LAHORE

ONLINE

CARETAKER Punjab Chief Min-ister Najam Sethi has said thatPakistani businessmen shouldfocus on the African region as itis destined to become a global

growth centre for having enormous tradeand tourism potential.

Sethi was speaking at the second La-hore Chamber of Commerce and Industry(LCCI) Africa Show on Saturday.

LCCI President Farooq Iftikhar andDean of African Ambassadors, High Com-missioner of Kenya Mishi Masika Mwat-sahu, LCCI Senior Vice President Irfan IqbalSheikh, Vice President Mian Abuzar Shad,and Zafar Mahmood, convener LCCI Stand-ing Committee on Pakistan Africa BusinessPromotion also spoke on the occasion.

Sethi said that Pakistan should not loseany opportunity to tap the African marketwherein the neighbouring India had alreadymade great penetration. “It is not only thegold, diamonds and oil reserves that are agreat attraction but a number of other un-tapped sectors including education andtourism provide a solid reason to Pakistanibusinessmen to increase their interactionwith their African counterparts,” he said.

He said that Pakistani diplomats work-ing in the outer world need to reset their pri-orities as foreign diplomats in Pakistan arecommitted to securing trade and presence oflarge number of African ambassadors andhigh commissioners in the event arrangedby the Lahore Chamber of Commerce andIndustry is an ample proof of their commit-ment to their respective countries.

The caretaker chief minister showeddispleasure over the absence of Foreign Of-fice representative in the mega Africa Showsaying that they should have participated inthe event.

The chief minister said that NelsonMandela is an amazing leader because ofhis dedication and inspiration. He encour-aged the actions of others and motivated

others towards acceptance of people thatare different, Sethi added.

Speaking on the occasion, the Dean ofAmbassadors Mishi Masika Mwatsahucongratulated the people and the govt ofPakistan for holding elections that many in-ternational observers have described as freeand fair. This is a significant achievementfor Pakistan’s democracy, she added.

She said that Africa Day is a day of sig-nificant importance to the people of Africabecause it commemorates the day of theAfrican Union. It is the day in 1963 that the30 out of the 32 independent African states

signed founding charter in Addis AbabaEthiopia that established the defunct Or-ganisation of African Unity the precursorof the African Union.

The Ambassador said that last yearwhile celebrating Africa Day, the formationof the Africa Pakistan Friendship and Busi-ness Association was announced as ameans to further consolidate the friendshipand business relations between the Cham-ber and Africa. She said that the work is inprogress and near conclusion.

She said that desires and hopes of thepeople of Africa are to be free, happy and

prosperous. As the inhabitants of the cradleof mankind, the people of Africa also desireto have genuine friends throughout theworld. She also paid tribute to LCCI Pres-ident Farooq Iftikhar and Convener LCCIStanding Committee Zafar Mahmood forarranging Africa Show.

Speaking on the occasion, LCCI Presi-dent Iftikhar said that Africa is a potentialmarket for Pakistani rice while Africanbusinessmen could supply us leather, fertil-izers, cotton, textile products and agricul-tural products which Pakistan does notproduce. He said that exchange of students,

doctors, teachers and scholars should takeplace on regular basis.

The LCCI president said that visa poli-cies should be relaxed for each other toovercome unnecessary bottlenecks.

Earlier, Chief Minister Sethi inaugu-rated the exhibition, took a round of the ex-hibition hall and spent some time at thestalls established by the embassies ofKenya, South Africa, Tunisia, Nigeria, Mo-rocco, Egypt, Libya, Mauritius and Sudan.

Meanwhile the Lahore Chamber of Com-merce & Industry also hosted a dinner in ho-nour of the ambassadors at Governor’s House.

Stress on low costdeposit to increaseprofitability of BoK:Javed HashmatPESHAWAR: Managing

Director Bank of

Khyber (BoK) Javed

Hashmat has said

that the bank

was laying great

stress on low

cost of deposit to

increase its

profitability as big

entities are not

giving much profit.

Talking to APP, Hashmat while

dilating upon performance of the first quarter of

the Bank ended march 31, 2013, said, the BoK is

progressing with each passing day as its growth

rate increasing considerably, adding the profit of

the Bank would be certainly more than Rs.1 billion

profit shown last year. "Certainly bank's

performance viz a viz deposits and advances will

be more than the previous year,” he said.

