Mardan boy develops SMS-based portal

PESHAWAR: As novel as it sounds, Mardan’s 18-year-old Shahzad has developed a social networking portal that does not require an internet connection – “Smile SMS”.

The SMS-based social networking service enables users to gather local and international information on their phones, free of cost, without using the internet.

IT-savvy Shahzad has been into developing programmes and websites ever since he was in grade six. This hobby transformed into passion and helped him achieve a lot at a very young age.

Smile SMS – the first of its kind service launched in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa – operates similar to Facebook, however, the only difference is that an internet connection is required for Facebook, while Smile SMS can be used without it.

“This service helps you update your status, let your friends comment on it and make new friends,” said Shahzad. “In K-P, not a lot of people have access to the internet, so I thought of developing a unique programme for them.”

Shahzad said he has done the first network test of the service and currently it can afford up to one million people. “We are planning on expanding and updating the service too.”

Sajjad Khan, one of the users of the service said that in his village, hundreds of students don’t have internet access to use this service. “This is the first time that such a service has been launched in K-P. It is benefitting a lot of people, said Khan.

Shahzad also said that the people of K-P can also make a name for themselves in the field of IT, only if the government encourages them.

-Tribune

Representing Pakistan in Asian Snooker Championship

Sultan’s willingness to make it to the highest level, despite the lack of finances, has played a huge part in his success. PHOTO: AYESHA MIR/EXPRESS

The streets of Pakistan are renowned for producing quality cricketers, ones that bring laurels aplenty to the nation.

However, a national event earlier this month sprouted a new snooker sensation – aged 30 – who, by virtue of reaching the final, qualified to represent Pakistan in April’s Asian Snooker Championship.

Sultan Muhammad is hard-working, talented, grew up playing snooker on the streets but, with limited finances and unemployment, cannot afford a decent cue.

He lost a one-sided final against the second-seed Mohammad Asif – who he will be partnering in Doha – but remains worried that his love for the game, which he took up as a hobby in his youth, might end up against a wall as he tries hard to collect enough cash to buy a new stick.

“The cue that I’m using right now is made locally and is of poor quality but unfortunately that’s all I could afford with my current state of finances,” said Sultan. “I am worried because the Asian Championship is a huge event for me and without a decent cue, it’ll be difficult to make an impression. However, with my country’s name at stake, I will try to give it my best shot.”

Sultan, who managed to invest in a Rs7,000 stick last year, remains confident that his game is skilful enough to overcome the lack of quality equipment.

Not being able to complete even his matriculation, Sultan finds it hard to get a job but relies on earning money, to move forward in the world, by taking on local opponents in a winner-takes-all battle. He does, however, have a brother residing in London who does assist financially and even sent in a world-class cue to help Sultan fulfil his dreams.

“My brother did send me a Rs70,000 stick but it didn’t click with my game and I sold it for Rs60,000 in fear of what it’d do to me if I carried on playing with it,” added Sultan, confident that quality equipment was all that he needed to make his national debut.

Snooker, even on the streets, is an expensive sport to pursue for the not-so-well-off. The equipment in snooker clubs is provided by the owners but they charge as much as Rs5 per minute, depending on the location and the quality of the tables.

“To beat the best, you have to practice with the best. A best-of-five encounter could cost almost Rs1,000 and that is a big amount for someone who doesn’t have a job but wants to play snooker.

“I’ve been playing on the streets for 16 years and never in my wildest of dreams had I seen this coming: playing for Pakistan is just an unbelievable achievement. I hope to make full use of this opportunity.”

Pakistan’s show in international events has been below-par of late. The hunt goes on for world-class players who can bring laurels to the country. An expected opportunity has risen for Sultan but his aim right now is not to win the Asian Championship, it’s just to take part in it with a proper cue.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 15th, 2012.

At your doorstep: Online shopping, without upfront payment

Facebook-based courier makes Rs4.4m in a month from cash-on-delivery services. DESIGN: JAMAL KHURSHID

KARACHI: Almost non-existent a few years ago, Pakistan’s online retail market has witnessed phenomenal growth recently. As online shopping trend increases, one company making a name is BlueEX – a Karachi-based courier company – who delivers goods ranging from an iPhone to coffee beans to any destination in the country without any upfront payment.

Started in October 2009 by young entrepreneurs with backgrounds in IT, management and finance – BlueEX made revenue of Rs45 million in 2011 primarily.

BlueEX is online shopping platform selling its services entirely and directly through social networking site Facebook. It also says that its core competency is in a business model designed around cash-on-delivery (COD) service.

BlueEX facilitates about 200 vendors and sells their products online and delivers them to the end-users. Jafferjees, Butler’s Chocolate Cafe, Sweet Factory, Scentsation and Liberty Books are few of its clients.

