on Day 1 and delivered a very powerful and motivational speech to the participants in which she talked about the 20 years of partnership between SoL & EBM. She also talked about EBM and how the company has empowered more than 600+ youngsters through sponsorships and support. “Whatever the mind of a man can conceive and believe, IT CAN ACHIEVE.”

Cake cutting ceremony took place in celebration of 20 decades of partnership between both the organizations.

Keeping in mind the recent pandemic, compliance with strict SOPs was ensured for everyone’s safety.

The day put forward the thought of taking a break from the routine and getting rid of those self-created limitations that paralyzes ones’ growth. It expressed the importance of inculcating values and morals of Alif and carrying them as a guiding principle to their life.

The partners and sponsors for YLC 2021 are EBM (Founding Partner), ibex., Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom, KIA Motors, PTCL – Ufone, KAPCO, KFC, nofea, HABIB METRO, J., Feroze 1888, HUBCO, Sightsavers, SOL Foundation, Catalyst Corp, Street17, UPSTAIR Solutions, Dreamworld Resort, Hotel and Golf Course, Carving Productions, Amwaj, Health Matters, SWVL. The Learning Partners are connectHear, Nucleus Consulting, Carnelian, Cube Consulting, Torque, and Bookmyspot. The official Media Partners are Jang Media Group, Geo News, and The News while the official Radio Partner for the event is Suno FM 89.4.

by Web Desk — September 2, 2021 in Business 0

Rawalakot Hawks storms into the final of Kashmir Premier League

Kashif Ali stars as Rawalakot Hawks qualify for the final of the KPL 2021

An unbeaten century of Kashif Ali helps Rawalakot Hawks chase a record total in KPL 2021

Muzaffarabad: Rawalakot Hawks beat Mirpur Royals by 4 wickets with 2 balls to spare in the eliminator 2 of the KPL 2021. Hawks chased Mirpur Royals’ 237 runs target in the last over of the inning on monday. (16 August 2021) They will face Muzaffarabad Tigers in the final of the KPL 2021 on Tuesday. (17 August 2021)

Shahid Afridi, skipper of Rawalakot Hawks, won the toss and elected to ball first on a batting paradise of Muzaffarabad where Royals’ openers got off to a sensational start and scored 74 in the first 7 overs.

Mukhtar Ahmad played an ordinary inning of just 17 off 21 but his fellow opener, Sharjeel Khan, had a fabulous day at the 22 yards as the left hander smashed every bowler for plenty of runs and produced another 51 runs stand on just 21 deliveries alongside the skipper Shoaib Malik on second wicket. Malik scored just 15 off 12 while Sharjeel had such an outstanding stay that Royals reached 200 in the 17th over. Mohammad Akhlaq scored 29 off 21 with 2 fours and sixes while Khushdil Shah helped his side reach 236 by contributing with his 12 runs knock.

The star of the evening from Mirpur Royals obviously had been Sharjeel Khan who played a big inning of 141 off 63 deliveries on a big day, making sure Royals score some extra runs as well. He smashed the white ball for 12 fours and 12 sixes.

Almost every Royals’ bowler leaked runs with an economy rate of over 11 but Zaman Khan, the right arm fast bolwer, remained the star bowler of the day as he gave away just 18 runs in 4 overs and sent Shoaib Malik and Sharjeel Khan back towards the pavilion.

Ahmed Shehzad had gotten injured during the fielding so Hawks were coming up with double pressure of chasing 237 and having lost their premium cast opener. Sameen Gul striked in his very first over when Umar Amin threw an easy catch to the wicket keeper. Mohammad Imran had not been utilized brilliantly at the lower order so management promoted him at no.3 to go big in a high-scoring competition but allrounder failed to get a good outing and lost his wicket for just 13 off 11 to Ammad Butt who dismissed Bismillah Khan as well after just another delivery in the same over. Coming in at no.4, the young Kashmiri sensation, Kashif Ali, had a day better than Sharjeel Khan even as he rescued his side in their all important game.

Kashif was joined by Hussain Talat and both produced an unbelievable partnership, scoring 85 in just 6.3 overs. Hussain Talat got out for 51 off 22 that included his 7 fours and 2 sixes as well. Danish Aziz got out for just 6 off 5 while Shahid Afridi failed to play a big inning on the big day.

Asif Afridi also scored just 7 runs but Kashif Ali alone went on to chase more than 50 in the last 4 overs as Hawks chased 237 runs target in 19.4 overs. Kashif played an unbeaten knock of 114 off 51 with 9 fours and 8 sixes.

