Latest news with #Qamar
Business Recorder
12-07-2025
- Business
- Business Recorder
EPQL seeks PD's support for early gas supply from Badar field
ISLAMABAD: The Engro Powergen Qadirpur Limited (EPQL) has approached the Power Division for support in expediting the signing of a Supplementary Agreement (SA) to utilise low-BTU indigenous gas from the Badar-1 gas field. In a letter to the Power Division, EPQL CEO Adeel Qamar stated that the company operates a 225-MW power plant running primarily on permeate gas from the Qadirpur gas field under a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) signed with the Central Power Purchasing Agency Guarantee Limited (CPPA-G) on October 26, 2007. Since the commencement of commercial operations in March 2010, the plant has maintained a high position in the Economic Merit Order (EMO) and supplied 18.9 billion units of electricity to the national grid with high gas-based utilisation. Engro Powergen plant: PD and CPPA-G at odds over gas pricing mechanism The EPQL claims that its operations have delivered substantial benefits to electricity consumers and the Government of Pakistan, including: (i) Rs 89 billion in savings through procurement of low-cost electricity;(ii) $1.6 billion in foreign exchange savings by using indigenous gas; and (iii) Rs 96 billion in revenue for fuel suppliers (SNGPL and OGDCL) from the sale of permeate gas that was previously being flared. 'These benefits were only possible due to the extensive cooperation and support from the Government of Pakistan and its departments, including PPIB, CPPA-G, and NTDC,' said Qamar. To address the declining gas supply from Qadirpur and to enhance the plant's utilization, EPQL, in collaboration with stakeholders such as PPIB and CPPA-G, explored alternative fuel sources. As a result, NEPRA, in its determination dated February 20, 2024, approved the use of low-BTU gas from the Badar-1 field as an additional fuel source for the EPQL's operations. Following NEPRA's approval, the EPQL entered into an agreement with Petroleum Exploration Limited (PEL) on August 5, 2024, for the supply of 8–13 mmscfd of low-BTU gas from Badar-1. Subsequently, the EPQL submitted a draft Supplementary Agreement to the PPA for CPPA-G's review on August 26, 2024, after detailed consultations. However, the company says the matter remains unresolved. 'We note with deep concern that, despite a lapse of 10 months, the matter is still pending with CPPA-G, delaying the opportunity for EPQL to generate additional electricity using low-BTU gas from Badar-1,' Qamar stated. EPQL says the infrastructure for gas supply from Badar-1 is fully operational, and off-take can begin immediately upon receiving the necessary approvals. The transaction is structured on a Take-and-Pay basis, meaning gas will only be used if it qualifies under the Economic Dispatch Merit Order. The company estimates that had the approval been granted by October 2024, it could have generated an additional 122 million units of electricity, resulting in:Rs 787 million in potential savings for power consumers, and$9 million in foreign exchange savings. 'We have consistently followed up with CPPA-G and responded promptly to all queries, but the approval remains pending. Given that we are currently in the peak summer season and relying on high-cost imported fuels for electricity generation, it is imperative to finalize the Supplementary Agreement without further delay,' Qamar added. The EPQL has urged the Power Division to facilitate the earliest possible approval to unlock the economic and operational benefits associated with the project. Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
Al Bawaba
07-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Al Bawaba
Angie Khoury accuses Adam of kidnapping and assault amid Feud with Amar
ALBAWABA - Angie Khoury accuses Amar's ex-husband, singer Adam, of assault. Lebanese social media influencer Angie Khoury has made serious accusations against Lebanese singer Adam, alleging that he kidnapped and physically assaulted her. There has been a significant amount of attention paid to the incident in the entertainment industry as well as on social media. On Sunday, Khoury released a video and a photo to her official Instagram account, where she displayed noticeable bruises and red markings on her face and neck. The photo and video had been posted on Sunday. She said that Adam had physically attacked her because of her ongoing quarrel with the Lebanese musician Qamar, and she appeared distraught and distressed in the video; she also claimed that Adam had attacked her. In her explanation, Angie Khoury stated that the incident was the result of a disagreement she had with Amar. She concluded that Adam was either influenced or motivated by the scenario. Despite the fact that Khoury and Adam are no longer together, it seems as though the tension between them has significantly increased. Khoury and Adam were once married. The intention of Angie to seek legal action was made very obvious in the statement that she released. "I will file an official complaint through my attorney in Lebanon," she stated, urging the authorities to take the matter seriously. "I will file one through my attorney in Lebanon." angiekhuorymy & singeramar Instagram profiles A number of Khoury's fans have expressed their support and concern in response to the incident, while others are waiting for a response from Adam or his legal team. The incident has sparked a variety of opinions on the internet. The musician has not yet made any public statements regarding the charges as of this moment. The gravity of these allegations may result in severe legal repercussions, despite the fact that this is not the first time that Khoury has been in the news as a result of scandal. As of right now, the people of Lebanon are waiting to see how the case develops.
