AllWorld Network announces Pakistan Fast Growth 25 winners

The Pakistan Fast Growth 25 companies have grown an average of 81% a year for the past three years.  They paint Pakistan in a new light, suggesting that Pakistan is a strong country for entrepreneurship

The AllWorld Network announced in Pakistan and world-wide the winners of the Pakistan Fast Growth 25, a ranking of fast growth entrepreneurial companies.  The Pakistan Fast Growth 25 is a program of AllWorld Network in partnership with Harvard Business SchoolProfessor Michael Porter and was launched in collaboration with JS Bank Limited.  Joining the Pakistan 25 were Nominating PartnersFPCCI, Rawalpindi Chamber of Commerce; Industry, TiE, P@sha and Knowledge PartnerMishal (Pvt.) Ltd. 


As a group, the Pakistan 25 broke AllWorld records for high growth of 8 countries in the Middle East, Africa and South Asia.  The companies who made the Pakistan 25 posted a 81% annual growth rate between 2007 and 2009 with an average size of 400 employees per company, and since inception they have created 12,000 jobs.  On average the entrepreneurs are 41 years old, with a number having founded other successful companies.  Leading the Pakistan 25 growth rankings are companies in High-Tech and Telecommunications, and Agriculture and Textiles.  Many of these rising Pakistan 25 companies are not just serving local markets, but are competing globally. 

“These results despite all odds project the force and sheer passion of these vibrant business leaders. At JS Bank, we have always supported entrepreneurs and have taken initiatives that create an environment friendlier for within the entrepreneurship space. We are pleased to see our partnership with Allworld bring to frontline such amazing success stories of these compelling entrepreneurs.” Kalim ur Rehman, President JS Bank.

Added Malik Ahmad Jalal, AllWorld’s Director of the Pakistan 25 “Pakistani entrepreneurs have flourished in spite of some of the most restricting economic and security environments in the world. These dynamic men and women are a great resource and the best bet for Pakistan’s future.  We are honored that US Ambassador Cameron Munter will host the Awards Celebration for the winners at his residence on 24 January 2011.  Also joining Ambassador Munter to recognize the winners will be Pakistan Minister Abdul Hafeez Shaikh and other VIPS.” 

In August all private companies from any part of the country was invited to apply.  Close to 100 companies competed for a spot on the Pakistan 25.  Only the fastest growing private companies make the list, and each company is credentialed by AllWorld based on strenuous international standards.  Applicants much complete a detailed survey of business strategy and operations and provide audited statements or an audit letter to verify revenues.  While only a ranking of 25 companies, 30 companies were credentialed as AllWorld Entrepreneurs.  Twenty 24 companies older the three years old made the ranking and an additional 6 younger companies are Companies to Watch.   Of the 30 companies that made the Pakistan 25, Lahore had the most number with 12 winners and Karachi came in a close second with 10 winners.

The top three companies were founded by a tribal leader, three friends from university, and Pakistani-American from Silicon Valley. Leading the Pakistan 25 is #1 company Exceed (Pvt.) Ltd of Islamabad, with a revenue growth rate of 1,350% between 2007 and 2009.  Exceed was founded by Mr. Sardar Hayaat Muhammed Khan Mandokhel in 2004 when he was 24 years old.  Exceed is  primarily a construction company and is best known for the Saidpur Model Village which Exceed restored as an 18th Century city-museum.  The founder of Exceed, now 30-years old, is also the youngest entrepreneur on the Pakistan 25.

At #2 on the Pakistan 25 is NayaTel, established in 2004 and now with over 500 employees.  After many years in government service and industry, three university friends joined forces to found NayaTel.  NayaTel launched South Asia's first fiber to the home (FTTH)/fiber to the user (FTTU) network in Islamabad in 2006. This state of the art fiber wiring now serves 6,000 home and company users, and is key to providing the country’s capital city with a robust telecom infrastructure. 