Hashmat, who has 35 years plus banking to his

credit, said that profit of return from the small and

medium enterprises was more than the big entities

that is why we are focusing on promoting the

SMEs. Giving details of unaudited advances made

by the bank in the first quarter, he said it stood at

Rs.262.81 million as on March 31, 2013 similarly

the deposits are Rs.569.72 million during the same

period. The bank achieved Rs.310200 profit after

tax in the first quarters which was Rs.250956 in

2012. To a question, the MD BoK said that the

provincial economy need deep and decisive fiscal

and energy sector reforms and an early realization

of planned foreign financial inflows to mitigate

uncertainty. He said the BoK's current paid up

capital stands at Rs. 9 billion and it will be

increased to Rs.10 billion by the end of 2013. APP

Sethi urges Pakistani businessmento focus on African region

01

BUSINESS

BSunday, 26 May, 2013

Business is never so healthy as when, like a

chicken, it must do a certain amount of scratching

around for what it gets. — Henry Ford

KARACHI

NNI

The Federation of Pakistan Chambersof Commerce and Industry (FPCCI)has welcomed Saudi Arabia’s gener-ous offer to bail out Pakistan from itsongoing energy crisis.

FPCCI President Zubair AhmedMalik has said that Saudi Arabia is ex-pected to extend a bailout package ofabout $15 billion to Pakistan’s highlyindebted energy sector by supplyingcrude and furnace oil on deferred pay-ment to enable it to resolve the chroniccircular debt issue which is most gen-erous and a blessing to the incominggovernment of PML-N to combat thebiggest problem of energy crisisprevailing for the last manyyears.

He said that it was hearten-ing to know that Saudis had beentaking reasonableinterest in help-ing out the in-c o m i n gP M L - Ngovernmentled by NawazSharif as they alsohad extended a similarspecial package to Pak-istan soon after it wentnuclear in 1998 andfaced internationaleconomic sanctions.

He recalled that be-tween 1998 and2002, Pakistanr e c e i v e d

$3.5 billion (Rs190 billion at the ex-change rate at that time) worth of oilfrom Saudi Arabia on deferred pay-ment, a major part of which was con-verted into grant, he said adding thatit’s a golden opportunity for the newgovernment to strengthen its reputeamong the masses and overcome en-ergy crisis with immediate effect.

Malik said that as Pakistan ex-pects about 100,000 barrels of crudeoil and about 15,000 tons of furnaceoil per day from Saudi Arabia on de-ferred payment for three years, the fa-cility can be utilised to minimiseload-shedding in the short term andprovide an opportunity in the medium

term to restructure the power sec-tor by minimising subsidies,

eliminating circular debt,ensuring recovery from

the public sector andreducing system

losses to bring it to a self-sus-tainable level.

He appreciated the gestureby the Saudi Arabian government

at this juncture when Pakistan isfacing sever crisis of electricity and

massive load-shedding iscontinuing across thecountry besides havinganother crisis of gasshortage.

He advised the PML-N toavail this opportunity for the short-term and in the meantime devise aneffective and comprehensive strategyto permanent solution of the problemwhich is badly hurting country’s econ-omy and public life.

LAHORE

APP

Federal Board of Revenue ChairmanAnsar Javed on Saturday took noticeof concealing invoices, under invoic-ing and under assessment of contain-ers carrying imported goods.

FBR sources said that DG Audit,Customs Muhammad IkramKhan pointed out toFBR chief the grossi r r e g u l a r i t i e sbeing commit-ted at NLCDry PortT h o k h a rNiaz Baig.

The DGAudit in-formed theFBR that pack-ing lists and in-voices are notfound placed onmore than 60 percent ofthe total containers carryingimported goods only at one NLC dryport under control of collectorate ofAppraisement.

He further disclosed the modusoperandi of scam that importers withthe connivance of customs officersconceal the invoice value and physicaldescription of imported goods whichincreases the discretion of customsstaff and likelihood of under invoicingand under assessment is very highwhich resulting huge monetary loss tonational kitty.

The DG disclosed that accordingto Customs Rule 2001, all imported

cargo when entered into customs areafor clearance must accompany with acopy of packing list and invoice mustalso be placed on the inner side of thedoor of container.

He said that according to para 389read with para 391 of Customs Rules,liability of placing such documentsvests with the owner of goods and car-

rier. He said that the owner ofgoods and the carrier

will explicitly stipu-late the require-

ment of placingdocuments inthe mannerprescribed asan obligatorycondition, tothe personpacking or

shipping thecargo.

M u h a m m a dIkram Khan also

conveyed other seriousobservations carrying weight

about other gross malpractices atNLC dry port for immediate action toset the things in right direction onmerit and transparent examinationand inspection of containers.