Ammad Butt and Sameen Gul got 3 and 2 wickets each but failed to stop the flow of runs at the back end that helped Hawks chase a record total in KPL 2021. Due to his outstanding 114*, Kashif Ali was given the man of the match award in eliminator 2.

by Sajal Subhan — August 16, 2021 in Cricket 0

Overseas Warriors’ first win, Bagh Stallions failed

Haider Ali played a winning innings of 91 runs

Shaun Masood and Iftikhar Ahmed’s half-centuries went useless

After winning the toss for Bagh Stallions, Shaun Masood decided to play first and then played a responsible innings of 73 runs off just 45 balls with 11 fours and a six. Zeeshan Malik (zero) failed while Rohail Nazir scored 20 and Asad Shafiq 12 runs. Taking full advantage of Muzaffarabad’s wicket, Iftikhar Ahmed hit four fours and six sixes in 28 balls and played a superb innings of 54 runs. Although Aamir Yameen (3) and Ameed Asif (8 *) could not score much in the closing overs, Bagh Stallions still put up a total of 186 on the scoreboard.

Overseas Warriors had no choice but to win and Haider Ali fully understood the situation. Although Aamir Yameen got the first victory early after that Nasir Nawaz and Haider Ali took the bowlers by surprise. Nasir Nawaz scored 31 runs off 24 balls which included three fours.

After Nasir Nawaz was run out, Aamir Yameen sent Azam Khan (9) to the pavilion with the help of Iftikhar Ahmed while captain Emad Wasim (1) was also run out. When Haider Ali was able to accompany Kamran Ghulam, the match was seen coming out of the hands of Bagh Stallions.

Haider Ali restored form in time and hit 91 off 57 balls with seven fours and six sixes. Kamran Ghulam’s brilliant batting continued which completed the required 15 runs in the last two overs and on the second ball of the last over Ameed Asif received a six to give the Overseas Warriors the most important victory by five wickets.

by Sajal Subhan — August 11, 2021 in Cricket 0

Farhan Akhtar returns to directing with ‘Jee Le Zaraa’

Farhan Akhtar, an Indian filmmaker, musician, and actor, is making his directorial debut with the feature film “Jee Le Zaraa,” starring Bollywood A-listers Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Katrina Kaif, and Alia Bhatt.

The film is set to begin production in September 2022. “It’s a road film, a slice-of-life film, with three women on the road,” says Akhtar to Variety.

Tiger Baby Productions is co-producing the film, which was written by Farhan Akhtar, Zoya Akhtar, and Reema Kagti.

Excel Entertainment, one of India’s most successful production firms, celebrates its 20th anniversary on Tuesday, and is run by Akhtar and his business partner Ritesh Sidhwani.

Excel is now celebrating the success of Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra’s boxing drama “Toofaan,” which stars Akhtar and is available on Amazon Prime Video, and has a full slate of projects in the works.

Aside from “Jee Le Zaraa,” the feature film slate includes Ravi Udyawar’s (“Mom”) action criminal thriller “Yudhra,” starring Siddhant Chaturvedi (“Gully Boy”) and Malavika Mohanan (“Master”), which begins filming in Portugal in September.

by Suboohi — August 10, 2021 in Movies 0

Zeeshan Ashraf stars as Muzaffarabad Tigers outclass Kotli Lions

Zeeshan Ashraf scored the first century of KPL 2021 as left-hander scored 107 off 62 balls

Muzaffarabad: Zeeshan Ashraf’s heroic knock of 107 off 62 balls helped Muzaffarabad Tigers outclass Kotli Lions in a high-scoring competition in KPL 2021 on Tuesday.

Tigers chased Lions’ 196 runs total in the 19th over at the loss of 5 wickets, thanks to a brilliant display of power-hitting from the left-hand opener.

In-game 08 of KPL 2021, Kotli Lions won the toss and elected to bat first on a batting-friendly wicket of Muzaffarabad Cricket Stadium. Both openers helped the Lions score 48 in the first 5 overs, thanks to a brilliant inning of 35 off 16 by Syed Abdullah. Mohammad Hafeez bowled Kamran Akmal for 23 while Ahsan Ali lost his wicket for 11 when Lions had reached 85 in 10 overs. Asif Ali smashed the Tigers’ bowlers for fun in the second half of the inning as a brutal hitter sent the ball over the rope 5 times, scoring 67 runs off 34 deliveries. Saif Badar and Khalid Usman scored unbeaten innings of 28* and 19* respectively, helping Lions post 195 in 20 overs. Sohail Tanvir, Arshad Iqbal, Usman Yousuf, and Mohammad Hafeez got 1’1 wickets each.

