Caretaker Prime Minister Anwarul Haq Kakar visited Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS) on Monday in Lahore to attend a special session with students.
PM Kakar interacted with students of top universities in the country during the session, stating that he always felt happy when he interacted with the youth of Pakistan, terming them “energetic” and “a source of stimulation” for senior people.
However, the audience was ready to grill him with tough questions.
One student asked the purpose of Kakar’s visit to the university.
Another student chastised the caretaker Premier for his late arrival. Kakar reached the venue fifty minutes late for the session.
However, Kakar did not appear bothered by the tough questions from the students.
His visit to LUMS is trending on X (previously Twitter), and videos of the session are going viral on different social media platforms.
IK has indeed given the Pakistani nation the confidence and courage to speak up,stand with constitution, rule of law & today Pakistanis stand firm with his ideology. IA together under the leadership of IK we will built a brighter& prosperous Pakistan. LONG LIVE IMRAN KHAN!#LUMSpic.twitter.com/jp8LO1KA5R
Khudkaar, now known as xWave, started when Wardah Noor, 23, visited far-flung areas of district Layyah during a ration drive in the lockdown period. She observed how laborers were distraught while their economic conditions worsened day by day. That urged her to start something sustainable in case such circumstances arise again and “people have something to eat at home.” She decided to take a gap year from her university and work on the idea for a couple of months.
She was enrolled in B.A. LLB from LUMS at the time. The first half of Wardah’s gap year was consumed in traveling across Pakistan including KP and Sindh, visiting different institutes in Karachi, and residing in Islamabad for some time to see what is happening in other cities. That’s when she learned that skills training and development is something that might result into sustainability. In the second half, she started crowdfunding; her friends who were running other social ventures donated laptops, furniture, books and, “that’s how we started in Layyah.”
Today for me in pictures: Out of 10 people who joined stage, 7 were women and that is what’s gonna change the future. More representation, more say and more power. SO SO HAPPY SEEING THESE WOMEN PARTICIPATE. @khudkaarpic.twitter.com/PLRLO3j7xD
“During crowdfunding, we asked people that a minimum of Rs100 and a maximum of whatever they can pledge for a year. We used to meet our monthly expenditures, and for furniture, different people donated different things,” she said. She started the venture in a room at her home where they initially made a computer lab and, in another section, women were taught stitching.
She was able to secure The Spark Fund- Global Fund for Children through which they managed the finances for next year. Till now they are crowdfunding and simultaneously applying for grants. Recently they have started enrolling wealthy students who pay a certain amount of fee which helps in covering a small part of expenditure. She believes that this venture has given a direction to her life.
“This has given me a purpose which gives me satisfaction too. I have the energy to get up every morning and work on this idea. I initiated another startup during my gap year. I prepared a curriculum for overseas Pakistanis to give them Urdu tuition and I taught people the Urdu language because it is not their first language,” she added.
She explains that this helped her in saving money, but it distracted her from her focus. She eventually took a decision at the start of this year, ending the Urdu tuition startup and giving all her energies to enhance xWave. The salary she has started drawing from xWave after a donor’s funding is 5 times less than what she was earning from her Urdu startup, but this gives her satisfaction, and she is determined to live and die for the cause. What gives her energy, and an adrenaline rush is knowing the success stories of her students and fellows.
Happy to share that I am starting a new venture named @xWavePak , going to Balochistan and Sindh tomorrow.
We will be training youth of flood affected areas in web 3.0 technologies in the first phase & our target is to create economic impact of $14M in the next 10 years. pic.twitter.com/jFRPSmVD0I
Shazia Gull, a 23-year-old young woman, hailing from Layyah couldn’t continue her studies due to personal reasons. She used to stay at home and got to know about this center through her cousin. She secured admission there and started learning illustration and 2D animation. She had no source of earnings prior to this.
She says, “I am working on multiple projects, I have a full-time job at xWave, and earning a good amount of money. I am instructing about teaching-related courses at Coursera to enhance my skills and earn more.”
Another student of xWave, Muhammad Zain Abbas, also a resident of Layyah, got to know about this institute through his college teacher. He joined last year to learn video editing. “I made my account on Fiver a year ago and I have earned 150 dollars so far. I bought a decently working mobile phone as it was important for my work and I am hopeful that I will earn around 5000 dollars per month in the future,” he said.
Afshan kawal, a student of video editing living in Layyah, has shown remarkable dedication and hard work in pursuing her passion for video editing.
According to data released by the Ministry of IT and Telecommunication (MoITT), 2022 saw a growth of 2.74% as the remittance inflows stood at $397.328 Million as compared to 396.243 Million in 2021. There were around 3 Million freelancers in Pakistan in 2022, as per the report released by MoITT, which have possibly increased in 2023.
Pakistani freelancers earn an average of $20 per hour, and the majority of freelancers in Pakistan are under the age of 30. The most popular payment gateway for freelancers in Pakistan is Payoneer. The global freelance industry is valued at $3.5 Billion, and the Pakistan industry accounts for 9% of the global market.