At #3 on the Pakistan 25 is Arpatech, which like the top two winners was also established in 2004.  Arpatech was founded by Pakistani-AmericanJamal Khan who studied in the US and worked for five years with a leading Silicon Valley technology firm.  He established Arpatech which now employs a team of 70 in Pakistan and is one of the most successful software houses serving companies all over the world with services from application development to network security.

CLICK HERE TO SEE THE FULL LIST OF THE PAKISTAN 25.

As a group, the Pakistan 25 report their major constraint to growth is finding qualified manager and employees.  This is the number one constraint experienced by growth companies the world over.  The second major constraint to growth is Government Red Tape.

AllWorld was co-founded by Deirdre Coyle, Anne Habiby and Porter.  Professor Porter was described by the Times of London as the world’s “most influential management guru” and is widely regarded at the foremost authority on company and country competitiveness.   “The Pakistan 25 companies, led by dynamic men and women, represent the leading edge of a new approach to Pakistan’s competitiveness” says Porter. As AllWorld Entrepreneurs, the Pakistan 25 will have the opportunity to network with other AllWorld winners from the Middle East, Asia and Africa and the top winners of the Pakistan 25|100 are invited to the AllWorld Summit at Harvard University in November 2011.

AllWorld is also launching the Pakistan 100, and companies are invited to apply at AllWorldLive.com at the Asia 500 section.  AllWorld aims to advance ALL the growth entrepreneurs of the emerging world, and building the largest entrepreneurship information system in the world.

Pakistan Security Update - 27 July, 2010

• Admiral Mike Mullen says WikiLeaks information will not effect relationship with Pakistan
• Mullah Fazlullah traced to Kunar, Afghanistan; kidnapped ISI officer threatens to expose Pakistan’s weaknesses
• 43 suspects arrested in Karachi
• Three security forces personnel killed
• 20 militants killed in Khyber Agency
• Anti-Terrorism Bill 2010 proposed in Pakistani Senate

WikiLeaks Fallout

• Admiral Mike Mullen on Tuesday said that the information in the WikiLeaks documents on the war in Afghanistan did not call U.S. strategy into question or Washington’s relationship with Pakistan. “Certainly the information that I've seen so far in the documents, there's nothing in there that wasn't reviewed or considered in the strategic review” of the war last year,  Mullen told reporters. Mullen added that Washington has voiced its concerns about Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) links with Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), blamed for the 2008 Mumbai attacks, and the Haqqani Network, which targets U.S.-led forces in Afghanistan.  [1]

• In Islamabad, a senior ISI official reportedly said that if the CIA does not “denounce the suggestions" of ISI complicity with the Taliban, the ISI might need to "reexamine its cooperation."  Gen. Hamid Gul, a former ISI chief now in the spotlight because he is frequently mentioned in the leaked documents as a link with the Taliban, denounced the reports as “completely baseless.” [2] 

Mullah Fazlullah in Afghanistan

• Pakistan’s intelligence agencies have traced the location of Swat Taliban chief Mullah Fazlullah to Kunar province, an area inside Afghanistan that borders Pakistan’s Chitral District and Bajaur Agency. “We know exactly where he (Fazlullah) is in Afghanistan…we have told Americans and Afghans to get him. But they hardly seem to be interested in moving against him,” a Peshawar-based security official said. Intelligence officials believe that Fazlullah crossed into Kunar province immediately after a military operation was launched in Swat in May of 2009.[3]

 

Khyber-Pakhtunkwa

• In a video obtained by the Associated Press on Tuesday, a former Pakistani intelligence officer kidnapped four months ago threatened to expose the government’s “weaknesses” unless it agrees to a prisoner swap to secure his release. Sultan Amir Tarar, also known as Col. Iman, was kidnapped while travelling with another former intelligence official, Khalid Khawaja, and a filmmaker in North Waziristan. The group holding Col. Imam, Lashkar-e-Jhangvi al-Alami, has demanded the release of nearly 160 militants, including suspected suicide bombers and conspirators facing trial for the assassination of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto.  Khawaja’s body was found with a note attached accusing him of being a CIA and Inter-Services Intelligence spy.[4]