Large scale irregularities werealso committed at NLC during thecar amenity scheme in which only aspecial group of 6 Inspectors, Ap-praisers and Examiners out of atotal of 20 cleared hundred of vehi-cles at less custom duty than pre-scribed while remaining customsofficers were sidelined without anyplausible reason.

FBR chairman takes noticeof concealing invoices

FPCCI welcomes Saudibailout package

$15

bil

lio

n

PRO 26-05-2013_Layout 1 5/26/2013 12:03 AM Page 1

BUSINESSSunday, 26 May, 2013

Samsung Galaxy S4

road-show begins

in Karachi

LAHORE: Samsung Galaxy S4, the world’s fastest

selling phone in the Samsung lineup is going places

in Pakistan. The company announced today a series

of nationwide road shows that will bring the

irresistible Galaxy S4 closer than ever before to

consumers throughout the country. The activation

drive will kick-off from 25 May to 28 May, 2013 at

the Dolmen Mall, Karachi, with similar activities

planned in Lahore and Islamabad, respectively. The

event will showcase incredible features of Galaxy

S4 in a fulfilled and experiential way. This includes

individual, group-based learning and exiting games.

Highlight of the event ranges from activities like

becoming hero of the day by taking a picture from

Samsung S4 Drama Shot Feature with proper light

setup & background to competing for Samsung S4

Gaming Champ in one on one interactive game

session. Treadmill run with the handset in the hand

will also be an interesting feature of the event.

Samsung Pakistan’s Head of Mobile Phone Business

at SEPAK, Farid Ullah Jan, said; “People ask what

the Galaxy S4 has? A better question is: what

doesn't it have? Samsung Galaxy S4 will continue

to inspire the world of global smartphones. The

Samsung Galaxy S4 Activation drive across

Pakistan will give a unique platform for visitors to

know the fascinating features of the stunning

Galaxy S4 and at the same time avail the best price

in town”. Consumers can not only look forward to

an interactive guided hands-on experience with the

Galaxy S4, but Samsung brand ambassadors will

also be present at the event to share more about

the features and any one can stand to win

exclusive premiums by participating in a series of

on-site activities with an unprecedented chance of

winning Samsung Galaxy S4. The event will not

only enthrall visitors with a complete experience of

this innovative product, but will also not leave the

venue without taking back interesting giveaways.

Along with citizens from all walks of life, various

media personalities and celebrities will also grace

the occasion and special discounts will be offered

on the purchase of the Galaxy S4. For Karachiites,

this is surely an event not to be missed over the

coming weekend. PRESS RELEASE

CORPORATE CORNER

02

B

If you cannot work with love but only

with distaste, it is better that you should

leave your work. — Khalil Gibran

TV centric LG Cloud goes globalLAHORE: LG Electronics (LG), which launched its own LG Cloud service in

the United States, South Korea and Russia last year, will roll-out the TV-

centric service in more than 40 countries including the Middle East, Europe,

Asia, Central Asia and Latin America regions by the end of next month. LG

Cloud enables users to stream content directly to LG CINEMA 3D Smart TVs

as well as provides a convenient location to store entertainment content

that automatically synchronizes between PCs, smartphones and TVs. “LG

Cloud eliminates the time-consuming process of having to download or

manually transfer content between devices,” said Mr. D.Y. Kim, President of

LG Electronics Gulf FZE, “Today’s consumers are no longer loyal to only one

type of screen. They move seamlessly from TVs to PCs to smartphones and

it’s up to us to help them get the content they want whenever and wherever

they want it. LG is one of very few companies that can offer integration

across so many display products.” The LG Cloud app offers access to videos,

photos and music once it is uploaded to the user’s account. Available on

Google Play or the LG Smart World store, the easy-to-install app is

compatible with LG CINEMA 3D Smart TVs, PCs and Android smartphones.

