FARUKH SHEHZAD

BAKU, NOV 2020 - Since September 27, 2020 the armed forces of Armenia have been targeting the civilian population, private houses and civilian infrastructure in Azerbaijan in a deliberate, widespread and systematic manner. By doing so, Armenia grossly violates its obligations under international humanitarian law, including the 1949 Geneva Conventions and its Additional Protocols as well as disregards the humanitarian ceasefire declared on October 10, 18 and 26.

On October 30 - November 2, Armenia continued to launch attacks in various directions, including across the international border with Azerbaijan. The border regions of Azerbaijan -  Dashkesen, Gadabay, Gazakh, Gubadli, Tovuz and Zangilan  were fired at from Noyemberyan, Berd, Chambarak, Gorus Vardenis regions of Armenia. “Su-25” combat aircraft attacking Azerbaijan’s territory from Armenia also neutralized.

Moreover, Armenia’s armed forces continuously targeted Aghdam, Aghjabadi, Goranboy and Tartar regions with heavy artillery causing human suffering and damage to civil infrastructure. As a result of the attacks, a school was severely damaged in Aghdam regions Mahrizli village. In total, Armenia’s deliberate bombardment of residential areas killed 9 schoolchildren and destroyed or damaged 50 schools. 

As of November 1, Azerbaijan National Agency for Mine Action (ANAMA) found 311 unexploded ordnances, 1151 bomblets from 9N235 cluster munition, 640 exploded missiles part and etc.

As of October 31, in total 91 civilians, including children, women and elderly were killed, more than 404 civilians have been hospitalized with serious injuries. Currently, damages to private and public property being assessed (as of October 31, reported damages were around 2465 private houses, 97 apartment buildings and more than 455 civilian infrastructure).

Below is photo evidence from Armenia’s attack on a secondary school in the Aghdam region.

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Ambassador of Kyrgyz Republic to Pakistan, Erik Beishembiev has said on Monday that Pakistani industrialists could exports their goods via Kyrgyzstan to Europe and other western markets

Hosting Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu in Baku, Aliyev said Pashinyan's request was an "admission of defeat" and that the treaty did not apply because Karabakh is internationally recognised as part of Azerbaijan

BAKU, NOV 2  - Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has said on Sunday there was no reason for Russia to intervene in the conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh because Baku is not threatening Armenian territory.

Fighting has been raging over Karabakh -- an ethnic Armenian region of Azerbaijan -- for more than a month and on Saturday Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan asked Moscow for "urgent consultations" on how Russia could come to its aid under a defence treaty.

Hosting Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu in Baku, Aliyev said Pashinyan's request was an "admission of defeat" and that the treaty did not apply because Karabakh is internationally recognised as part of Azerbaijan.

"Azerbaijan is conducting military operations on its territory and has no military plans for the territory of Armenia," Aliyev's office quoted him as saying.

Hundreds of people have been killed since new fighting erupted on September 27 over Karabakh, which broke from Azerbaijan's control during a war in the 1990s.

International attempts to secure a ceasefire have repeatedly failed.

Aliyev said his country would agree to a truce only if Armenian separatists stopped trying to win back territory recently retaken by Azerbaijani forces.

"This is the main reason for continued fighting," he said.

Cavusoglu re-asserted Ankara's support for Azerbaijan and said Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had told him it was "unacceptable" to leave Azerbaijan without assistance.

Fighting continued overnight and Sunday morning, the warring sides said.

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LAHORE, NOV 2 – In a reshuffle of the Punjab cabinet, Fayyazul Hasan Chohan has been removed as the provincial information minister, according to a notification issued by the Punjab government.

Meanwhile, Firdous Ashiq Awan, who previously served as the special assistant to the prime minister on information and broadcasting, has been appointed as special assistant on information to Chief Minister Usman Buzdar.

Chohan will now only hold the portfolio of the Punjab colonies minister.

The move apparently came as a surprise to Chohan, who told that he did not know of any such development.

As part of the reshuffle, two other provincial ministers Mehar Muhammad Aslam, who held the cooperatives portfolio, and Zawar Hussain Warraich, who held the prisons portfolio were removed from their offices.

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A well-developed body of literature shows that closing the gender gap in financial inclusion could have positive effects in smoothing consumption, lowering financial risks and costs, providing security, increasing saving and investment rates, and facilitating new business opportunities

Increasing access to and use of quality financial products and services is important to an inclusive economic process and poverty reduction. Research shows that when people participate within the economic system, they’re better ready to manage risk, start or invest in a business, and fund large expenditures like education or a home improvement. Despite the overall progress made in terms of financial inclusion, the gender gap remains intact.