• Awami National Party (ANP) chief Asfandyar Wali Khan said on Tuesday that Pakistan will continue to fight terrorism. “We will not compromise on our anti-terror policy,” Wali told reporters a day after a suicide attack killed at least eight people outside the residence of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Information Minister in Pabbi. [5]
  

Karachi

• Sindh rangers and police arrested 43 suspects in a crackdown across the city on Tuesday. The search operations were conducted mostly in neighborhoods where target killings have occurred. According to sources, police also recovered drugs and weapons. Meanwhile, the Office of Chief Minister Sindh Qaim Ali Shah announced the formation of a special judicial tribunal to investigate incidents of targeted killings. The tribunal will report its findings within 30 days. Meanwhile, speaking outside the Senate in Islamabad, Interior Minister Rehman Malid said that the violence is Karachi is not only due to targeted killings, but also to ongoing conflicts between land mafia groups. Malik also said that rangers have been deployed to quell the violence.[6]
  

Balochistan

• Three security personnel were killed by gunmen in two separate attacks in Awaran and Khuzdar districts on Monday. According to sources, two Balochistan Levies were killed by unidentified gunmen riding motorcycles near Pirnawa. In a separate incident, a Frontier Corps soldier was killed by gunmen in Khuzdar district, 300 kilometers from the provincial capital.[7]
  

Khyber Agency

• Security forces killed at least 20 militants during an operation on Sunday in Khyber Agency. Back by helicopter gunships, security forces attacked positions in Kharmatang area of Tehsil Bara, a known militant stronghold.[8]
  

Anti-Terrorism Bill 2010 Proposed

• Interior Minister Rehman Malik on Tuesday proposed the Anti-Terrorism Amendment Bill 2010 in the Senate.  Addressing the Senate, Malik said that terrorism is the biggest threat facing the country and that the bill is critical in counteracting that threat. Under the proposed amendments, a suspected terrorist can be held for up to 90 days without being formally charged. Also, operating an illegal FM station advocating resistance to security forces will be considered an act of terrorism. Malik added that 176 terrorists had been arrested in Balochistan, many of whom were of Uzbek and Afghan origin.[9]
  

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Source: 
[1] “No change to war strategy, Pakistan ties after leak: US,” Dawn, July 27, 2010. Available on http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/news/world/03-no-change-to-war-strategy-pakistan-ties-after-leak-us-ss-05?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+dawn%2Fnews%2Fworld+%28DAWN.COM+-+World+News%29

[2]Joshua Partlow and Karin Brulliard, “Pakistan decries WikiLeaks release of U.S. military documents on Afghan war,” Washington Post, July 27, 2010. Available on http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/07/26/AR2010072602393_pf.html

Zahid Hussain, “Reports Depict Pakistani Ex-Spy as Taliban Link,” WSJ, July 27, 2010. Available on http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704700404575391152099593496.html

[3] “Pakistani spies trace Fazlullah to Kunar province,” Express Tribune, July 27, 2010. Available on http://tribune.com.pk/story/31093/pakistani-spies-trace-fazlullah-to-kunar-province/

[4] “Former spy held by militants demands help,” Dawn, July 27, 2010. Available on
 http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/news/pakistan/03-former-spy-held-by-militants-demands-help-ss-03

[5] “We will not pull out from war against terror: Asfandyar,” Dawn, July 27, 2010. Available on http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/news/pakistan/04-asfandyar-on-war-on-terror-qs-03

[6] Rangers arrest 43 suspects in Karachi operation,” Express Tribune, July 27, 2010. Available on http://tribune.com.pk/story/31596/rangers-arrested-43-suspects-in-karachi-operation/

“Target killings not the only violence: Malik,” Dawn, July 27, 2010. Available on http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/news/pakistan/03-target-killings-not-the-only-violence-malik-ss-02

