wi-cam, a CPE (Customer Premises Equipment) Management and Administration tool, developed by students and graduates of KICS-UET using open-source technology, allows broadband companies, such as wi-tribe, to remotely configure and manage CPEs, while receiving instant notifications and access to live data. Not only does this result in an improved customer care experience, it also enables customers to continue enjoying seamless connectivity.

Wi-cam was the result of a strategic public-private partnership that wi-tribe entered into with KICS-UET to conceive, develop and launch a fully funded research and development program, enabling the innovation of this breakthrough feature-rich management tool. With wi-cam, wi-tribe and UET jointly demonstrate that sourcing local development of critical customer service innovation is not only possible, but also essential to the proliferation of technical capabilities within Pakistan.

In his speech on the occasion, Dr. Tanveer-ul-Haq, VP Technical at wi-tribe impressed on the fact that wi-tribe believes in the potential of Pakistani youth. He said that all over the world universities are the research grounds for a lot of industry innovation and this needs to happen more in Pakistan.

At KICS-UET, researchers are keen on capitalizing open source technologies and developing cost effective solutions for local telecom and IT industry, said Dr. Waqar Mahmood, Director of KICS-UET. wi-cam is a product built with local talent and it has helped KICS-UET researchers better understand software needs of the telecom industry, he said.

UET has established collaboration with international research organization of high repute such as Broad Institute of MiT Harvard, International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Canada, University of California Barkley, Purdue University USA, Caviam Networks USA, CISCO Systems, European Language Authority, Microsoft research and many others. Several companies have opened their design and training centers in the University of Engineering and Technology, Lahore.  It has attracted US$8.3M worth of equipment funding from Huawei Technologies China.

wi-tribe should be congratulated for investing in local R&D. It is by increasing the research and development capabilities of our universities that the industry will flourish at a much faster rate and the innovation ecosystem will be further strengthened.

Why were we concerned? Well, this would be the first event to take place at this new Technology Park and Dr. Umar Saif, the Chairman of the Punjab IT Board, Fasih Mehta the PITB Program Manager and their team had been working 24×7 to make sure that the venue was ready for us in time for the event.

We needn’t have worried though. Everything was in perfect shape thanks to the great team at PITB. After checking out the Auditorium we went up to Dr. Umar Saif’s office to chit-chat and discuss the program for the next day. The view of Lahore from his office is absolutely breathtaking. You have to see it to believe it!  The official opening of the Arfa Karim Technology Park will take place in the next couple of weeks. P@SHA will have an office there and I hope that it will soon be populated with a large number of IT companies. Umar Saif has lots of other plans for it but more on that later. Just wanted to share the first few pictures of what looks like a top class facility.

Oh by the way, if you are wondering why Badar is playing cowboy, it was cold in Lahore and he tied a scarf round his throat. Haris and I didn’t remind him to remove it when the photo was taken.

On Tuesday, January 17, 2012 Entrepreneurs Roundtable (ERT) Pakistan is holding its kickoff event in Karachi from 7:00pm to 9:00pm at T2F 2.0 at 10C Sunset Lane 5, Phase 2 Extension DHA.

ERT Pakistan is a chapter of ERT Silicon Valley. Partners of the event include P@SHA and T2F.

Come prepared to pitch your startup product or prototype. This is an informal meetup of entrepreneurs and promises to be a lot of fun.

So what is the objective or the thought process behind the ERT event? AR Rafiq, who is an entrepreneur from Silicon Valley, says that entrepreneurs deserve more than just 30 seconds or 3 min. to tell the story of the idea and the product that they have passionately developed out of their love for technology and nights and days without sleep or rest.

Entrepreneurs Roundtable began in Silicon Valley. The idea was for startup founders/geeks with more focus in the Software, Web, and Mobile space, to meet every month and genuinely share ideas, technical expertise, business experiences, to vent and of course to network. Sometimes ideas attract investment from other attendees and that is really the aim – partnerships, growth, scalability, investment, sharing and learning.

Each entrepreneur is put under the spotlight, either as a speaker to demo or as a participant.

According to AR Rafiq, those who attend must fit the following criteria:

— Out of four functional roles : Founder, Entrepreneur, Developers, Self-inflicted-slave-driver, you have to play at least 3 out of the four leading title roles above. Honestly, if you don’t, you’ll probably get seriously bored by our meetings.