Women’s financial inclusion occurs when women have effective access to a range of financial products and services that cater to their multiple business and household needs and that are responsive to the socioeconomic and cultural factors that cause financial exclusion in women.

A well-developed body of literature shows that closing the gender gap in financial inclusion could have positive effects in smoothing consumption, lowering financial risks and costs, providing security, increasing saving and investment rates, and facilitating new business opportunities. 

Women can contribute to their economic uplift by not only building businesses but also by better managing their financial resources. Having access to and use of a variety of monetary services enhances not only the contribution of women in the economic growth, but also contributes to women’s autonomy, allows for an efficient use of their personal and household resources.

Pakistan still has a long way to go to achieve financial inclusion of women in the economy. Woman only make up 22% of the workforce, despite constituting 49% of the total population (World Bank). Only 2.9% of women are financially included, compared to 17% men National Financial Inclusion Strategy (NFIS). 

At financial institutions, men outnumber women account holders by 68%. In mobile banking, the gap widens to 78% (FINCA). Compared to men, women are more likely to be poor, less likely to have a job and more likely to work in the informal economy.

Greater women’s financial inclusion requires a more gender inclusive financial system that addresses the specific demand and supply side barriers women face. Women face multiple barriers that limit their access to and use of financial services. The primary and foremost are the social conventions that govern a typical Pakistani community i.e. a patriarchal society. 

Women are deprived of their fundamental rights which creates a sense of inequality, they are subjected to predefined cultural norms that over the years become boundaries they must not cross. This not only damages their self-esteem; but also endorses them as the gender of less importance. Resulting in under confident women who constantly doubt their own capabilities and rights.

Stemming from the above, is a second crucial matter of awareness and education that needs to be addressed. Women are reluctant to interact with the financial sector, because they have limited financial literacy and lack the understanding of how to deal with financial products & services. 

The cumbersome documentation, technical language and lengthy processes are all too much strenuous for a woman with limited exposure. Although female participation in the micro, small and medium enterprises has witnessed a surge, women still have hesitations from the banking sector. High interest rates, significant collateral demands and limited insurance options prove to be a major hurdle.

For financial inclusion to have an impact on women’s economic empowerment, livelihoods and broader welfare effects, these social norms need to be taken into account and acted upon. While social norms change is complex, financial services and products design and roll out can have a role to play.

It is unfortunate to ascertain that in essence the banking sector has failed to serve the financial needs of all people. In Pakistan only 21% of the population is banked (State Bank of Pakistan) and no concrete efforts have been made to increase this number. Although the emergence of digital financial services has catered to the access and mobility issue, enormous potential remains unexplored. Moreover, there is lack of availability of financial products specifically designed to address women’s needs and challenges e.g. provision of loans as small as Rs. 10,000/-.

Evidence shows that different measures can be used to overcome above mentioned barriers, and it is essential that financial institutions take these measures into account when developing financially inclusive products. 

To start off with; identifying women as a lucrative customer segment, investing in their needs and helping them grow. Financial institutions need to gather gender disaggregated data to develop customized value propositions tailored to women’s needs and gender-smart products, train employees to provide expertise and design-friendly ecosystems, provide financial training and coaching to women and access women through their close knitted networks.

Financial inclusion is important for women to access loans, credit and to make transactions, but it is also an essential way to save money and build assets in a safe place, which can in turn help them move out of poverty. Efforts need to be made in developing a relationship of trust and compassion to overcome financial literacy hindrances of women. For instance, a packaged service which caters to identity registration, bank account opening, training & mentoring along with provision of loan.

Furthermore, the new alternative forms of digital finance have also opened a new set of services, channels and value opportunities for women, both the financially excluded and the already financially included but underserved. Digital channels and innovative product designs have the potential to offer new and better value propositions for women when done holistically and considering social norms. Karandaaz Pakistan, has been working extensively in this area along with other interventions for financial inclusion. 

Their annual FIWC (Financial Inclusion for Women Challenge) has resulted in innovative and disruptive ideas to support business that create financial products that enable women to adopt Financial Services. A good example is of Oraan, a Karandaaz Pakistan funded venture which digitises the committee concept of saving, along with provision of coaching and guidance all under one mobile application. Improving and increasing the outreach of such solutions will allow women to use more convenient financial services.