[7] “Three security personnel killed,” Express Tribune, July 27, 2010. Available on http://tribune.com.pk/story/31485/three-security-personnel-killed/

“Three security personnel killed in Balochistan,” Daily Times, July 27, 2010. Available on http://dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2010\07\27\story_27-7-2010_pg7_6

[8] “20 militants die in Bara assault,” Express Tribune, July 26, 2010. Available on http://tribune.com.pk/story/31121/20-militants-die-in-bara-assault/

[9]“Anti-terrorism bill tabled in Senate,”  Dawn, July 27, 2010. Available on  http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/news/pakistan/04-anti-terror-bill-senate-qs-04?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+dawn%2Fnews%2Fpakistan+%28DAWN.COM+-+Pakistan+News%29

“Anti-Terrorism Bill tabled in Senate,” Express Tribune, July 27, 2010. Available on http://tribune.com.pk/story/31554/anti-terrorism-bill-tabled-in-senate/

“Bill moved in Senate to amend Anti-Terror Act,” The News, July 27, 2010. Available on http://www.thenews.com.pk/updates.asp?id=109248

Pakistan Security Update - 21 / 07 / 2010

Pakistan Security Update - July 21, 2010

• President Obama vows to increase cooperation with Pakistan
• U.S. Special Operations Forces accompanying Pakistani forces on aid missions
• 25 militants killed in Orakzai Agency
• 14 people killed in Karachi violence
• NATO to strengthen political ties with Pakistan
• New York Times examines India-Pak water dispute
• Pakistan’s Prime Minister addresses criticism of Afghan Transit Trade Agreement
• Top Pakistani counter-terrorism official resigns.

U.S.-Pak Relations

 

• In a White House press conference with British Prime Minister David Cameron on Tuesday, President Barack Obama pledged to increase cooperation with Pakistan in the fight against militancy in the region, which he stressed would not be allowed to become a terrorist safe-haven. President Obama also applauded the signing of the Af-Pak Transit Trade Agreement, calling it a “historic agreement to increase economic opportunity for people on both sides of the border.”[1]

• According to a Wall Street Journal report, U.S. Special Operations Forces (SOF) have begun accompanying Pakistani forces on aid missions throughout the country.  Although U.S. forces are permitted to defend themselves, the missions are meant to be humanitarian in nature. U.S. forces have also been instructed to keep a low-profile. "This whole exercise could be counterproductive if people see U.S. boots on the ground,” a Pakistani official said. U.S. military officials say that these joint missions are meant to be trust-bulding exercises with the end goal of encouraging Pakistan's government to increase U.S. SOF's role in the country. [2]
  

FATA

• At least 25 militants were killed on Wednesday in clashes with security forces in Orakzai Agency.
  
  
  
  According to sources, security forces are stepping up operations in Upper Orakzai’s Dabori and Alikhel regions. One soldier was killed and four others were wounded in Wednesday’s clashes.[3]
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Militants destroyed a private school in Pirwalkhel in Darra Adeam Khel on Tuesday.
  
  
  According to local sources, militants placed explosives throughout the building and destroyed it using a remote-controlled detonator. Security forces cordoned off the area and made several arrests in connection with the attack.[4]

Karachi

• At least 14 people were killed in violence across Karachi on Wednesday.
  
  
  
   According to police sources, 10 people belonging to various political parties were killed by gunmen in areas including Gulistan-e-Johar, Malir, Surjani Town, and Shah Faisal Colony. In separate incidents, two youths were killed in Landhi Awami Colony and Rafa-e-Aam. Police believe the killings were linked to fighting between two political parties, Punjabi-Pashtun Ittehad (PPI) and the Awami National Party (ANP).[5]
  

NATO-Pak Relations

• At a joint press conference, Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi and Secretary-General of NATO Anders Rasmussen agreed to expand political cooperation in order to bring greater stability to country.
  
