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PTCL Suffers Rs 2.5 Billion Loss Due to Floods

Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited (PTCL) suffered a loss of Rs 2.5 billion due to recent floods in different parts of the country as over 150 exchanges and 150,000 connections were damaged, said Naveed Saeed Senior Vice President (Commercial) of PTCL in a media briefing.

Addressing media on the occasion of launching ‘EVDO RevB’, he said that PTCL has donated Rs 53.5 million for the flood victims.

He said PTCL employees have generously donated Rs. 20 million towards the relief fund out of total Rs 53.5 million.

He said PTCL set up many relief and medical camps in the flood-affected areas where people are being provided free medicines.

Source:ProPakistani

Call for 35 Paisas in Ramadan with Jazz!

Mobilink Jazz launches a ‘Ramadan Special offer’ through which customers can call all Mobilink numbers for 35 paisas + tax.

Customers can subscribe to the offer for Rs. 10 only, and enjoy talking to their loved ones for the next 7 days between 5 pm till midnight.

How to subscribe/unsubscribe?

•  Dial *108# on mobile screen and press send to subscribe to this offer. Validity of the discounted tariff will be 7 days (168 hours) from subscription. New tariff will be applicable on all Packages under the following timings and conditions.

•You can unsubscribe from the promotion by dialing *108*4# on mobile screen and pressing send.

Note:

•The call rates are per 30 seconds.

•The duration of this promotion will be 21 Days (August 12, 2010 till September 1, 2010).

•Last date for subscription is September 1, 2010.

•Subscriber who subscribe to the offer on September 1, 2010 will get the discounted tariff till September 8, 2010.

•The offer is not available for Jazz 24 Ghanta Offer users.

•The new Tariff will be applicable on On-net Calls only. The Off-net tariff will remain as per package plan.

•Tariff will become active immediately after subscription, but the subscriber will be able to enjoy it only during the specified time window of 5 pm till midnight.

 

Source: Propakistani

Mobilink Offers Unlimited SMS in Ramadan

This Ramadan, Mobilink Jazz launches “Ramadan kay Paigham”. With Ramadan kay Paigham offer, Jazz customers can send unlimited SMS to any network in Pakistan between Sehri and Iftar for Rs. 1.99 plus tax per day.

Tariff:

Rs. 1.99 plus tax per day

How to Subscribe:

Jazz customers can subscribe to offer by dialing *106*1#.

Terms & Conditions:

-->This offer is valid between 0300 – 1900 hours

-->The validity of SMS will be 1 day

-->Charges of Rs. 1.99+tax/day apply

-->The offer is valid till September 8th, 2010

-->Fair usage policy applies i.e. the number of SMS will be 500

-->The offer is available to all prepaid customer on all tariff plans.

Source: Propakistani

Ufone Shukria Pakistan

As Independence Day is approaching and everyone is trying to play his role to celebrate this great day.  Ufone staying ahead of all other telecom operators says “Shukria Pakistan”. Ufone is proud of Pakistan and wants all other Pakistanis to share their thoughts and love for Pakistan by simply sending an SMS to 1947*.

Charges:

R. 0.01 + tax / SMS. Taxes apply

This is a great step by the Ufone and we all need to realize the endless blessings that Pakistan has bestowed us, its beautiful s scenery of the tallest mountains or the shimmering coastline, the seasons that come in all their glory, above all we are breathing in the fresh air of a free and independent country. We all must be thankful and proud of our country.

Source: ProPakistani

Celco’s Restoring Network in Flood-hit Areas: PTA

The cellular services providers are making efforts to restore the telecommunication network in flood-hit areas, said a Pakistan Telecommunication Authority official in an interview withThe News.

The fibre optic cable network of PTCL and Wateen Telecom in Khyber Pakhtonkhwa (KP) was cut off severing link between numerous towns of the province, PTA said. Due to the deluge a total of 53 Base Stations Controllers (BSCs) and 2,703 Base Transceiver Stations (BTSs) have been affected at Peshawar, Nowshera, Dir, Mardan, Charsada, Swabi, Jahangira, Swat, Bara, Timergara, Mingora, Bannu, Kohat, D. I. Khan, Kurram Agency and Khyber Agency.