The company, a subsidiary of Universal Freight Systems, made it’s first-ever profit in December last year, the company’s director of corporate strategy and finance Imran Baxamoosa told The Express Tribune.

It grossed Rs4.4 million in January 2012 against Rs4.2 million earned in the entire first quarter (January to March) of 2011, showing a massive 296% growth rate for the current quarter, Manager Accounts Athar Hussain said.

In 2009, online retail market did not even exist in the country, Hussain said, it is growing at about 200% to 250% on a yearly basis. Last month alone, they collected Rs20 million in cash-on-delivery shipments, a strong indicator of rapidly growing online retail market, Hussain said.

“The number of shipments has surged to 5,000 per month from 350 per month in 2009,” Hussain said.

The figures communicated are at the lower-end as the company’s young management took a conservative approach while revealing its financial data for the first time.

The company’s primary target is rural consumers that account for about 60% of the country’s population and potentially the largest chunk of online retail market.

A driving factor though, cash-on-delivery service is not the only source of revenue for BlueEX. It also charges business partners for additional services that include digital media solutions and online social marketing, services that jack up sales.

Hussain said one client – a dealer of branded garments and electronic goods – saw its business grew by six times through these services as it grossed Rs7 million in January 2012 compared with a mere Rs1 million in January last year.

Headquartered in Karachi, BlueEX operates from 42 stations with hubs in Peshawar, Islamabad, Sialkot, Lahore, Faisalabad, Multan and Hyderabad.

BlueEX succeeded because of its unique business model – a blend of logistics, technology and e-marketing – chief ideas officer Naveed Seraj said. It is all done through the facebook app iCheckout, he added.

The company’s facebook page, that already has more than 50,000 likes, facilitates complete transaction from selecting a product to placing an order and tracking the shipment. Additionally, company representatives are online throughout the day to respond to any queries.

“Launch of BlueEX was a value addition to our logistics business,” said Baxamoosa.

With the parent company having more than 30 years in the logistics business, BlueEX has an upper hand to deliver products to end-users, a luxury most online vendors don’t have.

Charging people online may work in the West but it does not really work in Pakistan, he said. BlueEX receives payment upon delivery, one of the core reasons for its success in rural areas where majority people don’t have credit cards.

The rural market, with their high buying power from farming income, has the pocket to purchase branded products but unfortunately there are no outlets. Availability was the only problem, which was solved following introduction of cash-on-delivery service.

Areas such as Swat, Abbotabad, Mansehra, Haripur Hazara, Mirpur, Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Faisalabad, Gujranwala, Sialkot, Sahiwal, Multan, Sukkur and Hyderabad, Jacobabad and Larkana account for most of their sales, according to Baxamoosa.

“We even shipped an iPhone 4S to a remote location as there was no Apple store outlet there,” he said.

Having tapped facebook users, BlueEX is now gearing up to reach other remote locations through mobile phones, Baxamoosa said. The company has already developed an iPhone app and is waiting for the launch of 3G spectrum to expand its customer base, he added.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 14th, 2012.

Eyeing better ties, Indian commerce minister heads to Pakistan

Indian Commerce Minister Anand Sharma (R) welcomes his Pakistani counterpart, Amin Fahim, during an India-Pakistan Business Conclave in New Delhi on September 29, 2011. PHOTO: AFP/FILE

NEW DELHI: The Indian commerce minister has reiterated his country’s commitment to removing barriers that restrict trade with Pakistan as he prepares to visit Islamabad next week.

Anand Sharma will leave for Lahore on Monday through the overland border post at Wagah to take part in a three-day “India Show” and hold trade talks with his Pakistani counterpart Amin Fahim.

“We want to build bridges of confidence and trust which is imperative to promote two-way trade between the two countries,” Sharma told a press conference in New Delhi on Sunday.

An array of legal and regulatory barriers has restricted official exchanges to $2.7 billion but Sharma said he was hopeful the sum would jump in the coming years.

“We hope to double this figure in a three-year period. Once direct trade through (the) land route is facilitated, there will be a manifold increase,” said Sharma, who will head a 120-strong delegation of business leaders and officials.

Deepening economic engagement between the two countries is seen as crucial to establishing lasting peace in the troubled South Asian region.

In 1996, India granted Pakistan “most preferred nation” status which is intended to remove discriminatory higher pricing and duty tariffs. Pakistan agreed in principle to grant a similar status to India last year, paving the way for a radical reorganisation of trade.

At present, Pakistan maintains a list of 1,945 items allowed to run from India to Pakistan but only 108 can be trafficked directly by road through Wagah.

