Black Shadow

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  • IEEE Karachi Section Hosted Ceremony to honor Prof BS Chowdhry

    IEEE Karachi Section Hosted Ceremony to honor Prof BS Chowdhry

     Recipient of Distinguished National Professor Award

    IEEE Karachi Section hosted an honors ceremony to celebrate the occasion of paying accolades to Prof Dr. Bhawani Shankar Chowdhry, Dean FEECE, Mehran UET who has recently been bestowed upon Distinguished National Professor Award by HEC, Pakistan. The ceremony was attended by a large number of Engineering Professionals, IEEE ExCOM Members, Academicians, laureates and Media person. The ceremony was hosted at DHA Sunset Club, Karachi on 10th September, 2017 was one of its own kind where people attending rejoiced their feelings by expressing words of gratitude and recalled about the contribution and guidance of Dr. BS Chowdhry from his majestic aura which has shaped their character and personality.

    Engr. Parkash Lohana (Past Karachi Section Chair and an Academician currently) hosted the session by Congratulating Prof Chowdhry on achieving this significant milestone. Engr Irfan Ahmed, a veteran professional of the Industry mentioned that Prof Bhawani Shankar is a role model in our society and his dedicated years of service would live in our memory. He commented about unmatched qualities Prof BS Chowdhry’s Academic Caliber, Hard work, passion, helping to others, sincerity, and patriotism. He and mentioned that Professor Chowdhry is unusually versatile and creative. Dr. Shakeel Khoja (Chairman Computer Science, IBA Karachi) shared by saying that not only Dr. BS Chowdhry has been his mentor but also possess a grandfather-like figure to hes daughters and how they enjoyed their stay at Southampton, UK during postdoc fellowship period.  We can never forget his valuable and effective suggestions during the bad times in the University.  Followed by his comments, Dr. Hyder Abbas Musavi (Dean FEST, Indus University Karachi) who has had the honor to be direct student of Dr. Bhawani in UG as well as in his PhD supervision. He shared that how he was astonished by the quick-memory recalling and expressed that this indeed is a key-point for a good teacher to remember their students with not just names but also from their roll numbers. Moreover, he also said that he is so proud of being having  worked  in supervision of Dr.  Chowdhry that on every appreciative call, he feels like his father is being praised for something worthy. More comments were followed by personalities such as Tahir Saleem (Retired Electrical Engineer), and Engr. Alam Halepoto (Retired Engineer) who have had the privilege to have spent many dozen decades with Dr. BS Chowdhry and their comments mostly reflected past-memories and life experiences.

    Engr. Naval Vaswani (Director, Integrated Services Excellence),  who has also been a lifelong student of  Dr. Chowdhry expressed his feelings.  Sir Bhawani means a complete Professional who qualifies all the prerequisites of worthy award as being fundamentally a good teacher and teacher trainer, perfect communicator, a proficient administrator, a soft skills expert and an updated resource person. Adding into discussion, Dr.  Irfan Hyder (Dean, IoBM Karachi) mentioned that Dr. Chowdhry is  a having all the traits of good human being who elevated himself above the post and offered everyone  marvelous lessons of excellence. He is  a strong believer of creativity.  As simple as he appears, he gained respect wherever he stood and walked.Last but not least, Engr. Sarang Shaikh (A Young Professional and IEEE Karachi Section Treasurer) was asked if he would like to share his words of gratitude. Sarang, being a young professional himself has made a good reputation and name at IEEE both nationally and globally and his words were circled around that how he  got great pieces of advices from  Dr.  Chowdhry during his undergrad when he was a student and Dr.  Chowhdhry being Dean and how his failures were complimented by Dr. BS teachings, mentoring and his ultra-inspiration made me  to become a global contributor at IEEE and a responsible citizen.  Manzoor Shaikh, Associate Editor, Engineering Review highlighted upon contributions and dedication of Dr. Bhawani for raising academic standard of MUET and bringing so many opportunities for MUET students who have been availing many international exchange opportunities such as Erasmus Mundus and Erasmus Plus Mobility.

    Dr. AS Nasir, former UN Diplomat  appreciated efforts of IEEE Karachi section to honor such a distinguished personality, who is an iconic figure, a stunning model for every one and  deserves every word of appreciation. I am honoured to share about Dr Bhawani and his accomplishment seems a journey for all those who still try to aspire for greatness.   Dr. Shahid Shaikh (Vice Chair Karachi Section and academician) also shared his experience with Dr. BS followed by Dr. Shahab Siddiqui (Secretary, Karachi Section and an academician) finally concluded the ceremony by giving note of thanks to everyone in the room.