Access in the affected areas was difficult but the service operators made utmost efforts to restore 43 BSCs and 2,239 BTSs. Remaining sites are being accessed by the technical teams and shall be restored as soon as possible.

Another official of a cellular company informed that telecom network on both banks of Indus River is yet to be fully restored. Flood, broken roads, and collapsed bridges are hindering the repairs. Ufone spokesperson Moazzam Ali Khan said Ufone has been able to keep 99 percent of network running throughout the country.

“Out of around 6,000 only 25 sites are down at the moment; most of the effected sites have already been restored,” Khan said.

“The floods have caused staggering damages to infrastructure in rural Punjab and KP,” said Telenor Head of Corporate Communication and Responsibility Affan Haider.

It was hard to keep the network going with no electricity and fuel, but most of the sites were restored within days, he said. “The scenario in Punjab and Sindh is much more fluid, with floods continuing to play havoc we are cautiously watching and maintaining our current network access and are geared to intervene in case of any issues,” Haider said. Warid spokesperson said that most of the infrastructure damaged due to floods in KP has been restored. The flood damaged the cellular services equipment, electric power system, generators and fuel tanks, boundary walls, floors and tower bases.

Warid attained redundancy via Wateen & Mobilink on few routes and planned long haul route redundancy in Southern Punjab, Sindh and KP.

Source: ProPakistani

Windows 8 Leaks – Microsoft’s Eye on Apple [Report]

So time now to share some interesting gossip about Microsoft’s upcoming operating system, “Windows 8″ that just got leaked on the Internet! The leaked documents reveal some of the sensitive and critical information which talk about Microsoft’s planning to lead the future of Operating System in the world.

And surprisingly, the leaked documents also show that Microsoft has been paying a closer attention to Apple Inc. As showed in the secret documents, Microsoft’s Officials have also discussed in a private meeting in April with the leading computer makers of the world, looking forward to offer a“Windows Store”, in the same way as Apple distributes it’s applications and softwares. A slide from the leaked document also reveals that Microsoft is also looking forward to give Windows 8 a more iPad-like innovation!

Microsoft’s main concern is the future design of Windows 8 as discussed in the slide,“Apple brand is known for high quality, uncomplicated, It just works”. Now that’s where Microsoft is planning to develop a “Windows 8 Prototype Machine”, this will completely redefine the traditional way of computing and will surely make Windows 8 more competitive in the Software World.

Windows 8 Prototype Machine

Windows 8 Prototype Machine will bring a revolution in the world of computing as it will be more powerful and will offer exciting new features which include, Face recognition-based login, Omni-directional Microphone, Infrared proximity sensor, ambient light sensor and High-quality touch Experience! What makes me more excited is the “Face recognition-based login”, that means Microsoft’s future Prototype Machine will have a built-in Cam that will log the user by facial recognition.

Other features include faster startup, and improved energy efficiency. More over this will also include a reset button that will reinstall the Windows and at the same time it will keep and maintain all your documents, media and other personal settings. So this means, you don’t need to worry about creating backups!

The Product Cycle for Windows 8

Below is the planning that Microsoft is looking forward to:

• Planning (from Framing to Vision): Big picture thinking, themes then scenarios, and feature identification list.
• Development (from Vision to Beta): Design and build features, refine SKUs (shelf-keeping units) and value propositions, and begin sharing code.
• Readiness (from Beta to GA+90): Feature complete and bug-fixing, establish and track readiness metrics, and focus on creating great Dell + Windows experiences.

The Microsoft Journal Post, their official blog which is hosted on Windows Live Spaces, was completely taken down because of violating Microsoft’s terms of service. The action was taken as per request that came somewhere inside from Microsoft, now that gives a clear confirmation that these leaked documents are genuine. It was refused to confirm publicly but also has not denied the facts!