Although the demand and supply side barriers to women’s financial inclusion are vast, appropriate product design features can help overcome some of these barriers. Products which allow women greater degree of control and privacy surrounding their incomes and spending decisions can also be particularly promising. Public policies are also needed to support, promote and bring to scale improved access to and growing use of financial services for women.

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Speaking on the occasion, Muhammad Shehzad Yousuf, Chief Business Operations Officer PTCL, said, ‘We are delighted to partner with ICAP where the community of chartered accountants will experience high quality telephone, internet and managed digital services across Pakistan

ISLAMABAD, NOV 2 – Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited (PTCL) has agreed to offer the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Pakistan (ICAP) exclusive discount packages for seamless telephone and internet services for all ICAP members.

Muhammad Shehzad Yousuf, Chief Business Operations Officer PTCL, presented offer pertaining to PTCL services to Syed Masood Akhtar, Secretary, ICAP, at a special ceremony organized at ICAP office in Karachi. Khalilullah Shaikh, President ICAP and Hina Usmani, Vice President ICAP, attended the ceremony, along with Abdul Zahir Achakzai, EVP Business Zone South PTCL, Azhar Saeed, GM Sales South PTCL and Omair Jamal, Senior Director, Education & Training ICAP.

This offer will include Managed IT & Telecom services such as Voice, High Speed Internet, International connectivity, Static IP and GSM consumer solutions. Ufone, being a subsidiary of PTCL, plans to offer state-of-the-art Call Center solution to ICAP. Through the establishment of an in-house Call Center at ICAP, Ufone will also be offering expert technical support. Moreover, this facility will enhance ICAP’s connectivity with all its stakeholders.

Speaking on the occasion, Muhammad Shehzad Yousuf, Chief Business Operations Officer PTCL, said, ‘We are delighted to partner with ICAP where the community of chartered accountants will experience high quality telephone, internet and managed digital services across Pakistan. 

We are at the forefront to serve our nation through concerted efforts in line with the vision of Digital Pakistan. Through such partnerships, we endeavor to support organizations such as ICAP that is a part of the education sector and the regulator of the accountancy profession in Pakistan to play a pivotal role in nation building.”

Khalilullah Shaikh, President ICAP said, ‘Academic excellence demands better connectivity these days. PTCL, being the national telecommunication service provider, has vast infrastructure and expertise to support our increasing demand of internet and telecom services. 

We believe that the establishment of ICAP Call Center will enhance capacity building and is aimed to improve service delivery to our members and students, along with the provision of hi-speed internet services to fulfill their digital needs. We are sure that PTCL will be an enabler for us as we aim to add value to businesses and economy. We look forward to building a strong relationship with PTCL.”

Through such initiatives, ICAP and PTCL will lead the digital transformation by enabling the development of IT-based infrastructure. This collaboration will provide cost effective connectivity solutions equipped with the latest ICT services. It will empower the Institute to focus on their ideas and execute them seamlessly with the help of pioneering ICT solutions.

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ISLAMABAD: South Africa security delegation has arrived in Pakistan on Monday to inspect the arrangements with a view to playing in the country in early 2021.

The security team that reached Islamabad is led by South Africa’s Cricket Operations Manager Mookesh Gajjar and includes Stephen Craig Cook, Rory Steyn and Mohamed Zunaid Wadee.

The delegation will watch Pakistan’s third and final one-day international (ODI) against Zimbabwe on Tuesday at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium.

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A blast followed by gunfire were heard near the main university in the Afghan capital on Monday and security forces had been deployed to the area, the interior ministry said.

“Gunshots still can be heard in the area but security forces have blocked it off,” Ministry of Interior spokesman Tariq Arian said.

“We don't know whether we are dealing with a coordinated attack or something else,” he said.

It was not clear if anyone had been killed or wounded or who was responsible.

The insurgent Taliban denied involvement in the attack, which comes at a sensitive time with persistent violence even as peace negotiators meet in Qatar to try to broker a deal between the militants and the government while the United States withdraws its troops.

Witnesses said students had fled from the Kabul University campus.

“This time is one of the busiest times at the university and almost all students have now left,” student Nahid, who asked that only her first name be used for security reasons, told Reuters by telephone after evacuating.

COURTESY DAWN NEWS

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Baku, OCT 2020 - The information spread by the Armenian media with reference to a representative of the Ministry of Defense of this country about the alleged conduct by the Azerbaijan Army combat operations in the direction of the David-Bek village near the city of Gafan of Armenia is not true, Azerbaijan’s Ministry of Defense said.