  
  
  The Secretary-General of NATO applauded Pakistan’s efforts in the tribal regions and recent signing of the Afghan Transit Trade Agreement: “It will promote peace and stability in the region and lead to economic development for mutual benefit of all countries of the region.” Gen. Rasmussen added that NATO “will not leave behind a vacuum [in Afghanistan] and create and unstable situation in your neighborhood.” [6]
  

India-Pak Relations

• A New York Times report on Wednesday examines the ongoing dispute over India’s plans to build a hydroelectric dam that could potentially threaten the water supply to Pakistan’s agriculture industry
  
  
  
  - One quarter of its economy and employer of half of its population. Water has become a growing source of tension in the region and threatens to derail delicate negotiations between India and Pakistan. Jamaat-u-Dawa, the charity wing Lashkar-e-Taiba, the militant group behind the 2008 Mumbai attacks, has said that it is closely monitoring the water dispute.[7]
  
  
• Indian Minister for External Affairs S.M. Krishna on Wednesday invited his Pakistani counterpart, Shah Mehmood Qureshi, to visit India in the near future.
  
  
  
  Talking to reporters, Krishna said that “(Qureshi’s) forthcoming visit will restore talks from where they broke down in Islamabad a couple of days ago.” Krishna also stressed the need for sustainable diplomatic relations and negotiations between the two countries. Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Qureshi mocked the Indian Army’s “theory of hegemony,” warning that Pakistan will respond to any imbalance, nuclear or otherwise, in the region. Addressing a seminar on the topic of India’s Cold-Start Doctrine, Qureshi said that the potential economic consequences of a regional imbalance are unacceptable.[8]
  

Af-Pak Relations

• Pakistan’s Prime Minister, Yousaf Raza Gilani, on Tuesday told reporters that the controversial Afghan Transit Trade Agreement (ATTA) is at the moment little more than a “broad-based understanding” awaiting final cabinet approval. In a separate press conference, Information Minister Qamar Zaman Kaira defended the agreement by reminding critics that “the Letter of Understanding has been signed for one way transit trade facility for Afghan goods up to Wagah border, and not for reverse trade from India.” [9]

Islamabad

• The Director General of Pakistan’s National Counterterrorism Authority (NACTA), Tariq Pervez, resigned on Tuesday, citing personal reasons.
  
  
  
  The resignation was announced several hours after five militants attacked a military shooting range in Mardan District and amid a bureaucratic struggle over the jurisdiction of NACTA. The government appointed Pervez, a former officer of the Police Service of Pakistan and head of the Federal Investigation Agency, to lead NACTA shortly after its creation in 2009. According to sources, Pervez resigned due to frustration with NACTA’s lack of authority.[10]
  
  
  
  

---

Sources:

[1] “Obama vows to deepen ties with Pakistan,” Daily Times, July 21, 2010. Available on http://dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2010\07\21\story_21-7-2010_pg7_1

[2] Julian Barnes, “U.S. Forces Step Up Pakistan Presence,” July 21, 2010. Available on http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704723604575379132838698738.html

[3] “At least 25 militants killed in Orakzai clash,” Dawn, July 21, 2010. Available on http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/news/pakistan/44-at-least-25-militants-killed-in-orakzai-clash-fa-03

[4] “Militants blow up school in Darra,” The News, July 21, 2010. Available on http://thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=252021

[5] “Rioting in Malir after political killing,” Express Tribune, July 21, 2010. Available on http://tribune.com.pk/story/29211/rioting-in-malir-after-political-killing/

“Firing across Karachi, 12 dead,” Express Tribune, July 21, 2010. Available on http://tribune.com.pk/story/29296/death-toll-of-karachi-shootings-rises-to-11/“Targeted killings claim 14 lives in Karachi,” Dawn, July 21, 2010. Available on http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/news/pakistan/metropolitan/04-karachi-11-killed-qs-02

“4 political activists among 9 murdered,” Daily Times, July 21, 2010. Available on http://dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2010\07\21\story_21-7-2010_pg12_1