195 was a tough ask for Tigers who had struggled to chase a total last night against Hawks but Zeeshan Ashraf had dangerous intentions as Tigers’ opener won the game for his side single-handedly. Taimur Sultan (4) lost his wicket early, Sohaib Maqsood failed to convert his 17 runs start into a bigger inning while skipper Mohammad Hafeez got run out without facing a delivery but Tigers still found themselves under no pressure as the team crossed 100 runs mark in the 10th over of the inning, all due to one man; Zeeshan Ashraf.

He helped the Tigers reach 150 in the 16th over while 17’15 and 19 runs innings of Sohail Akhtar, Anwar Ali, and Mohammad Wasim Jr. helped Zeeshan get a victory for his side in the 2nd last over of the inning. Wicket-keeper batsman scored his first century in the tournament, hitting the ball for 18 fours and a maximum. Akif Javed of Kotli Lions got 2 scalps.

Muzaffarabad Tigers won the game against Kotli Lions by 5 wickets with 9 balls remaining while the same is the second victory of Tigers in the tournament as they have beaten Overseas Warriors as well in game 02 of KPL 2021. Placed at no.2 in the table, they have 4 points after having played 3 games in the tournament while Lions are still in search of a victory as the team stands at no.5 with just one point.

by Sajal Subhan — August 10, 2021 in Cricket 0

Wasim Akram apologizes to the people of Karachi

Former fast bowler and captain Wasim Akram, who was present in Muzaffarabad for the Kashmir Premier League, apologized to the people of Karachi after seeing piles of dirt on the Neelum River.

He shared a video on Twitter where the Neelum River was flowing behind him.

At the beginning of the video, the former cricketer showed his surroundings and said that he was not present in Europe or Switzerland but in beautiful Pakistan.

Apologies to people of karachi . It appears we as a nation need to work collectively to make our country clean ,it’s our and only ours responsibility and duty so let’s give it a go . No more excuses. #cleanpakistan pic.twitter.com/Z2BMeKXUcE
— Wasim Akram (@wasimakramlive) August 7, 2021

Wasim Akram went on to apologize to the people of Karachi for calling them dirty and unhygienic because he assumed that Karachiites do not care much about cleanliness. This belief of his changed after he saw the piles of dirt placed on the beautiful Neelum River.

He further added that not only are the people of Karachi unsanitary but all of us are very dirty.

by Sajal Subhan — August 7, 2021 in Blogs 0

realmeet with realme C21 Gives You A Chance To Meet Your Favourite Stars

realme C21 now comes for PKR 19,999/- bringing top notch quality, reliability and a chance for people to meet with their favourite stars such as Romaisa Khan, Zulqarnain Sikandar and Bilal Munir through the realmeet with realme C21 campaign

realme – a smartphone brand that has gained impeccable popularity amongst Gen-Zers and has become a name most synonymous with the youth, is set to maintain its reputation with the exciting announcement of their new campaign for realme C21 that would enable fans to meet their favourite online personalities ranging from the world of entertainment to tech.

realme is collaborating with Romaisa Khan – actress, model, and TikToker, Bilal Munir – tech YouTuber of VideoWaliSarkar fame and Zulqarnain Sikandar – TikTok star, for the massive campaign “realmeet with realme C21” that would let the realme Community to connect with their favourite online stars like never before.

Romaisa Khan, Bilal Munir, and Zulqarnain Sikandar have garnered immense popularity amongst the youth with their content and abilities across all social platforms. As their achievements vibe with the essence of realme, the brand recognizes and caters to the wants of its young consumers and has come up with this initiative to build a bridge between the realme Community and their most-liked content creators.

To be part of the realmeet with realme C21 campaign, people have to follow these steps:

Buy a realme C21*
Post a photo with their realme C21 along with the hashtag #realmeet & tell us why you want to meet your favourite influencer
Join the realme Community: http://t.ly/ILgl

With the recent price drop of realme C21 to PKR 19,999/- it has become even more feasible for youngsters to become eligible for #realmeet campaign and becoming a part of the celebrated realme Community.

* People who have bought the realme C21 earlier are also eligible to be a part of this campaign.

by Web Desk — July 29, 2021 in News 0

KP Startup Ecosystem Report 2021 launch by Invest2Innovate and UK Aid-funded SEED Programme

Invest2Innovate – in collaboration with UK Aid-funded Sustainable Energy and Economic Development (SEED) Programme – has recently released the report, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Startup Ecosystem Report 2021, a first of its kind ecosystem mapping study at the provincial level. The report collates both secondary and primary data gathered from key stakeholders such as entrepreneurs, entrepreneurship support organisations (ESOs), policymakers, and investors/funders into a detailed diagnostic of the startup ecosystem in KP.