Now this gives a clear indication that Microsoft had no intention talking about Windows 8 anytime soon. But these leaked documents give a lot more sense of what exactly the Windows Team has been doing. And according to the timetable (as seen in the documents)Windows LiveWave 4 [in Beta] will go for the final release in this month [August] and the exciting Internet Explorer 9 [BETA] will also hit the markets this month!

Blogger’s Bio: Aurangzaib Qumbrani is a Software Engineering Student, A Social Media Addict and a tech-enthusiast Blogger. He is the Editor-in-Chief of the MadXperts where he shares his interests about Apple, Microsoft and Google Inc. You can connect him onTwitter!

Source: ProPakistani

PTCL Vfone Grand Recharge

In order to attract its lapsed customers, PTCL has introduced a new offer named as “Vfone Grand Recharge”. If you have not recharged your Vfone account after 15thApril, 2010than by loading a Vfone scratch card of any denomination you can get an extra balance, exactly equal to card load!

Note:

• Free balance offer will be valid only for customers who POS date is less than Oct 1, 2010
• Free balance can be utilized for calling on-net (V-V, V-PSTN Local & NWD)
• Free balance can be utilized for Internet and SMS (on-net and off-net)
• The validity of free balance will be 30 days only
• Free balance offer will be applicable only for WIN subscribers & not for WIPT i.e. not for VPCO

Source: ProPakistani

PTCL brings Ramadan Offer!

In the holy month of Ramadan PTCL has introduced a new sales promotion with bundle of attractions listed below:

New Connection in Rs.500 only:

All NTC customers will only pay Rs.500 as installation charges (offer valid till last day of Ramadan)

Free Telephone Sets:

Free telephone set for all NTC customers who apply for PTCL’s Fixed line during Ramadan

Discounted Tariff Rate for making calls to Saudi Arabia:

• Saudi Arabia Fixed: Rs.6.99 per minute
• Saudi Arabia Mobile: Rs.12.99 per minute

Ramadan Value Added Services:

• Live Tarawee from Khana Khaba
• Full Quran with Urdu translation
• Top 10 Naats
• Naats and Hamds
• Arabic Duas
• Arabic Islamic Nasheeds
• Prayer timings
• Names of Allah
• Sehar and Aftar timings
  Service Short Code is 1324 and service tariff is Rs 2 / minute (Exclusive of Taxes)

Free Wake-up Call Service for Ramadan:

To activate dial: *55* HH MM # (time in  24 Hrs format)

Source: ProPakistani

Nokia Launches Ramadan Mobile Applications

Nokia has come with new mobile applications with the content tailored for the holy month of Ramadan. The new Nokia mobile applications are available in the Ovi store. The updated mobile applications tailored for the Holy Month can now be downloaded on the well-matched Nokia devices for free directly from Nokia’s Ovi Store.

“The overwhelming response and feedback that we received from last year’s offering allowed us to improve and expand this year’s application offering. Nokia users have now a single and easy access to many of the cherished experiences that Muslims like to be close to, and keep them connected to the Holy Month. The applications this year also support a wider range of devices including both touch and non-touch Nokia devices, and are available in more languages” said Haseeb Ihtisham, Head of Marketing, Nokia Pakistan and Afghanistan.

This year’s Ramadan applications are feature packed, and include the Holy Quran, Prayer Times, Hadith, Boyoot Allah, Arabica, Mozzaker, and Makkah and Madinah. New features include Quran recitation from multiple recitors from which users can choose to download in MP3 format. Arabica is a great new feature for non-Arabic speaking Muslims to help them learn and understand the message of Allah in Arabic. The new mobile services also feature locations of major mosques in Saudi Arabia, such as the two holy mosques, Masjid Al Haram in Makkah and Masjid Al Nabawi in Al Madinah. Additionally users can also find locations of mosques all around the world using free Ovi maps available on Ovi store.

“Ramadan applications for 2010 are free and offer a variety of content from a range of global and local content providers ready to be downloaded for the widest range of devices.” Haseeb added.