After a quick setup process, users can begin streaming up to 5GB of content

for free directly to their CINEMA 3D Smart TV without having to first

download files to a smart storage device. Multimedia can be conveniently

saved and streamed from LG Cloud, freeing up gigabytes of space on

overloaded smartphones and PCs. Content can be uploaded to LG Cloud

using the PC client, website or smart device. In the near future, smart home

appliances will also be able to connect and share via LG Cloud for a truly

integrated and convenient experience. LG Cloud is also capable of transcoding

and streaming multimedia content to mobile devices by N-Screen. It even has

a resume play function for seamless viewing or listening across multiple

products. Pause a video or song on a smartphone and LG Cloud will continue

playback from that same point on an LG Smart TV. LG Cloud also makes it

possible to view photo slideshows while simultaneously streaming music. LG’s

unique service allows members to easily store content in their own personal LG

Cloud account. Signing in to an account on an LG CINEMA 3D Smart TV is quick

and easy thanks to the automatic Single Sign On (SSO) protocol, which is able to

recognize both the user’s LG Smart TV ID and LG Cloud ID. PRESS RELEASE

NEWS DESK

Aworld away from the glitzy sky-scrapers and pulsing nightclubsof downtown Dubai, Bangladeshilabourer Mohamed Ashraf staresat the metal gates of his labour

camp, terrified about his future after man-agement broke a strike at the companywhere he has worked for six years.

Backed by security forces, bosses atArabtec - a massive construction firm withinterests across the oil-rich Gulf states -ended a strike on Monday, but the falloutcontinues as more workers are receivingdeportation orders.

"Between 20-25 people just got the [de-portation] letter now," Ashraf, a scaffoldinginstaller at Arabtec, told Al Jazeera after re-ceiving a phone call from a co-worker.

"When we got the news of the [first] de-portations [on Monday] everyone camedown shouting. When the police came, wejust went back to our rooms. People were try-ing to be part of the group without coming tothe front," he said. Unions and strikes are il-legal in Dubai and across the Gulf and ratherthan demonstrating or holding placards, afew thousand workers simply stayed in theiraccommodations last weekend and didn'tshow up for work. The strike ended aftermanagement refused to accept demands forincreased wages from people earning about$200 a month to complete mega-projects in40 degree Celsius heat. Worker demands var-ied from a monthly pay raise of between$100-$135, while others wanted free foodthat they say was promised to them.

Arabtec, Dubai's largest constructionfirm, has tens of thousands of employeesand contracts to work on the city's airport,the Abu Dhabi branch of the Louvre mu-seum, and other high-profile projects.

It's unclear how many workers downedtheir tools or how many received deporta-tion orders, although it seems dozens if nothundreds will be forced to leave the countrythey have helped to build.

A call to Arabtec's media office rangunanswered Thursday, and an emailed requestfor comment was not returned. "Arabtec hasbeen working closely with the UAE Ministryof Labour, the Dubai Police and the concernedsecurity authorities to resolve as soon as pos-sible a partial workers stoppage by a limitednumber of Arabtec labour employees," thecompany said in a filing on Tuesday.

Projects will be delivered on time inspite of the strike, the company said. TheLabour Ministry had said that Arabtec waspaying the workers according to contracts.

Police pressure

Dubai is an autonomous city and part of theUnited Arab Emirates, a federation run byan unelected emir where the press is cen-sored and public demonstrations are illegal.

The camp where Ashraf lives withsome 2,500 Arabtec employees is locatedin Sonapur or the "land of God", a series ofdusty streets and barracks-style labourcamps guarded by private security andhome to about 200,000 workers.

"We live with five men to a room and40 or 50 men share a bathroom," SyedKhaled, a concerete mixer for Arabtec, toldAl Jazeera. "The company is very cruel andgoing on strike is a good idea."

Khaled said he earns about $102 permonth, less than what he would make in hisnative Bangladesh. The difference, he said,is that the work in Dubai is steady, whereasat home he might be employed one monthand then have no job for the next two.

'Slave' states

Other workers, including some who sup-ported the strike, said the money they areearning in Dubai is far better than anythingthey could hope for back home."The strikeended because of pressure from highermanagement and police," he said.

Sharan Burrow, general secretary of theInternational Trade Union Confederation,said workers such as Khaled are "effec-tively living in 21st-century slave states".

"It's appalling," she told Al Jazeera ofthe situation in Dubai and across the Gulf.

"The governments and employers must sitdown and respect the rights of workers tobargain collectively. Most companies areforcing their workers to live in squalor. Anunconscionable number of workers die dueto unsafe conditions. These governmentsare using and abusing migrant workers."

Known for its Ferraris, "seven-star" ho-tels and other ostentatious displays of wealth,less than 20 percent of the UAE's roughly 7.9million residents are citizens. To attain citi-zenship, a person must usually demonstratea blood connection on the father's side to theEmirates' original inhabitants.

Migrant workers choose to come toDubai on their own free will, and most lo-cals believe labourers are offered a betterlife in the UAE than what's available intheir home countries. Some labourers seemto support that view. "We are happy to behere; this is not our country. We could haveleft anytime," Mahmoud Jamal, a labourerfrom Bangladesh, told Al Jazeera. "We arewilling to work. We just want to stay here."