The study was conducted under UK Aid-funded Sustainable Energy and Economic Development (SEED) programme supporting provincial economic development and sustainable energy in Pakistan. The programme aims to mobilise investment in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa from both public and private sources to generate greater economic, social, and environmental returns. As nascent entrepreneurship ecosystems such as that in KP are constrained by a shortage of data, the report addresses this information gap by taking a systems view of the ecosystem with an analysis of its key pillars. Subsequently, SEED will employ these insights to design interventions for stakeholders in the ecosystem and add to the overall economic development of KP.

Currently, 63% of Pakistan’s population is below the age of 30, and while the country recorded its highest overall employment rate of 11.56% among the age group 20-24 years in 2020, Pakistan’s third-largest province by population, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, has the largest youth unemployment rate. Over half of KP’s residents are young people, who represent an untapped opportunity in helping the province transition towards a digital economy. Atif Khan, Minister of Science and Technology and Information Technology for the KP Government emphasised that “the government fully realises the potential of the startups’ segment to become a significant contributor to the provincial economy, create jobs, raise exports and support livelihoods across the province.”

The study using the Aspen Network of Development Entrepreneurs (ANDE) Ecosystem Survey Instrument focused on five key pillars: business support, finance, policy, human capital, and market. The report suggests that one of the biggest challenges faced by the KP ecosystem is the lack of formal and institutional funding, with 83% of entrepreneurs perceiving the lack of venture capital friendly laws and processes as an impediment. The lack of funding is an even greater challenge for startups with female founders, as the study found that of the 18 startups that raised funding in its sample, only 3 were female-founded/co-founded (16.7%) compared to 15 male-founded (83.3%).

Additionally, data showed that entrepreneurs (76%), policy individuals (100%), ESOs (100%), and investors (91%) felt that the availability of an adequately educated/trained general workforce is a significant constraint on the ecosystem reaching its full potential. Entrepreneurship support organizations (ESOs) seemed to echo this sentiment in interviews where they highlighted that often the relative lack of originality in the ideation of businesses in KP (which is a common feature of nascent ecosystems worldwide) could also potentially be attributed to the inadequate entrepreneurial training and education provided to the youth early on.

On-ground engagement with the stakeholders through a focus group discussion helped develop a deeper understanding of the gaps and challenges faced by the key stakeholders. It enabled i2i and SEED Programme to put forth recommendations on ways to remove/reduce these constraints. Mehvish Arifeen, CEO (Invest2Innovate), said, “this study is going to play a critical role in setting up the entrepreneurship ecosystem in KP for success in the future. The insights from this study will give all stakeholders a strategic direction for the way forward.”

Hasaan Khawar, SEED Team Leader, highlighted that “an enabling policy framework is essential to put in place startup-friendly regulations in taxation and registration. Continuous investment in human capital is required. Linkages to new and existing markets need to be established. Women entrepreneurs need a level playing field to access opportunities that are rarely available to them” and added that “SEED is grateful to the Government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, particularly, the Science and Technology and Information Technology Department for its continued support and we hope that this report informs future government policies and plans for this promising sector.”

You can download the complete report here.

by Web Desk — July 6, 2021 in News 0

Pakistan lifted the ban on TikTok

KARACHI – The Sindh High Court (SHC) on Friday lifted the ban on TikTok after the telecom regulator assured the court of issuing a ruling on the petitioner’s request by Monday.

The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) told the court that access to the application was blocked by it on June 30. It had requested the court to review its decision and allow it to restore the services.

The PTA counsel assured the court that it would expedite the process on the petitioner’s request and issue a ruling on it by July 5.

After hearing the arguments, the SHC withdrew the suspension order and directed the PTA to make a decision on the matter till then. The hearing was adjourned until next Monday.

Last month, the SHC imposed a ban on the widely popular social media app, TikTok. The high court issued the verdict while hearing a petition seeking a ban the app over objectionable content.

The petitioner said that a complaint was also lodged with the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) but it took no action.

The SHC issued notice to the Attorney General of Pakistan and sought a reply from the parties by July 8.

TikTok, a widely popular video-sharing app, responded to the Sindh High Court’s (SHC) ruling to suspend its services across Pakistan, saying that it is working with regulators to check violation of community guidelines.

“The creativity and passion of our community has brought joy to households across Pakistan and provided a home for incredibly talented creators,” said TikTok in a statement.

“We have grown our local-language moderation capacity for Pakistan, and work diligently to review and take action on content in violation of our Community Guidelines,” it added.

In the Muslim nation, posting videos in Western clothes that reveal too much skin is taboo, and is often met with abuse.

by Web Desk — July 2, 2021 in News 0