The Ramadan applications are developed by ASGATech, a Forum Nokia Premium Partner in the Middle East, with all content reviewed and approved by Al Azhar Al Shareef.

Ramadan applications for 2010 are compatible with a range of Nokia devices including Nokia N97 mini, Nokia E72, Nokia E52, Nokia X6, Nokia 5230,Nokia 5530,Nokia C5,Nokia 5235, Nokia 5800, Nokia E5, Nokia 6700 slide, Nokia 5233, Nokia X3, Nokia 6303i, Nokia 2710, and Nokia C3. The user interface for the applications is available in English, Arabic, Farsi, French and Urdu.

Source: ProPakistani

Call for 2.99/hr in Ramzan : Zong

ZONG came up with a new offer named as Zong’s Ramzan Value Time Offer, Through this offer you can avail calling rates of 2.99+tax/hour throughout the holy month of Ramzan.

How to subscribe/unsubscribe:

• To subscribe you can dial *711# or write sub in a text message and send to 711.
• To unsubscribe the offer Send unsub to 711.

Note:

• This offer is valid from 1st – 29th Ramzan.
• There is a one-time subscription charge of Rs 10+tax.
• Ramzan value time Offer subscribers can call any ZONG number at Rs 2.99 + tax/hour from:
  Midnight – Sehri (12am – 2am)
  Afternoon – Post Iftari (2pm – 8pm)
• Offnet calls will be charged as per tariff plan.
• Terms and Conditions apply.

Source: Propakistani

Telenor Receives Best Place to Work Award 2010

Telenor Pakistan received Best Place to Work Award 2010 by Pakistan Society of Human Resources Management (PSHRM) and Engage Human Resources in Karachi at a local hotel.

The Award was announced by Vice President Human Capital Division Telenor Pakistan Nayab Baig at the convocation ceremony of Telenor Pakistan’s Ambassador’s Program held in Lahore.

The Telenor Pakistan Ambassador Program’s ceremony saw attendance from the Federal Minister for Youth Affairs Shahid Hussain Bhutto, MPA Senior Minister (Punjab) Raja Riaz Ahmed, Vice President Corporate Affairs and Chief Strategy Officer, Telenor Pakistan, Aamir Ibrahim and Vice President Human Capital Division, Telenor Pakistan Nayab Baig and the Telenor Pakistan Ambassadors.

Federal Minister for Youth Affairs, Shahid Hussain Bhutto congratulated Telenor Pakistan on winning the Best Place to Work Award 2010. While talking about youth and its significance in the society, he said, “Under the National Youth Policy, the government is continuing to work towards initiatives that engage and inspire the youth to come forward and make use of their true potential. Aligned with our vision, Telenor Pakistan’s Ambassadors Program is one example, where young professionals can make use of opportunities and contribute to sustainable development in the country. We hope that such initiatives will continue to take place.”

Vice President Human Capital Division Telenor Pakistan, Nayab Baig said, “Through our Ambassadors’ Program, we aim to provide hands on learning opportunities to young professionals that help to hone their skills and give them a real time experience of the corporate world. We consider our interns valuable resources and advocates of our vision and values.”

At this occasion, it was announced that the Best Place to Work Award 2010 has been awarded to Telenor Pakistan by PSHRM and Engage HR. The award recognizes Telenor Pakistan’s open work environment, egalitarian policies, transformational learning opportunities and equal and non discriminatory benefits.

Telenor Pakistan provides employment to 2500 direct employees and 25000 indirect employees. The company has also been voted the ‘Most Preferred Employer 2009’ by ROZEE.PK. Telenor Pakistan is committed to develop high-quality human capital through modern corporate practices, advanced trainings and international exposure.

Telenor Pakistan’s Ambassador Program offers internship opportunities to students across Pakistan every year. The Telenor Pakistan Ambassador’s program can be applied for, from the Telenor careers website: www.telenor.com.pk/careers

Source: Propakistani

Mobilink Jazz Reactivation Offer

Mobilink Jazz has come up with Jazz Reactivation Offer for all those Jazz customers who have not used their Jazz SIM since 28th of June, 2010.