Jamal, a strike supporter, said he's nowworried he won't be able to renew his resi-dency visa as a result of the labour dispute.

Under the kefala system, a worker'slegal status in the country is tied to his em-ployer. Foreigners cannot change jobs with-out permission from their company.Supporters say these rules allow citizens toretain their rights while creating economicstability, while critics say they are a formof modern servitude.

A call to Dubai's Ministry of Labour of-fice was put on hold for 30 minutes withouta response on Thursday. An email request-ing comment was also not answered.

Better than home countries

A minority in what they consider theirown country, the idea of independenttrade unions for foreigners is unfath-omable to most UAE citizens. Strikes andprotests by workers are considered a se-curity risk in a city that prides itself onbeing open to investment, tourism anddifferent cultures.

Supporters of Dubai's economic modelsay a lack of collective bargaining rights isgood for workers, as it leads to moregrowth and job creation. Part of the reasonwhy countries such as France are in theeconomic doldrums, they say, is becausethe labour market is overly regulated andemployees spend more time protesting thanactually working.

For many residents and most citizens,the Dubai model of cheap, imported labourand no union recognition has been a boon.If hundreds of Arabtec employees are de-ported, there will be thousands of new re-cruits clamouring to take their place,leading some to argue the Dubai model is asuccess as workers understand their ownself-interest and can vote with their feet.

Annual per capital income in the UAEis $48,158, according to the Heritage Foun-dation think-tank. In the span of 20 years,the city has transformed itself into an inter-national hub for tourism, real estate invest-ment and financial services.

But the wage gap between Emirati cit-izens and Western technocrats on the onehand, and the working class on the other, ismassive.

Many labourers arrive in Dubai saddledwith debt, usually a result of visa fees andother charges imposed by local labouragents in their home countries. These prac-tices are illegal in Dubai, but tracking per-petrators in Bangladesh or India is almostimpossible for police forces in the UAE.

The UAE can't be held accountable forcorrupt labour practices in migrant-sendingcountries, according to some analysts.

Local concerns

Most labourers seem to reserve their scornfor local bosses, unscrupulous visa agentsin their home countries, and labour campofficials.

"We are sweating, working hard in thehot sun and we aren't getting benefits," Ar-shad Hamid, a scaffolding installer who hasbeen with Arabtec for six years, told AlJazeera. "The office boys are getting bene-fits and their salaries are higher."

Other workers complained that fore-men receive regular wage increases, butthey do not.

Stuart Poole-Robb, the CEO of KCS, aLondon-based consultancy, once worked inthe UAE helping with security for a petro-leum facility. He said conditions in thelabour camps could pose a risk to theUAE's broader stability.

"I am stunned salaries are still at thelevel they are," Poole-Robb told Al Jazeera."By treating people like this they [the Emi-rates] are opening themselves up to seriousproblems."

Agents working for Iran, a country theGulf states fear, were stirring up trouble inthe labour camps around the petroleum fa-cility, he alleged, and bad working condi-tions made some workers receptive to theirovertures.

"The camps could end up acting like aTrojan horse," he said. "These workers de-serve a living wage like anyone else."

Dubai's backers say some companiesdo abuse workers, but these are isolated in-cidents that could happen in any societyrather than structural problems.

'It won't improve'

Reports including Human Rights Watch's"Building towers, cheating workers" and adocumentary from the BBC programmePanorama exposing abuses at Arabtec haveirritated some Emiratis, who believe thecountry is unfairly targeted by Western or-ganisations.

In response to the bad public relationsstemming from the treatment of workers,the UAE has instituted some changes, in-cluding the creation of a telephone hotlinethrough which employees can report abuse.Rights groups, however, say there has beenvirtually no improvement for workers in thepast decade.

Earlier this year, Sheikh MohammedBin Rashed Al Maktoum, Dubai's ruler andthe UAE's vice president, initiated a cam-paign to thank blue-collar workers for theirservice to the country.

But Mohamed Ashraf isn't feeling par-ticularly appreciated. As he ponders hisnext move, the long-time labourer doesn'thave much optimism.

"If we formed a union and we had aleader he would take our problems to man-agement and they would just deport theleader," he said. "I don't think the situationwill improve."

* Names have been changed to protectthe identities of workers

Striking Dubai workers face mass deportation

PRO 26-05-2013_Layout 1 5/26/2013 12:03 AM Page 2