    The ceremony ended by Dr. BS Chowdhry thanking IEEE Team  with words of gratefulness and how he has been blessed by God byand supportive people surrounding him and to be able to achieve what he has in his life. Attendants were served dDinner and a group photo was taken in remembrance of theto occasion.

  • 17th ITCN Asia 2017 Security & Local Engineering

    The 17th ITCN Asia 2017, Pakistan’s biggest international exhibition and conference on Information Technology (IT) & Telecommunications which merged firefighting also attracted a huge number of exhibitors as well as visitors. The exhibition opened on September 21 was inaugurated by Syed Ismail Shah, Chairman PTA. The event emerged on over 150,000 sq feet of exhibition area where more than 600 international & domestic brands with 150+ foreign delegates and participants from more than 25 countries were present. Also, over 50 startup companies and experts along with a huge number of visitors graced the event. A number of professionals from various companies talked to Engineering Review on various aspects of the event and also issues concerning local engineering industry in Pakistan. Here are some of them:

    Sajid Mehmood – SECCO Pak (Pvt.) Ltd.

    On the last day, the participation is lower than our expectation. But still, it is good and there is a targeted participation. Therefore, we feel we have achieved our targets. Should this have been a joint IT-Fire Safety event? As regards strategies he said: we prefer individual categories for exhibition. This time all categories have been merged which has mixed the visitors. Clients and visitors have been divided and we can say they have been a bit confused one can say. They were finding it difficult to focus if it is IT or fire safety. There are concerns as regards CPEC. Local Pakistani markets and industry must grow. Let’s suppose we make doors of international quality. Yet we have faced difficulty some times that the client demands an imported product. Therefore, the government should protect products which are easily available in local market and meet international standards. What is the major hindrance that we face in competing imported products? Is it cost or technology? I think there is no issue with quality as we follow international standards. Yet our market is not that big and does not have much consumption. Therefore, the basic cost of our remains high due to low volume of production. That’s why you cannot compete. I have recently worked on a project requiring 5000 doors and it affected per unit cost by 30 percent. It was due to big volume. This way the industrial overhead would come down if the volume grows in other sectors also and they would be able to compete. If we get access to Chinese markets after CPEC then would it be possible that we can compete? I think it is a wishful thinking that we shall have access. The only step which may work is that the local industry should be given protection. In other case, our industry cannot survive in long term.

    Ibrahim Ariqat – SFFECO Global

    We are here for the very first time in this exhibition. The objective is to support our business. Happy to do business in Pakistan. Pakistan market is improving and there is a lot of potential here. The response in the exhibition is fair. We are here to support our distributors and boost confidence of our end users. We have also introduced our new products in the field of firefighting.We are a Middle Eastern company. We have launched a diesel engine here. We are producing it now. We are in Karachi for the first time as a company. Earlier, we have been focusing Islamabad. In Karachi we were here for a couple of tomes with our distributors.

     

    Syed Ahmed Ali – Secure Vision

    Basically it is an ICTN event but firefighting has also been merged with it. Since we don’t find any other event on fire fighting in Karachi, we participated in this exhibition. This time the participation is unprecedented and we find many companies which we did not expect to join. It was a good interaction. We met here with companies which we were doing business with for last many years but had not met them physically. This event offered us an opportunity to interact with them directly.In this background, merging IT with firefighting is a creative idea and we support it. Now, security field like CCTV is clubbed with IT. Cameras and networking are connected with IT and other products also.I think we have achieved our target and we have had a good audience during all three days here.CPECI always think positive. When I started my business some 14 years back I used to push the client to buy a security camera but today there is a market. It is natural when you have an expanded market there always emerges a competition which signifies quality of the product. I think this process always benefits the industry. Like the product we are selling is different from others. Why is that so? Because we distribute Flir’s product supported by R&D unlike Chinese who copy other companies. What we sell is a proactive system which gives alerts before any breach or incident. While, the other companies sell reactive system which gives you an access to video after happening. It means you spend millions on cameras just to get video so that you come to know how it all happened.Our system is called video analytics under which we give a certain command to camera which alerts you in case any abnormal activity is screened around. This is a new technology and making its market fast around the world. We are among few companies which are working on video analytics.

    Syed Abdul Samad Director, Delta Fire Safety & Security System

    Participation was good. This time round the arrangement here was different. I think it should have been separate like firefighting, safety and security. Firefighting should have been in the middle. Thus, this category is a bit disturbed. Hopefully it will be better in the future.CPECOf course we have some concerns. But there are some advantages as well. If Chinese companies are operating from here with their manpower, it makes their business expensive. Therefore, we can benefit subsequently. Like we are not only installing the system but also provide service to maintain it. Many Chinese companies are working with us. If Chinese provide equipment, we provide service.Technology transferTechnology is standardized. We cannot change it as there are global standards. Yes, if there is some change required in lines with such standards we do it to make the system run. Chinese also follow standards of world firefighting organization and thus the system goes on.