Major items of export from India to Pakistan are sugar, cotton, man-made filaments and chemicals, while its top imports from Pakistan include fruit, mineral fuels, and organic chemicals.

Sharma said Pakistan had shown the willingness to move “towards a regime which deepens and diversifies our trade”, and India, on its part, was working towards visa reforms.

-Tribune

Whiz kid: After 4 world records, 14-year-old to present first research paper

Iqbals’ current research relates to Apple devices (iPad, iPhone and iPod). His method does not require Jailbreaking and can image an Apple device in less than 30 minutes.

After breaking four world records, 14-year-old whiz kid from Dera Ismail Khan, Babar Iqbal is now set to present his first research paper at the 8th IEEE International Conference on Innovations in Information Technology.

Iqbal will present a paper on digital forensic science, the field that covers the recovery and investigation of data from digital devices and is often used to aid computer crime investigations.

This is not the first time Iqbal has been in the spotlight, he was the youngest Microsoft Certified Professional (MCP) and the youngest Certified Internet Web Professional (CIWA) at the age of nine.

He then went on to become the youngest Certified Wireless Network Administrator (CWNA), youngest Microsoft Student Partner (MSP) and youngest Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist (MCTS) in .NET 3.5 at the age of 10, 11 and 12 respectively.

Iqbal’s current research relates to Apple devices (iPad, iPhone and iPod). His method does not require Jailbreaking and can image an Apple device in less than 30 minutes.

This new method can help law enforcement agencies in retrieving digital forensic evidence present on an Apple device including contacts, texts, all multimedia files, GPS info and cellphone tower logs (which can help triangulate the location of a device at a certain point in time).

Iqbal is currently in Dubai, where he is training and working with Microsoft.

-Express Tribune

Youth festival: Spotlighting the colourful side of Pakhtun culture

Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Information Minister Mian Iftikhar Hussain visiting different stalls during a cultural festival in Peshawar on Wednesday. PHOTO: APP

PESHAWAR: To underscore the importance of peace and education, a cultural festival featuring traditional performing arts and Pashto poetry was held on Wednesday.

The event was attended by a large number of students, who appreciated the performers from Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) and tribal areas representing their culture.

Handicrafts, jewellery and musical instruments of Chitral and Afghanistan were also displayed in decorated stalls during the event.

The performers tried to highlight their traditions to show that militancy is not all their region should be known for.

Saeedullah, a student of the University of Peshawar who hails from Dabori in upper Orakzai Agency, said he was motivated to participate in the event to display his culture to the world.

Regarding the ongoing conflict in the agency, he said militants were on the backfoot as security forces have cleared 70 per cent of the area.

“We want to let the whole world know that we are peace-loving and violence doesn’t represent us,” he remarked.

Some of the stalls also displayed pictures of destruction in the aftermath of drone attacks.

“Drones are killing innocent people including women and children, which should be stopped immediately,” said Umar Wazir, another Peshawar University student belonging to North Waziristan.

Umar was of the view that his hometown is completely peaceful with no military operation being carried out at present.

Riaz Darmal, president of Afghan students in K-P, said the culture on both sides of the Durand Line was the same, adding that participating in the event was a pleasant experience for Afghan students.

He said Afghan people have kept their culture alive despite a three-decade long civil war and they want to see peace in the world.

Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Information Minister Mian Iftikhar Hussain, who was the chief guest on the occasion, urged the youth to fight against terrorism through education and cultural promotion.

“Stopping one’s sister or daughter from going to school is not Pakhtun culture, in which women and children aren’t attacked and sanctity of mosques is maintained even in vendettas,” said Hussain.

The event was organised by Community Appraisal and Motivation Programme, a non-profit organisation. Hussain also distributed prizes among participants.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 10th, 2012. 

13-year-old prodigy becomes lecturer at SSUET, FAST, MAJU

KARACHI: Mauhib Iqbal, after taking few short computer courses at the Sir Syed University of Engineering and Technology (SSUET) as a student, impressed his peers to the extent that the university has hired him as a faculty member.

Only 13 years old, Iqbal now teaches students older than himself. He has also started giving lectures to students of FAST University and Mohammad Ali Jinnah University (MAJU) and to those living in far flung areas of Interior Sindh via Skype.

The young IT genius has excelled in different programming languages including Microsoft.NET framework and C Sharp.

After scoring 84.4% in web application, Mauhib mastered different technologies including database web application, security software and motion capture.

“I don’t limit myself when I think about doing something, I believe in going an extra mile,” Iqbal said.

Iqbal wants to study in a foreign university and to use his skills for the betterment of the country.

“Mauhib is Pakistan’s asset and he can make the nation proud just like Arfa Karim,” said one of his teachers.

-Tribune