
Engro approves partnership with Jazz to expand telecom infrastructure
With this approval and through a Scheme of Arrangement, Jazz's shareholding in Deodar (Private) Limited, which houses its telecom infrastructure assets, will vest with Engro Connect (Private) Limited, a subsidiary of Engro Corporation. In line with previous disclosures, this amalgamation marks a significant private-sector investment in Pakistan, and with all approvals secured, millions of Pakistanis are now poised to benefit from the efficiencies of shared infrastructure.
By accessing Engro's combined portfolio of over 14,000 towers, all Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) will have equal access to a high-quality, nationwide infrastructure platform. This will enable them to reduce capital and operating expenditures, focus on enhancing service quality, and pass cost efficiencies onto customers, helping millions more Pakistanis come online.
As demand and technology continue to evolve, Engro's extensive tower platform is also well-positioned to support future innovations. Around the world, telecom towers are already being used for more than just mobile signals from powering smart cities to strengthening community infrastructure. Beyond today's connectivity needs, Engro is preparing for tomorrow's possibilities, reaffirming our commitment to Pakistan's economic development and to its enduring promise as a land of opportunity and resilience.
Pakistan is standing at the threshold of a digital future, where financial inclusion takes off, start-ups can emerge from any corner, students can learn from global classrooms, and families can access healthcare remotely. This is a moment of shared progress and a reflection of the fact that Pakistan has a powerful growth story to tell.
On this development, Chairman of Engro, Hussain Dawood, has said that this investment further reinforces commitment to this great nation, where we believe in investing in connectivity which is the foundation of our digital future. It gives our people the empowerment, enablement, and environment to take control of their lives and thrive, he added.
CEO of Engro Holdings, Abdul Samad Dawood, remarked, 'Prosperity and progress increasingly rely on technology and connectivity and with this milestone, Engro strengthens its role as an enabler of Pakistan's progress. This investment reinforces telecom infrastructure as a key vertical for us and we are keen on expanding access, empowering communities, and future proofing the infrastructure that will drive growth for generations to come, he added.
President and CEO of Engro Corporation, Ahsan Zafar Syed has said that venturing into this sector in 2018 was a bold leap for Engro into uncharted territory. But this achievement is a testament to what belief, partnership, and perseverance can deliver made possible by the dedication of our teams.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Business Recorder
a day ago
- Business Recorder
UAE golden visa issue: FTO irked by FBR's ‘inefficiency'
ISLAMABAD: Federal Tax Ombudsman (FTO) has taken notice of the issue of Federal Board of Revenue's (FBR) inefficiency to timely seek data from the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) about the golden visas issued by the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to the resident Pakistanis, making huge investments aboard. After the elapse of more than five years of enabling legislation, the FBR was unable to obtain data from the FIA about the golden visa issued by the UAE to the resident Pakistanis on investment of at least 2.0 million dirhams, equivalent to more than Rs 150 million at the present exchange rate and FTO has taken notice of this inefficiency and has called report from the FBR Member Tax Policy and Director General (DG) International taxes. In this regard, the FTO has issued instructions to the FBR to file comments by July 29, 2025 to the FTO office. Crackdown underway: Pakistan's FIA identifies investors with AED 2m real estate holdings in UAE As per tax experts, section 175A was inserted in the Income Tax Ordinance 2001 through Finance Act 2020 and it required that arrangements shall be made to provide real-time access of information and database to the Board by the FIA as per section 175A(1)(a)/(b) regarding international travel and exit of immigration visa holders. Whereas under sub-section (2), the Board shall make arrangements for that. Moreover, under sub-section (3), until real-time access to information and database is made available, such information and data shall be provided periodically in such form and such manner as may be prescribed. However, after the elapse of more than five years, the Board has failed to do both the statutory duties of real-time data access and periodic statements from FIA. This delay and inaction constitute maladministration, and an informed citizen, Tarik Ahmed, has brought the issue to the attention of FTO, and notices have been issued to file comments by July 29, 2025. When contacted for comments, Basharat Qureshi, a Karachi-based tax expert, explained that the issue has two dimensions: the first is ownership of foreign immovable property and its declaration in the wealth statement and sources thereof. The second issue is whether the foreign exchange was remitted from Pakistan through permissible legal means, and checking of this aspect is the domain of the FIA. Therefore, coordination of FBR and FIA would be required, and thousands of cases can be easily detected where neither the foreign property is declared in the tax declaration, nor the foreign exchange was remitted legally. Basharat was of the opinion that in the tax return, further mandatory attributes can be added, asking for do you hold any foreign passport or resident visa, and basis of the same as naturalization or investment, as thousands of Pakistanis hold a second passport or resident visa on the basis of investment. Copyright Business Recorder, 2025


Business Recorder
a day ago
- Business Recorder
First half of 2025: 336,999 Pakistanis went abroad for employment: ministry