Such Customers can get 50 free minutes upfront and 500 free SMS by simply putting back their SIM and sending an SMS to 550.

Subscribers can also have a chance to win 300 more free minutes and 1500 free SMS which means upto 100 free minutes & 500 free SMS on first recharge of every month for the next 3 months. This is a limited time offer. A subscriber who doesn’t recharge in a month will not be given free minutes or SMS in the next month.

Terms & Conditions:

• Subscribers will get 50 minutes and 500 SMS will be posted within 48 hours after subscribing through SMS to 550.

• subscribers will also be eligible for bonus on recharge of up to 300 free minutes and 1500 SMS in three installments as per following.

• Each bonus installment will consist of free minutes (equal to value of 1st recharge transaction in the previous month) and 500 SMS b. For example: 1. September (1st installment of free minutes equal to 1st recharge during August + 500 SMS)

• October (2nd installment of free minutes equal to 1st recharge during September + 500 SMS)

• November (3rd installment of free minutes equal to 1st recharge during October + 500 SMS)

• Free minutes are valid for five days for On-net calls only.

• Free SMS are valid for thirty days.

• 300 free minutes will be given over next three months and maximum of 100 minutes will be given during one month based on first recharge of the previous month

• 1500 SMS will be given over 3 months, 500 each month on any amount of recharge in the previous month.

•  Bonus Free minutes and SMS will be given after 10th of next month.

• Amount transferred via Jazz share will not be included in bonus free minutes calculation

Source: Propakistani

Ufone and PTCL Contribute to Flood Relief Fund

Pakistan Telecommunication Company Pakistan and its sister concern Ufone, donated Rs.53.5 million to the Prime Minister’s flood relief fund.

Mr. Walid Irshaid President PTCL and Ufone and Mr. Abdul Aziz CEO Ufone met the honorable Prime Minister of Pakistan Mr. Yousuf Raza Gillani and expressed their solidarity at this time of need.

The Company has and always will stand by the people of Pakistan. This effort is in response to the recent call for help from the private sector by the Prime Minister.

Mr. Walid Irshaid President PTCL and Ufone Pakistan said that this is a testing time for all in Pakistan. The natural calamities have been unimaginable and it is up to each one of us to come together in order to create a unified effort to help the people of Pakistan.

We as socially responsible organizations need to join hands and make this the fastest and most effective relief effort ever. And hoped this contribution will help in providing people relief of their grievous conditions.

Source: Propakistani

Speed Boost with Wi-tribe!

After the recent Upsize Gbs offer, now Wi-tribe is offering more speeds so you can surf, socialize and stream more fast. Through Speed Boost you can get 50% more speed on your current package.

Charges and Subscription:

99 Rupees will charged additional to your current package charges.

Validity of the speed boost is 30 days after subscription.

For subscription please visit http://wi-tribe.pk/boost/ and fill a form or dial 111 187 423 or visit Wi-tribe outlets.

Note:

This offer is only for speed, bandwidth will remain the same.

Terms and Conditions apply.

Source

Today Top Stories::

Man hurled shoes towards President Zardari

High flood tide passing through Guddu.


47 dead in Skardu, Ghanchhe flooding


Deploying Army in Karachi uncalled for: PM


Nawaz slams Zardari’s foreign trip during floods

Shoe Bombing Threat….Asif Ali Zardari was forced to stay away from PPPP worker on the death anniversary of Benazir Bhutto…

Shoe Thrown at Zardari.. Watch now

Protest against Zardari - Shoe Thrown at zardari

BIRMINGHAM: Scores of people staged protest demonstrations outside the Convention Centre on the occasion of President Asif Ali Zardari’s address to the PPP meeting on Saturday in Birmingham.

Hundreds of people belonging to PML-N and other opposition parties and the civil society participated in the demonstrations.