According to data released by Payoneer and Upwork, women make up 47% of the freelance market in Pakistan, which is more than the 35% global average.
40% of freelancers in Pakistan are from Punjab, 29.5% from Sindh, 14.7% from KPK, 10.5% from Balochistan, and 5.3% from Azad Kashmir.
Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad, and Rawalpindi collectively account for 88% of Pakistan’s freelancing industry.
Wardah Noor is an inspiration for young Pakistanis, and she advises others to dream big.
“Keep struggling, you have unlimited opportunities and endless avenues to learn from. Don’t look for shortcuts to be rich overnight; learn as many skills as you can consistently. You can achieve anything in your life,” she says.
Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS) professor Muhummad Tariq said that he was beaten up for holding placards outside of the university with his teenage children and for “suggesting upholding the constitution and exercising fundamental rights to express ourselves.”
He has alleged that due to the beating, he ended up with a broken arm and knee.
Taking to social media, he said that after all this he does not regret coming back to Pakistan and is proud of the country and will serve it with even more dedication, commitment and honesty.
Parties at universities are suppose to be mix of dinner and long speeches, but LUMS students decided to take the festivities a step ahead and came up with a brilliant but bizzare concept: shaadi day!
How does that work? Well, a campaign is held after which two seniors are picked to become the bride and groom leading to a three-day long a mock wedding.
Lums students have shared footage from the events and it was truly wholesome to witness.
This is really intersting, Lums having an annual fake shaadi, where two seniors are picked to get married, sounds so fun. this mock weeding of two handsome students just for fun is really interesting. QAU students must learn from LUMS how to spread love instead of bigotry. pic.twitter.com/bxQ2MB1g2y
Unlike the bigotry and violence we are witnessing in universities on a daily basis, it is heart warming that some students are putting on their creative hats to plan something like this. What these students are doing was amazing, and we hope more institutions follow through to make inclusive events for some light hearted fun.
For the haters calling this cringey and over hyped, why are you so critical of other people’s joy? Especially given how many incidents of bigotry and violence keep happening in universities, we should stop policing students so much and let them have fun.
So cute to watch current batch kids celebrating the whole wedding festives. And at same nostalgic for old times. Ahhh I am old https://t.co/TLaA3gxZ2S
— the mess that you wanted (intern at TTPD) (@vanibajaj13) March 13, 2023
Sounds like a good plot for a paki rom-com tbh. Two batchmates who hate each other are fake married off, only to later find out they’re related by blood and it’s written in the stars https://t.co/BWlTEHfBCM
Qasim Awan, a graduate from LUMS and a Foodpanda employee, succumbed to his injuries on Tuesday. He was shot on Sunday.
Awan was shot in a mobile snatching incident near F-9 park in the capital city. The robbers opened gunfire after Qasim resisted, reports suggest. Qasim remained in the hospital after the incident took place.
Twitter users were quick to question the current government and its failure to protect citizens.
The fact that the incident took place in the federal capital was also alarming, with many pointing out the widespread increase in crimes in allegedly safe cities like Islamabad.
Qasim Awan, a 25 years LUMS graduate, only son and an employee of Food Panda, shot dead during mugging attempt near F9 Park, Islamabad. Islamabad is the Capital and most secure place of Pakistan. I think there is no need to write further.#JusticeforQasimAwan#Islamabadpic.twitter.com/K83xvHusJ6
Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS) has expelled a student in his final year allegedly on the basis of plagiarism and cheating.
Students strongly protested the expulsion, demanding a fair inquiry from the administration of the university. The hashtag ‘#InvestigateLUMS’ is trending all over social media to open a fair investigation.
Students claimed that the decision of expulsion was made because he was providing free tuition to other students.
LUMS just expelled another student in a DC hearing because he gives tuitions and they assumed that he is running unethical ring to provide academic assistance. He was an NOP last semester, few years ago a student committed suicide in a simar case. we haven’t forgotten Ubaid.
It sounds perfect to me “He gives Tuitions” LUMS should have been appreciated him instead of doing such disgusting stuff they expelled him it shows the numb behavior of the reckless administration that’s why they don’t allow student politics but we need it now.#InvestigateLUMShttps://t.co/MIy8cy7Q0M
Another user strongly criticised the disciplinary action against the student from the university by saying, “It’s usually the students coming from non-elite/financial aid backgrounds who are on the receiving end of insanely disproportionate punishments. The consequences have been fatal in the past.“
The Current confirmed with sources that the student was expelled on the basis of cheating and plagiarism which are serious offence under the University regulations while refuting the free tuition claims.
In reaction, students questioned the justification of the extreme punishment and legitimacy of the findings. Many students demanded that the decision be reversed by the university’s administration.
Students of the Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS) have developed a mobile application ‘Lahori Khoji’ that offers guided tours of the Walled City of Lahore.