“Targeted killings claim 10 lives in Karachi,” Geo, July 21, 2010. Available on http://www.geo.tv/7-21-2010/68703.htm

[6] “Pakistan, Nato to strengthen political framework,” Dawn, July 21, 2010. Available on http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/news/pakistan/04-rasmussen-in-pakistan-qs-01

[7] “Water Dispute Increases India-Pakistan Tension,” NYT, July 21, 2010. Available on http://feeds.nytimes.com/click.phdo?i=664be9185818fb6b37d259c155741705

[8]  “Qureshi invited to India: Krishna,” Geo, July 21, 2010. Available on http://www.geo.tv/7-21-2010/68699.htm

“Qureshi sees regional growth at stake on nuke imbalance,” Geo, July 21, 2010. Available on http://www.geo.tv/7-21-2010/68725.htm

[9] Asin Awan, “It’s an understanding, not a deal: PM Gilani,” July 21, 2010. Available on http://tribune.com.pk/story/29259/it%E2%80%99s-an-understanding-not-a-deal-pm-gilani/

[10]  Skakeel Anjum,  “Counter-Terrorism Authority chief resigns,” The News, July 21m 2010. Available on http://www.thenews.com.pk/top_story_detail.asp?Id=30203

“Key Pakistani counterterrorism official resigns,” AFP, July 21, 2010. Available on http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100720/ap_on_re_as/as_pakistan

Report Predicts Biorefineries Will Offer a Solution to Significantly Reducing CO2 Emissions and Creating Economic Growth

http://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_FutureIndustrialBiorefineries_Report_2010.pdf

Biorefineries have a major role to play in tackling climate change, according to the World Economic Forum report The Future of Industrial Biorefineries launched on 29 June 2010. The report, produced in collaboration with Royal DSM N.V., Novozymes, DuPont and Braskem, says that the biorefineries industry could supplement demand for sustainable energy, chemicals and materials, aiding energy security. The report also acknowledges that a number of obstacles still stand in the way of biorefineries realizing their full economic potential.

The author of the report, Professor Sir David King, Director, Smith School for Enterprise and the Environment at the University of Oxford, says “The emerging biomass value chain will create significant business opportunities and new winners, with technology- and science-driven companies with access to key enzyme and microbial technologies being central to the development of the bio-based economy. The growth of the bio-based economy could create significant economic growth and job creation opportunities, particularly in rural areas, where incomes and economic prospects are currently moderate, and in advanced manufacturing.”

The report says that a biomass value chain could create revenue potentials by 2030 in US$ billion of 15 for agricultural inputs, 89 for biomass production, 30 for biomass trading, 10 for biorefining inputs, 80 for biorefining fuels, 6 for bioplastics and 65 for biomass power and heat.

The report identifies a number of technical, strategic and commercial challenges that need to be addressed before any large-scale commercialization of the biorefining industry can succeed. These include the need for significant advances in the development and deployment of bio-based technologies, infrastructure development, high capital costs and the issue of restricted land and biomass availability.

Biorefineries using biomass (plant/vegetable-based material) as feedstock would create a transition from fossil carbon to more sustainable bio-based production, says the report. This could fundamentally reshape the industrial landscape.

Feike Sijbesma, CEO Royal DSM N.V., says “We are at the doorstep of a transition to a greener, more sustainable future, with the bio-based economy as the key enabler. No company or government can drive this transition alone – public and private sectors have to work closely together. As innovation will be key in achieving this, the private sector needs to drive this with conviction and new open innovation concepts. At the same time, it offers governments worldwide a great opportunity, too, in which their help to create a positive framework with stimulating regulations and incentives to enable the private sector to accelerate its investments will be key. The transition to a bio-based economy offers a lot of opportunities to all stakeholders involved.”

Steen Riisgaard, President and CEO, Novozymes, adds: “The report confirms the need for biomass replacement that comes at oil’s low price, but without its high cost. Over time, our cars, our trucks, even our airplanes are going to run on low-carbon fuels derived from starch and cellulose. Plastics and chemicals will be made from plants rather than petroleum. Millions of new green tech jobs will be created in rural areas and in biorefineries, producing bioenergy and biomaterials.”