ISLAMABAD: The Ministry of Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development has preceded around 336,999 Pakistanis abroad for employment from January 1 to June 30, through the Bureau of Immigration and Overseas Employment (BIOE). The number of foreign job seekers is also increasing day by day due to the productive policies of the country as new ways of jobs opening for skilled and unskilled Pakistani workers. An official source of BIOE told APP on Sunday that since inception of the Bureau in the year 1971; more than 10 million emigrants have been provided overseas employment duly registered with the Bureau. To a question, he said that during the year 2015, the highest number of Pakistanis (946,571) proceeded abroad for the purpose of employment. He said that so far, 116,300 foreign jobs were available with BIOE Overseas employment was playing a vital role in reducing the pressure of unemployment at home, besides being a major means of earning foreign exchange in the shape of overseas workers' remittances. The Board is thus serving as the mainstay for the national economy, by providing much-needed financial outlay for debt servicing, import bills, alleviation of poverty, development projects and economic activities. The Bureau, being a regulatory body, controls, regulates, facilitates and monitors the emigration process followed by the Overseas Employment Promoters (OEPs), in the private sector, besides 'direct employment, the mode adopted by the individuals, to seek foreign employment either through their own efforts or relatives and friends living abroad. The foremost task of Bureau of Emigration and Overseas Employment encompass collection, compilation and tabulation of emigration data of all those Pakistanis who proceed abroad for employment purpose. In fact, the Bureau has been engaged in maintaining comprehensive statistical record of all the migrant workers since 1971, which provides basis for planning and policy formulation by the Economic Division and other interested government departments. He said that the main function of this body was to control and regulate emigration under the Emigration Ordinance, 1979 and promote Emigration of Pakistani Citizens. It was the function of the Bureau to look after the interest and welfare of the emigrants and advise the Federal Government on emigration policies and procedures, Monitoring and supervision of Overseas Employment Promoters through 7 Protectorates of Emigrants Offices, Processing of Overseas Employment Promoters (OEP) Licences Pre-departure briefing to Emigrants. Mandatory Insurance coverage to Pakistanis workers abroad and Memorandum of Understating with Foreign Countries for Export of Manpower and Management of State Life Emigrants Insurance Fund (SLEIF).


Express Tribune
a day ago
- Express Tribune
Pakistan's Parsi community dwindles
The front elevation of the Mama Parsi Girls High School, which has the bust of Ardeshir Hormushji Mama, its Zoroastrian founder, engraved on its facade, in Karachi. Photo: AFP From a gated community for her Zoroastrian faith in Karachi, 22-year-old Elisha Amra has waved goodbye to many friends migrating abroad as the ancient Parsi community dwindles. Soon the film student hopes to join them — becoming one more loss to Pakistan's ageing Zoroastrian Parsi people, a community who trace their roots back to Persian refugees from Iran more than a millennium ago. "My plan is to go abroad," Amra said, adding that she wants to study for a master's degree in a country without the restrictions of a conservative Muslim-majority society. "I want to be able to freely express myself," she added. Zoroastrianism, founded by the Zarathustra, was predominant religion of the ancient Persian empire, until the rise of Islam in the seventh century. In Pakistan, once the Parsi community had as many as 15,000-20,000 people but now the number is 900 people in Karachi and a few dozen more elsewhere. Amra acknowledges her life is more comfortable than many in Pakistanthe Parsis are in general an affluent and highly educated community. But she says she wants to escape the daily challenges that beset the city of some 20 million people — from power cuts, water shortages to violent street crime. Zubin Patel, 27, a Parsi working in e-commerce in Karachi, has seen more than two dozen Parsi friends leave Karachi for abroad in the past three years. "More than 20-25 of my friends were living in Karachi, they all started migrating", he said. That is not unique to Parsis — many young and skilled Pakistanis want to find jobs abroad to escape a country wracked with political uncertainty and security challenges, a struggling economy and woeful infrastructure. The number of highly skilled Pakistanis who left for jobs abroad more than doubled according to the latest figures from the Pakistan Economic Survey — from 20,865 in 2022, to 45,687 in 2023. Parsis are struggling to adjust in a fast-changing world. "There is a better chance to find a Zoroastrian partner in Canada, Australia, UK and America than in Pakistan," said Dinshaw Behram Avari, 57, the head of one of the most prominent Parsi families. Avari, who heads a chain of hotels, points out that Parsi population of Toronto is some 10 times greater than Karachi. He said that a wave of Parsis left Pakistan during the hardline military rule of Ziaul Haq in the 1980s. Since then, violence has targeted religious minorities, and while Parsis say they have not been targeted, they remain wary. Avari suggested the community's high levels of education and Western outlook to life meant many eyed a future abroad, while for those who do stay, family size is shrinking. "Couples are more interested today in looking after their career; they are not interested in family," he said. "When they do get married, they will have one child — and one child is not enough to make a positive impact on the population." Parsi members were among the pioneers of the shipping and hospitality industries in Karachi, and the city's colonial-era historic district is dotted with Parsi buildings including hospitals and schools. But as the community declines, many buildings have crumbled. For many among the younger generation, the only pull left keeping them in Pakistan is their ageing relatives. Patel said that he would leave if he could. "It would be a difficult decision," he said. "But if I have an opportunity which would give my parents ... a healthy lifestyle, then I'd obviously go for it".