    Hamid Jalal – Combine Network

    We have been participating in this event since 2014. We are pioneer exhibitors of Security Asia. We did it in 2015 and 2016 also. So we have been part and parcel of this event. We were instrumental in inviting Chinese companies participating here. We have been doing business with Chinese companies since 2012.You people started with 2 halls and now it has developed into 6 halls. How about the business? It grew simultaneously?We don’t sell on the spot here. These exhibitions are aimed at spreading awareness as regards new products. The people are aware of security issues here in Pakistan therefore they visit to get to know about addressing them through security products. So they see which product can minimize their security threat. We are about to launch a new system which is called facial recognition system. The only solution in Pakistan. In this system, the facial data of wanted people would be stored and the camera will alert you once any criminal is detected. It can be installed at airports and other sensitive places. The camera will detect the people even if they change their getup.CPECI think the people who are working hard should not be concerned. Business is everywhere in the world. If we have ability to do business you should not be concerned about anything. If you cannot do it then you will get concerned about even tiny things. We should not have any issues with Chinese. Yes, there must be some terms and conditions set with Chinese. While doing business with Chinese, do you focus on technology transfer?Yes we do. Like I had demanded that we need a system which can detect wanted faces. Before that they provided cameras in which such feature was not included. They added alarm in the system on our requirement as we knew what we want in Pakistan’s specific security conditions.ParticipationIt was good. The concept of visitors is pretty clear now. I think it depends on exhibitor how smart system they are offering and defining it to clients. We believe in service along with doing business.

  • کچھ لفظوں کی کہانی۔۔۔۔۔۔ کراچی

    محمد صلاح الدین

    سماجیات کے پروفیسر نے مجھ سے پو چھا کراچی میں کتنی قومیں آباد ہیں؟

    میں نے بتایا ویسے تو کئی قو موں کے لوگ ریتے ہیں پر چار بڑی قومیں آباد

    ہیں 1۔ کینٹ میں رہنے والے 2۔ پل کے اس پار رہنے والے 3۔ پل کے اِس پار رہنے والے 4۔ کچی آبادیوں والے

    انہوں نے پوچھا کیا ان کو تعلیم، صحت، امن و امان اور انصاف کے یکساں مواقع میسر ہیں؟

    نہیں، میں نے جواب دیا

    کیا یہ آبس میں شادیاں کرتے ہیں؟ ان کا دوسرا سوال تھا

    نہیں میں نے بتایا

    انہوں نے کچھ دیر سوچاپھرفرمایا’ اس  شہر میں کبھی امن وامان قائم نہیں ھو سکتا ‘

  • Young people need to be focussed: Akbar Hussain

    Young people need to be focussed: Akbar Hussain

    Manager Corporate Sales, MULTILINE ENGINEERING CO. shares his experience

    What is your role at Multiline?

    We have an independent department within sales at Multiline for selling to the Government Institutions and various other organizations which advertise through tenders. We call it the TENDERS department. I head this department and work with our Head of Sales and Operations teams. Working with the tenders especially with the Government departments is an all-together different ball game. One has to be very meticulous as well as patient.

    Tell us about your career and how you ended up here?My career started with Pharmaceutical companies. I think that they provided me a great training to achieve sales targets and developed patience and the habit to work hard. It is also due to this that I lived in various cities including Peshawar, Karachi and many small cities. I learned to speak Pushto although I am from Punjab. I learned about various regional traditions and customs due to spending time in small towns and localities. This helps me a lot with building relationships with people sitting in important positions. I joined Multiline about a decade ago and never looked back.
    Although the product was very different from what we used to sell in my previous job but I believe that sales process is the same. I am given complete freedom and autonomy which helps me perform much better.

    Selling to government institutions is generally considered very tricky, how do you manage to stay calm?

    Over the years our company has built a solid reputation with the Government departments and the brand is immediately recognised. Government officials are very particular about getting product in accordance to the specifications stated in the tender. Contrary to what people may believe and there may be very few exceptions, if a tender says that the generator should be of European origin then they will make sure that it is of European origin. Main reason is that when this officer is transferred elsewhere and a replacement comes even then they can verify the origin of the equipment and in case of any anomaly, the previous officer’s career can be in danger. They don’t risk such a thing. Many of our competitors have been blacklisted by the Government and generally they change their name and then again compete in tenders. Luckily Multiline has the same name and brand for 40 years. So, the departments feel more comfortable working with us. But the process is very tedious and painstaking. From filling the tender to eventually receiving the payment. One has to be extremely patient and careful.