Bernardo Gradin, CEO, Braskem, is already moving on the concept and says, ““Biorefineries offer a new trail to Advanced Manufacturing – a third industrial revolution with new rural and geographical winners and a move towards a bio-based, lower CO2 emissions society. Braskem will open her first by October of this year.”

The report concludes that the development of the bio-based economy is at an early and high-risk stage and no single industry, or company, is cable of managing this phase of its development independently. Government, therefore, has a key role to play in providing seed support – particularly at the pre-competitive stage – to the emerging bio-based sector and creating the market to ensure that it becomes established and successful as quickly as possible.

Media Capacity Building to Create More Transparency and Accountablity for the Future US Aid to Pakistan

The best way to create transparency would be to empower media to play the role of the watch-dog on the development issues, including transactions, implementations and results to the grass root level. This will not only ensure good governance, but also a sense of ownership amongst the governments and the people in both the countries. Making the US and Pakistani citizens' truly know that the money is coming "From the American People" into the households of the People of Pakistan, helping them in education attainment, health and survival, economic opportunities and growth, democracy and political empowerment. Bridging the gap for energy requirements, understanding of the issues concerning water resources and Pakistan’s contribution in the war on terror with the US and allied forces for a better, prosperous and a stronger Pakistan for tomorrow on a more competitive global footing.


This can be achieved by building capacity of the media to report more accurately and with in-depth knowledge of the issues concerning Pakistan as a nation and a country and how it has been able to absorb the foreign assistance - AJ.


U.S. assistance to Pakistan will be more transparent and accountable, the U.S. top envoy to Pakistan has asserted.*




Ambassador Richard Holbrooke, special representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan with Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton.



Richard Holbrooke was responding to a letter by U.S. Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.), where the Senate Foreign Relations Committee chairman expressed concern that the Pakistani government may not be capable enough to use the USD7.5 billion assistance properly.

In his letter dated June 14, Holbrooke informed Kerry that the government is leveraging U.S. assistance to support reforms that will encourage the Pakistani government to allocate more of its local funds for health, education and other key sectors.

The U.S. strategy for Pakistani aid allocation also includes support for structural reforms to boost  investments in the country’s energy and education sectors, Holbrooke said. He added that his team is coordinating with the Asian Development Bank’s energy task force and the U.K.-Pakistan joint education task force on these initiatives.

The U.S. is slowly changing the way it does business in Pakistan in order to better integrate the priorities and plans of the Pakistani government, Holbrooke wrote in his letter. He noted that allocation of money and the identification of projects and partners have just began, and pledged to publish more information on U.S. aid to Pakistan on the websites of the U.S. embassy in the country and the U.S. Agency for International Development once plans become more concrete.

“We share your concerns of the risks for future funding should are assistance be diverted from its intended purpose,” Holbrooke wrote in response to several accountability concerns identified by Kerry.

Holbrooke confirmed that approximately 50 percent of U.S. funds in fiscal 2010 will be channeled through Pakistani federal and provincial agencies. In response to Kerry’s concern that such allocation opens up the potential for U.S. funding misuse, Holbrooke explained that the Obama administration has chosen institutions with track records of working with international organizations such as ADB and those with “strong accounting safeguards.”

On U.S. priorities in Pakistan for fiscal 2010 and beyond, Holbrooke said these would include better alignment of U.S. assistance with Pakistan’s priorities and push for internal reforms to improve Pakistan’s water supply and sanitation.

The special representative said on Kerry’s concern over U.S. development presence in Pakistan: “We share your concern that we strike the right balance between high visibility and overall impact for the Pakistani people.”

He went to describe plans to use some of U.S. funds for energy to partner with donors and the Pakistani government. The goal, according to Holbrooke, is a “larger, more significant and coordinate contribution to energy generation and distribution.”

article source: devex network