According to media reports, protesters voiced slogans against the president, when he along with Bilawal Bhutto and Pakistani High Commissioner Wajid Shamsul Hasan reached the Convention Center.

The protestors said that the president should not visit the United Kingdom leaving the hapless people of Pakistan at the mercy of raging floods. The president should share the miseries of Pakistani nation in such worst condition, they added.

Heavy contingent of police stopped the protestors from  entering into the Convention Center, however they continued their protest Zardari outside the center.

Source

Google: There Are 129,864,880 Books in the Entire World

How many books have ever been published in all of modern history? According to Google’s advanced algorithms, the answer is nearly 130 million books, or 129,864,880, to be exact.

We’ll admit it’s practically impossible to count every book that has ever been written, but in order for Google Books to successfully catalog the world’s supply of printed knowledge, the company needs an estimate of the amount of books it needs to scan. That’s why Google set out on the task to do just that.

In a detailed blog post, software engineer Leonid Taycher outlined just how complex counting books actually can become. The first step is defining exactly what a book is. The company decided to discount anything that wasn’t an idealized bound volume:

“One definition of a book we find helpful inside Google when handling book metadata is a ‘tome,’ an idealized bound volume. A tome can have millions of copies (e.g. a particular edition of Angels and Demons by Dan Brown) or can exist in just one or two copies (such as an obscure master’s thesis languishing in a university library).”

Google admits their definition is imperfect, but it’s workable and similar to what ISBNs are supposed to represent. ISBN, or International Standard Book Numbers, are designed to be unique identifiers for books. Because they’ve only been around for 30-40 years and are used in mostly Western countries, they can’t be used by themselves. That’s why Google took data from the Library of Congress, WorldCat and others to find as many books as possible — one billion raw records by the company’s count.

Here’s where Google’s engineering talent comes into play. The company used countless algorithms to determine and discard duplicates in an effort that required more than 150 pieces of metadata related to the world’s books to evaluate whether each book record was unique or a duplicate of another. Analyzing this data resulted in 210 million unique books.

Next, Google subtracted the millions of microforms, audio recordings, maps, t-shirts, turkey probles (yes, turkey probes) and videos with IBSNs, arriving at a much more reasonable number of 146 million. Finally, the company removed 16 million government document volumes from their estimate, getting to the 129.8 million count they announced today. Of course, publishers are issuing new books even as this post is being typed, so the company is constantly recalculating the book count.

While we don’t have an army of software engineers and algorithms to back us up, my gut says this number is too low and the company has many more books to count from the annals of history. Still, this project to figure out the world’s book supply is simply fascinating and could be useful for research and historical purposes for years to come.

Source

Telenor Pakistan Pledges Rs100 Million for Flood Affectees

Telenor Pakistan has pledged Rs. 100 Million in funding and telecommunication services, towards relief and rehabilitation of flood affectees. The amount will be used to facilitate immediate relief efforts and longer term rehabilitation initiatives by Pakistan Red Crescent Society.

Chief Strategy Officer and VP Corporate Affairs, Telenor Pakistan, Aamir Ibrahim said, “In this hour of need, where millions have been affected by devastating floods across the country, Telenor Pakistan stands by its brethren. We will contribute through donating funds, offering our telecommunication services and volunteering our collective employee efforts towards the rehabilitation of the affectees. We are deeply saddened by the loss of life and the destruction caused by recent floods. We are sure that this humble effort will help those who need it most.”

Secretary General, Pakistan Red Crescent Society (PRCS), Brig. (Retd.) Muhammad Ilyas Khan appreciated Telenor Pakistan’s timely contribution. He said, “This is a great initiative from Telenor Pakistan and hopefully will also encourage other organizations to contribute in a similar manner. This is a national crisis and everyone needs to do their part by coming forward and extending support.”