    Please share the highs and lows of your carrier?

    By the grace of Allah I have had many highs in my carrier. I was successful in positions and with products where others haved failed. I have numerous certificates and trophies from the pharma companies. With Multiline, we have won tenders against companies which are much larger and have bigger names. I have been praised for it and the company cares about me. But the lowest part of my career and life was when my wife passed away a couple of years ago. She served with the government as a teacher and was in Ggrade 18  when she had a fatal heart attack. As they say that behind every man who is successful, there is woman who gives him to peace of mind to work as he seems appropriate. She was certainly that woman. May Allah rest her soul in peace.

    What advice will you give to the young people who are starting out in their carriers?

    I grew up before the computer age and am not computer literate. I have an assistant who helps me with documentation and emails. Young people today are lucky that they have these skills but what I see is that they are not focused. They waste too much time on the computer and phones during working hours. Cell phones and computers can greatly ease the way we work and can help save time but if used improperly they are the greatest waste of time as well. Young people should learn to respect this and also realise that they can learn a lot from people with experience

  • RN in Sindh, Punjab, KP to be rehabilitated

    RN in Sindh, Punjab, KP to be rehabilitated

    $800 m approved for CAREC corridor

    Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved an $800 million investment plan that seeks to enhance regional trade and connectivity in the Central Asia Regional Economic Cooperation (CAREC) corridors of Pakistan, a press release issued by ADB said.

    The multitranche financing facility will increase Pakistan’s regional connectivity and rehabilitate a total of 747 kilometres of Pakistan’s road along the CAREC corridor, the press release said.

    Under the first portion of the investment plan ─ worth $180m and expected to be completed later this year ─ road networks in Sindh, Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa will be improved, the press release said.

    It added that the second and third tranches, worth $260m and $360m, respectively, are expected to be approved in 2019 and 2021.

    “Pakistan’s unique geographic location — at the crossroads of Central Asia, the People’s Republic of China, and South Asia — provides a unique potential and opportunity for the country to become a regional transport and trade hub,” the press release quoted Dong-Soo Pyo, ADB’s Director, Transport and Communications Division, Central and West Asia Department, as saying. “The investment program will help the Government of Pakistan realize this potential, improving trade and connectivity in the CAREC corridors with the long-term goal of achieving inclusive growth and sustainable development in mind,” Pyo added.The investment program will also focus on strengthening the capacity of the National Highway Authority to conduct due diligence work and ensure implementation of each portion of the project as designed, the press release said.

  • CPEC to boost auto sector, claims SMEDA

    CPEC to boost auto sector, claims SMEDA

    Unlike a general perception that the CPEC would affect our engineering sector the most, the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Authority (SMEDA) believes it would bolster it especially the auto sector. A report of the authority says the demand for four-wheel vehicles will rise from 0.25 million to 0.5 million in Pakistan within the next 12 years.This report has been submitted with the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the authority in which he has been advised to take measures to exploit new benefits coming in Pakistan. The report said that the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) will bring a lot of opportunities for the auto sector. This in turn will benefit the transport warehousing and freight forwarding services by further expanding the auto and logistics sector.The report said that auto is one of the fastest growing sectors in Pakistan and Japan is concentrating on collaboration to meet the augmenting demand of four-wheel vehicles in the country.In this regard, Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) Director South Asia Naoyuki Nemoto visited SMEDA’s Sindh office to explore new opportunities of assistance.The report highlighted that with the changing trend of consumerism in the country, demand for agro-processing products was also increasing rapidly, adding that the requirements for processed and packaged semi-cooked food items, fruits and vegetables has also highly increased.This meant improvement in quality for exploring international markets, the report mentioned.The findings identified engineering sector particularly auto, logistics and agro-processing industry as high potential areas for collaboration between Pakistan and Japan.SMEDA CEO has assured to undertake special initiatives for making the local SMEs aware of the new joint venture opportunities emerging under CPEC.n

  • Interview Mr. Hamid Jalal- Combine Network

    Interview Mr. Hamid Jalal- Combine Network

  • Interview Syed MehmoodAli-MegaPlus

    Interview Syed MehmoodAli-MegaPlus

  • Interview Mr. Sajid Mehmood-SECCO Pak

    Interview Mr. Sajid Mehmood-SECCO Pak

  • Interview-Hamid Jalal-CEO Combine Network