— Our live demos are for real internet or mobile products. We usually *try* to avoid glossy ppt stuff, although with exceptions from time to time.

We welcome entrepreneurs and geeks to join, so long as you are willing to share your experiences and knowledge too.

If you’re an entrepreneur or geek with an idea or better working prototype, let us know so we can schedule you in to pitch at the meetup. Email Abdulrahman Rafiq arafiq@inspurate.com. Copy me too at president@pasha.org.pk. See you there!

Imagine my surprise when I opened the box and found this! 
Yes it was a teeny weeny credit card! What a waste! The card could easily have been sent in an envelope as credit cards usually are, couldn’t it? Or does it make the recipient feel much more important if it is sent in a huge velvet-lined box? Banks can be so very wasteful!

Then something occurred to me. What if I made resolutions the week after New Year’s? Maybe they wouldn’t be jinxed and there would be a better chance of living up to them. Why make them at all you might ask? There is a loony rationale to it actually. When you focus on what you need to do to improve your personal and work life, your relationships, the way you function as a human being, you actually take the time to stop and think, to highlight in your mind your priorities and ways to better lead your own life and impact the lives of those around you.

So I relaxed on my beanbag, closed my eyes and thought of things I would like to change. Here is a list of 10 resolutions that I came up with.

1. Try and be more patient – God do I need this!

Take a deep breath before reacting in annoyance to anything that happens. There are any number of times one reacts in anger to something someone may have said or done. Regrets are of no use later so might as well ponder before reacting.

2. Focus on a few things, make them happen first and then embark on other activities

Passion and excitement are great but they often lead to total chaos if one is not careful. Balance is important, and the ability to recognize how much one can execute during a given time frame.

3. Get back to blogging more regularly

I enjoy writing/blogging so much but of late I have let life get the better of me – and have neglected my blog. That is just not on. I need to get back to regular blogging. It is one of the things that has kept me sane over the years (yes yes it may be hard to believe but I am quite sane )

4. Take a day off every week

The rollercoaster ride I have been on 24×7 for the past few years has turned me into a workaholic and is beginning to take its toll. Need to take at least a day off every week to unwind, laze, just chill!

5. Save Energy

No no not mine! Energy as in power. Make sure all switches in the house are off when they are not in use, that all lights, fans, ACs in the office are off when the team heads out for lunch or when i go out for meetings. Emphasize on household and office teams of the importance of saving energy.

6. Eat more sensibly

This doesn’t mean I am going on a diet. It only means that I will eat oily or deep fried foods, sweets, etc less often. Concentrate on lunches which comprise of soup and/salads and the day I have a heavier lunch, have the soup/salad for dinner. So eating healthier as often as I can without depriving myself of food I enjoy.

7. Start some sort of regular light exercise

This is to keep the body from rusting and getting squeaky. Needs to keep functioning if I am to do all the things I want to.

8. Start a P@SHA show online

Have been thinking about this for so long. About time I stopped procrastinating and actually did it! This is the year!

9. Document … document … document!

Ensure all initiatives are documented and shared. Blowing your own trumpet (in so far as the organization you work for is concerned) is actually a good thing and is in fact essential good practice.

10. Plod on! Ignore the negativity!

Don’t let the insensitivity and negativity of a few individuals weigh you down. Best to focus on the positive, do what needs to be done and march on.

You may remember that the Pakistan Software Export Board (PSEB) had initiated its “Smart Plug and Play Incubator Program” the purpose of which was to promote entrepreneurship and to encourage creativity  among young IT Graduates. The next stage of the program will start from January 2012 in which PSEB will provide necessary infrastructure support & mentorship to the selected applicants alongwith the monthly stipend of Rs 15,000 for the initial period of 6 months.

Professionals who have already been in the industry 01-10 or more years or Students in their 3rd year/ 4th year who have a promising final year project or otherwise would like to work on a new idea are encouraged to apply. For details regarding this program please visit  http://www.pseb.org.pk/pseb-programs/incubators-program.html.

