Babar Bhatti

I have been observing a trend of aggressive marketing and advertisement by the mobile operators in Pakistan. 50 paisa, 3 paisa, 1 paisa. Trying to one-up other competitors, the advertisements emphasise the lowest possible rate to grab attention.

In reality the low rates being advertised come with many conditions. To figure it out one has to read the fine print carefully. I think this is unfair to the consumers and we need to criticize this trend which some may characterize as deceptive marketing (visit https://ful.io/ to know more about how it works). Have a look at these sample advertisements given with this post. Click on the photos for their enlarged image and good luck with the fine print.

By Shireen Naqvi and Darwaish

Back in June, I wrote about Education For All program initiated by the Government of Punjab with the support of Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). It was just one example of some of the great work going on around us which mostly goes unnoticed and gets very little attention. There are many people around us, working silently with great dedication and commitment, who need our appreciation and support. I thought I should introduce and share some of the wonderful programs initiated by School of Leadership Foundation and particularly one of their project ExtraCorp. These programs are changing lives of physically and mentally challenged people in Pakistan by not just helping them become financially independent but also turning them into entrepreneurs and leaders.

Pervaiz Munir Alvi

PurDil Khan had been under a lot of pressure lately. Even before the month of fasting had started his wife was nagging him on a number of issues. She wanted his help to stock essentials like sugar, rice, flour and ghee before the prices would shoot up for the holidays. She also wanted him to send for their elder daughter Gul Jan and her three little children to spend Ramazan and Eid with them.

The three grand children must have new clothes and shoes for the Eid and the time was really running short. But PurDil Khan thought there was still enough time for these things and wanted to postpone addressing them for few more days if not for few weeks. More pressing on his mind was what was going on at his workshop and the situation that he might have to face at the mosque. Sitting on his lathe he thought of the days when his worries were much less and simpler to handle.