LUMS professor and historian Dr Ali Usman Qasmi, while sharing details of the app on social media, said that “students designed the app and researched its content as part of a course offered at LUMS.”
Dr Qasmi said that students did thorough research to design and develop the mobile application.
“The students not only read the classical texts but also made several trips to the Walled City,” said Professor Qasmi.
To develop a walking trail for the gate assigned to them, the students read classical texts on Lahore’s history, made several trips to the walled city, identified key sites, pinned them on google maps, and wrote historical notes about them. #walkinginlahore#LahoriKhoji
Lahore-based historian Faizan Abbas Naqvi also helped the students in designing the app.
My friend and Lahore-based historian, Faizan Abbas Naqvi, aka Lahore ka Khoji, worked closely with the students to supervise their research and curate their walking trails.#walkinginlahore#LahoriKhoji
The group of students is open to suggestions to improve the application as “app is a product of research carried out by undergraduate students who are not professional historians.”
Please note that the App is a product of research carried out by undergraduate students who are not professional historians. In case there is any factual or technical error or misinformation in the text, please let us know so that we can fix it.#walkinginlahore#LahoriKhoji
Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Hina Pervaiz Butt has claimed that she graduated from the Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS) with a GPA of 3.98.
She made this statement on an Express News show hosted by Mansoor Ali Khan.
Hina was responding to the remarks made in the show, where it was said that she became a member of Punjab Assembly on a reserved seat the basis of her wealth and contacts. She said it was not right to “say such a thing about women who become lawmakers on reserved seats”.
She said she moved the highest number of resolutions in the assembly during the last tenure, 2013-18. Hina said saying “women are selected on the basis of their wealth or beauty” was akin to the character assassination of the lawmakers, who become MPs on the seats reserved for women.
Last time, Hina, while appearing on the same show, said that she considered BBC Urdumore credible source of information compared to its parent organisation, BBC News.
According to Hina Butt, independent media outlets, such as Al Jazeera and BBC Urdu, did “good reporting” on the jalsa compared to the local news channels.
A video of tourists celebrating and partying at tourist destination at Malam Jabba recently went viral on social media, prompting authorities to register an FIR against the participants and hotel management for violating SOPs.
According to reports, the FIR also states that “obscene acts” were carried out at the party. The FIR was lodged under Section 294 and 33 of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC). The FIR also says that 30 to 40 participants are unidentified and missing.
The FIR was registered on the complaint of SHO Javed Iqbal.
Later, hotel owner Fazal Khan and manger Hasnain Ahsan were presented before a divisional magistrate. Both were fined Rs40,000 and released.
ویڈیو وائرل ہونے کے بعد۔۔۔ مالم جبہ پولیس نے LUMS کے طلباء اور ہوٹل انتظامیہ کے خلاف ایف آئی آر درج کر لی۔۔۔۔ پرچے میں فحش حرکات کرنے والی دفعہ 294 PPC بھی شامل۔۔۔۔ pic.twitter.com/y5xVNlQwkT
Reacting to the incident, Ahmed Ali Butt hit out at authorities for allowing jalsas and rallies but registering FIRs against dance parties.
Meanwhile, despite a sharp rise in COVID-19 cases, tourists are thronging to Pakistan’s scenic northern areas to witness snowfall and experience the winter wonderland.
As per the latest reports, tourists flocked to Kalam valley to witness the Snow Kabaddi Championship, organised by the local youth in collaboration with the hotel association and youth affairs department.
Six local teams took part in the championship with the Matiltan Tiger emerging as the winner.
Agha Ali Raza and Ihsan Ayyub Qazi from Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS) wins Facebook’s Foundation Integrity Research that solves the problem of misinformation on Facebook.
In February, Facebook asked academic institutions and Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) from all over the world to send proposals.
“Our goal is to support independent research that will contribute to the understanding of the phenomena and, in the long term, help us improve our policies, interventions, and tooling,” said Alex Leavitt, Senior Researcher at Facebook.
Raza and Qazi’s research tackles the challenges by measuring the role of prior beliefs and analytical reasoning, and how this impacts the beliefs of internet users.
Raza and Qazi also designed an educational intervention that uses influential public figures to spread awareness about misinformation on the platform.
“We are thrilled to have our research been awarded the grant by Facebook which would serve as a stepping stone for us to take our project forward.
Through our research, we aim to understand how non-textual misinformation (e.g. deepfakes) is perceived by internet users with low digital literacy and the role of pre-conceived notions, and analytical reasoning in shaping the beliefs of such users.
We are hopeful that by the completion of this project, we will be able to make a substantial contribution towards combating the circulation of false and unverified information on the internet,” stated the winning duo.
The social media giant received around 1,000 proposals out of which 25 awardees have been finalised for Facebook’s research and policy teams.
The winners’ will be investigating issues across 42 countries including Canada, Denmark, Pakistan, Turkey, and the UK.