Telenor Pakistan runs a number of community support initiatives aimed at helping communities help themselves. In addition to becoming a disability friendly organization, Telenor Pakistan also takes a lead in extending support to disaster victims. In wake of October 2008 earthquake in Baluchistan, it was the first telecom operator to reach the affected area that provided communication facilities and a month’s supply of food items to 160 families. Other than providing crisis communication support to Edhi, National Crisis Management Cell, press and relief organizations, Telenor Pakistan also made a contribution of Rs. 65 million to the President Earthquake Relief Fund and International Red Cross after the 2005 earthquake. Telenor Pakistan and PRCS also worked together during the IDP crisis to help thousands of displaced people from tribal areas of Pakistan.

Source: Propakistani

Awais Malik Resigns from ZONG Joining MTN Group

Awais Malik, Director Marketing Segments, Strategy, Products & International Business, ZONG has resigned from his post and is joining one of the contributory of the MTN Group as Head of Consumer Business. MTN Group is a South Africa-based multinational mobile telecommunications company, operating in many African and Middle Eastern countries.

Awais Malik is an experienced professional with over ten years of experience in the telecommunications industry in Pakistan. He possesses special knowledge in products, strategy development, execution and management.

As Director Marketing Segments, Strategy, Products & International Business at ZONG he was responsible for creating and managing ZONG’s overall marketing and pricing strategy in order to increase customer acquisition / retention and revenue.

An MBA in Marketing from the University of Management & Technology, Lahore, Awais Malik joined ZONG in January 2008 as Head of Marketing Segments, VAS & International Business. Prior to joining ZONG he was Head of VAS & Product Development (Marketing) at Mobilink GSM Pakistan where he served for nearly seven years with distinction.

source: Telecom Recorder

Mobilink Pledges Rs. 85 million For Flood Relief

Mobilink, Pakistan’s market leader in cellular communication services, with the support of parent company Orascom Telecom Holding has committed Rs. 85 million for providing relief to the affectees of the floods caused by torrential monsoon rains in Pakistan.

Mobilink will be coordinating with relief organizations including World Food Programme and World Health Organization to reach out to the flood victims to ensure that aid needs of the deserving and un-served are met in an efficient manner. The funds will be used to provide immediate relief assistance including clean drinking water and dry food rations.

Naguib Sawiris, Executive Chairman, OTH and Khaled Bichara, Group Chief Executive Officer, OTH expressed grief at the loss of lives, infrastructure and the ongoing crisis adding that Mobilink and Pakistan hold a very special place at Orascom and the Rs. 85 million fund is a humble way of expressing solidarity with the millions of people affected by the worst floods in Pakistan’s history.

Rashid Khan, President & CEO Mobilink shared that, “This is a national tragedy that requires each one of us to respond with support that is tangible and urgency which is critical. As one of the largest private sector organizations in the country, Mobilink has always been at the forefront in supporting our fellow citizens in times such as these. We have an experienced team who have been a part of Mobilink’s efforts in the 2005 earthquake, Balochistan floods and more recently the IDPs Relief efforts as well as a generous employee and subscriber base that makes us ideally positioned to deliver effectively.”

In addition to committing funds at the company level, Mobilink has also set up a short code to enable Mobilink users to contribute Rs. 10 (plus tax) by texting “Flood” to 616 or deposit donations to Mobilink Foundation account (account # 0401-0028266-0001) by visiting any NIB branch. Mobilink has also set up a salary fund to enable employees to donate towards this cause.

According to sources, the flood has affected more than 3 million people, including 1.4 million children. Having killed at least 1,400 already, the death toll is expected to rise as more heavy rain is reported in the midst of the monsoon season, feared breakout of water-borne diseases such as cholera and a food crisis due to several parts being cut off for almost one week now.

Last year, Mobilink established a complete relief camp accommodating 1,000 families of IDPs with a Rs. 81 million fund. Recognized as the largest private sector relief commitment for the IDPs, the camp provided inhabitants with all basic need items ranging from tents, bedding and hygiene items, dry food rations, cooking areas and utensils to basic health care, education and even recreation. As a company committed to reshaping lives, Mobilink and Orascom have shown unwavering commitment in the past as well by actively engaging in the relief and rehabilitation of the Oct 2005 earthquake affectees.

Source: Propakistani