The Hindu
03-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Hindu
Delhi's calligraphers are struggling to protect their art
'Calligraphy is an art of beautiful writing; it is meditation where you nurture each piece with love,' says Qamar Dagar, calligraphy artist and recipient of 2016 Naari Shakti Puraskar. Her skilful blending of Urdu and Hindi scripts is a visual treat for the audience. Qamar, who hails from Dagar family renowned for its expertise in Dhrupad music, grew up in a household that breathed art and always welcomed prominent poets, painters and philosophers. As a child she imbibed everything creative without realising how it was shaping her. Interested in visual arts, she began designing posters for classical music programmes, paving her way to calligraphy. 'I used to make up to 50 posters, all handwritten and repeating the same info', says Qamar. With Hindi and Urdu close to her heart, Qamar says she used to get excited by the idea of Hindi written from left to right and Urdu from right to left. Her art, she says, is the 'coming together of two streams'. Inspired by Nature, music, and her spiritual guide Hazrat Amin Abdullah Khan, Qamar's art works engage audiences in a meaningful dialogue, exploring the abstractions of language and human emotions. Concerned about limited number of calligraphers left due to lack of opportunities, Qamar initiated a programme in 2010 aimed at preserving the art of calligraphy with sustainable space for the artists. As founder of Qalamkari Calligraphy Creative Trust, she proffers the idea of 'giving as you receive'. Calligraphy is like meditation; it allows you to have a dialogue with yourself,' says Qamar. Multi-lingual calligraphist While Qamar breathes new life into Hindi and Urdu Scripts, Mohammed Mohsin Ul Haque keeps the tradition alive across languages including English, Urdu, Odia and Hindi. 'Calligraphy is the highest form of line art that requires lot of practice,' he says. Haque has been a practitioner of multilingual calligraphy for close to four decades. He moved to Delhi from Odisha and lives with his family in Malviya Nagar in pursuit of better opportunities. From his school days, he was praised for his beautiful handwriting and his teachers always assigned him the task of creating posters. 'My art came from my grandfather Muhammed Ikram Ul Haque who was a good calligrapher.' Haque works with universities across India, writing degree certificates, carving name on mementoes for companies, and also takes time out to teach the art to children. Haque began with crafting invitation letters and cards for special occasions, designing logos and certificates. 'This was before digitalisation took over,' says the 63-year-old. It is important to know a language and its history to be able to perform well, he adds. While most of his students learn the art with passion, only a few are motivated to pursue it as a career. 'It demands full time attention and engagement but with little remuneration,' he says. Urdu letters in ink In a city racing towards the future, one man's ink holds back the tide. Mohammad Ghalib, 62, says calligraphy is not just written words; it is the art of breathing life into letters, where ink becomes memory and every stroke whispers history. Urdu calligraphy, known as the 'bride of calligraphy scripts', is an art of preserving a language of love and resistance, he adds, as he dips a finely-sharpened bamboo reed, the tip honed to precision, in black ink to begin a work of art sitting inside the Kutub Khana Anjuman-e-Taraqqi-e-Urdu, a bookstore with a beautiful view of the majestic Jama Masjid. Ghalib learnt the art in a madarsa in Darul Uloom, Deoband, Uttar Pradesh. His teachers ingrained into him that mastery would come only through repeating the same work. 'Each letter was practiced a thousand times, until muscle and memory worked in quiet harmony. We had to devote one hour daily until our writing was perfect.' He recalls the days when the market thrived on the art of hand-lettered Urdu script and his craft adorned wedding invitations, official documents and the pages of Urdu newspapers. 'People would come to me for everything—from writing names on voters' lists and designing hoardings to crafting the perfect words for invitations of all kinds,' he says, adding that the business has fallen silent now. But it has not stopped him from chasing the elegance of a dying script. 'Earlier calligraphers would sit together giving shape to beautiful letters; then printing press snatched away the craftsmanship and produced artistically designed letters mechanically. Today one computer gets the same job done within a fraction of time, cost and effort. Back in the day, the government helped to set up the Ghalib Academy and the Urdu Academy to promote the art of calligraphy. Now, the art does not offer a sustainable means of living. As a result people are not interested in pursuing it,' he rues. 'Only the artist connected to this art know the emotional weight it carries. The human warmth and personal touch that were inherent in each handwritten piece, is going extinct,' he says. Fathima Zahra and Adeeba Jamal