*Please also note that PSEB will be conducting a session on 27^th December 011 at Pakistan Software Houses Association (P@SHA) Head Office located at (310, 3rd Floor Business Center Block 6, PECHS Main Shahrah-e-Faisal – Karachi) where all the applicants will be invited for a 5 minute elevator pitch.

Interested in making a pitch? Apply latest by 25^th December,2011.

 Contact : Sheikh Hammad Amjad  0333 2259241      Muhammad Kabir Farooqui  0300 2179614

The project that we were a part of  was for two years. Yet from the first day Fariha was one of several members of our team who took ownership of the project. She lived and breathed TBTT. She was passionate about it. She wrote about it. She spoke about it. She trained others. She came up with lots of ideas for creating awareness about privacy and security online.

I think it is something that many of us consider a life long project – to empower women to harness technology for their own benefit and to use it to end Gender Violence. Even now different groups of people are collaborating in different parts of the country to propagate the message against VAW, to share stories, to offer help whenever and wherever they can, to try and use their expertise for the benefit of both genders. We are proud of you Fariha.

In this interview with Afia Salam on The Afia Salam Show, Fariha talks about how one can use technology safely, what one do about cyber  harassment and cyber stalking and she shares stories of actual experiences. The interview is in Urdu. Do go and listen to it and share your ideas and add value to the discussion.

Country Director of White Ribbon Campaign Pakistan Mr. Omer Aftab explained the objective behind the White Ribbon campaign. He said that to stop violence against women, it is not sufficient that we create awareness about womens’ rights among women – it is absolutely essential that men join alongside women to encourage norms of consent, respect and gender equality and that they challenge the unfair power relations which leads to violence.

He also announced the launch of a nationwide journalists’ engagement program on gender sensitization and violence against women and said that a White Ribbon Media Alumni was being established.

White Ribbon Campaign Pakistan – WRCP is a project of the Women’s Empowerment Group and Vision 2015, working with men and boys to eradicate women’s human rights violations.

Some of the major things that have been done by WRCP include:

1.      Mass distribution of awareness material for Men & Boys on ending VAW

2.      Nationwide Media Campaign in Daily Jang, The News & GEO News to mark White Ribbon Day on 25th Nov.

3.      Nationwide Journalists Engagement Programme

4.      Mass mobilization through a Banner Campaign

5.      Youth Awareness Seminars in Universities

6.      Circulation of SMS condemning violence against women on 25th Nov to 3.0 million Warid subscribers

7.      Pledge campaign http://www.whiteribbon.org.pk/one-million/index.php

So since this is a worldwide campaign I decided to check out their main website more details so that we could all understand what it is that they are trying to accomplish. I was quite amazed at the size of the campaign and its outreach. It is an effort that started in Canada and has spread to 55 countries. Here are some of the basic questions that the website was able to answer regarding the White Ribbon Campaign, how it started, what it means to wear a white ribbon and how they are trying to ensure that their mission is accomplished.

What is the White Ribbon Campaign (WRC)?
The White Ribbon Campaign (WRC) is the largest effort in the world of men working to end violence against women (VAW). In over fifty-five countries, campaigns are led by both men and women, even though the focus is on educating men and boys. In some countries it is a general public education effort focused on ending violence against women.

How did the WRC get started?
In 1991, a handful of men in Canada decided they had a responsibility to urge men to speak out about violence against women. Wearing a white ribbon would be a symbol of men’s opposition to violence against women. With only six weeks of preparation, 100000 men across Canada wore a white ribbon, while many others were drawn into discussion and debate.

What does it mean to wear a white ribbon?
Wearing a white ribbon is a personal pledge to never commit, condone or remain silent about violence against women and girls. Wearing a white ribbon is a way of saying, “Our future has no violence against women.”

What is the goal of WRC? How is this accomplished?
The main goal of WRC is ending violence against women in all its forms. We accomplish this in five ways:

• Challenging everyone to speak out, and think about their own beliefs, language and actions.
• Educating young people, especially young men and boys, on the issue through the educational resources we produce.
• Raising public awareness of the issue.
• Working in partnership with women’s organizations, the corporate sector, the media and other partners to create a future with no violence against women.
• Supporting White Ribbon Campaigns around with our experience, resources and networks.