Business Recorder
02-07-2025
- Business
- Business Recorder
Manufacturing cools as HBL PMI hits 10-month low of 50.5 in June
KARACHI: Pakistan's manufacturing sector showed signs of cooling as the HBL Manufacturing Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) slipped to a 10-month low of 50.5 in June, down from 51.1 in the previous month. While the reading remained above the no-change threshold of 50 for the 14th consecutive month, it signalled a notable slowdown in momentum due to weakness in new order volumes. This was the first instance of consecutive new order contractions. To align with softer production needs, firms proactively reduced both employment levels and input procurement. Despite the slowdown, there were encouraging developments on the export front. Commenting on the report, Humaira Qamar, Head Equities & Research – HBL said, 'After hitting a 10-month low last month as per the Central Bank, exports showed signs of revival. New export orders rose for the first time in three months, with manufacturers attributing the rebound to improved quality standards.' Manufacturers also reported greater control over outstanding workloads. Work Backlogs declined for the sixth straight month, underlining the ongoing softness in demand. Looking ahead, optimism remains cautiously intact, as the Future Output Index continued to trend well above neutral, pointing to expectations of stronger activity in the year ahead. However, sentiment dipped for a second month in a row, weighed down by concerns over increasing taxation and geopolitical uncertainty. Qamar pointed out that the current PMI levels suggest a slower pace of GDP growth than PBS estimates. She further stated, 'We believe the current PMI readings imply a GDP growth rate lower than the provisionally estimated 2.7% for FY25, seeing potential for downward revisions. Furthermore, the Ministry of Finance's 4.2% GDP growth assumption in formulating the FY26 budget appears optimistic in our view, raising the risk of revenue underperformance.' Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
Express Tribune
30-06-2025
- Politics
- Express Tribune
First Kalash Marriage Bill cleared bylaw department
In a landmark step toward preserving cultural heritage, Pakistan's first indigenous Kalash Marriage Bill has successfully passed vetting by the Law Department and will soon be presented to the cabinet before being tabled in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Legislative Assembly. This historic legislation aims to protect and formalize the unique marital customs of the Kalash community, ensuring their traditions are legally recognized while promoting cultural rights. This disclosure was made by Qamar Naseem, Programme Manager Blue Veins organization during annual consultative workshop for CSO Support group here Monday. The CSO Support group has been formed by Blue Veins under its initiative of `Faith in Action for Equal Rights and Opportunities' having three components including Kalash Marriage Bill, Implementation of two percent admission quota for Minorities in public sector universities and strengthening implementation of the Code of Conduct to counter hate speech and harmful content. Qamar explained to the participants that the Kalash Marriage Bill had been drafted with considerable effort, as there was no written record of the community's religious traditions. The bill aimed to protect and preserve these customs, ensuring they remained intact after the legislation's passage. "Once enacted, it will mark a significant milestone in Pakistan's efforts to safeguard minority communities and their ancestral practices," he remarked. The draft legislation has obtained approval from Law department and will now be forwarded for presentation in cabinet meeting for review, he added. About admission quota, the meeting was informed that out of 34 public sector universities in KP, about 27 have showed compliance by properly displaying announcement about minority quota on websites.