Treat me with respect
Dont make me the subject of your abuse
Will beating me up produce you a male heir?
Does your ego get crushed each time I answer you back?
Did it make a big difference to your manhood?

Oh mother father why did you make  me promise never to leave my marital home
Why should I be humiliated by this man every day?
Why does society frown upon women who leave their husbands?
I long to leave and go back to my parents
Alas they will not accept me and I will have to go back
These scars will heal but what about the ones in my heart?
I suffer everyday along with the rest of my sisters on mother earth
Leaving my husband will only lead to dishonor

Stop this Violence, Stop This Hate
Stop this Violence, Stop This Hate

You may have married me but you don’t own me
You may have your rights but you owe me my rights
I will not let you ruin my life any further
This is the end of the line for you
This is the end of the line for me
No more
No more

Portrait of Dishonour
By Farieha Aziz 27 JANUARY 2011

Niilofur Farrukh. Photo: Jamal Ashiqain

“No Honour in Killing: Making Visible Buried Truth,” a show intended to raise social awareness through art, was initiated as a project in 2008, soon after the Naseerabad ‘honour’ killings made the headlines. According to its curator Niilofur Farrukh, it began as an attempt to fight the helplessness that had gripped society when news of the murders broke.

Dedicated to the four women who were buried alive in Naseerabad, the exhibition, which went on display at the VM Gallery last month, showcases the work of 35 artists – some very well known, others young and upcoming – with each work exploring a different dimension of violence against women.

The first work that catches the eye comprises two white muslin sheets suspended from the ceiling covered with fiery orange text and screen print. Titled ‘Wajud-e-zan say hai tasveer-i-kainat mein rang,’ artist Meher Afroz conveys her thoughts on ‘honour’ killings through the use of specific words and phrases on her canvas. Words such as amal, masawaat, akhuwat, yaqeen, rawadari are scattered around a poem that reads: Nai ho ya purani/ zann ka nigehban hai faqat mard/ jis qaum ne iss zinda haqeeqat/ ko na paya/ uss qaum ka khursheed bohat jaldi/ huwa zard.

‘Honour’ by Khuda Bux Abro features moustaches floating around a burqa-clad woman. Men who brandish these moustaches – which are viewed as a source of pride and honour in society – think nothing of laying to waste a woman’s life in the name of honour. The painting depicts the entrapment of women by such men and their code of honour.

In Naima Dadabhoy’s work, a screen print on canvas, the map of Pakistan placed at the centre of the canvas, is surrounded by text that documents facts, figures and perceptions relating to ‘honour’ killings. More impressive, however, is Dadabhoy’s life-size skeletal structure of a woman resembling a mummy lying on the floor in wrought iron and tin foil – much like a corpse in a coffin.

Maham Mujtaba depicts the debasement of the concept of honour by draping a wild boar in her painting with a red sheet that has the word ‘honour’ embroidered on it. The background shows 18 women wrapped in white sheets – all victims of ‘honour’ killings.

What look like two double-sided axes strung on the wall are the product of a collaborative effort by Abdullah Syed, an artist based in Sydney, and Roohi Ahmed, currently a teacher at the Indus Valley School of Art and Architecture. Titled ‘Kullah-Re,’ on one side of the wooden stick is the metal component of an axe whereas on the other is a kullah (form of turban) made of fabric. Together, they denote the perpetrator of violence and the tool he uses to perpetrate it – the tribal lord and the axe.

Covering most of the wall space on one side of the gallery, Marium Agha’s ‘72 virgins for my suicide lover,’ references the promise of 72 virgins to all martyrs in a Hadith in an unusually interesting manner. Instead of using figurines, Agha uses biological sketches of the vagina to illustrate the reduction of women to mere objects, offered as reward in heaven – and on earth.

Strikingly different is Maria Aftab’s work in mixed media. Done in bright red fabric with a checkered rug on the floor and a floral design on the wall, Aftab’s bathroom scene and fittings – a sink and a mirror with a towel rack next to it – according to her represent “items of daily use … which usually provide comfort yet simultaneously give the effect of a nightmare.”

On a more positive note, Sana Arjumand uses a portrait of a woman wearing a crown to depict Mukhtaran Mai. It is her way of paying tribute to a woman who was the victim of a heinous crime – gang-rape – but stood strong in the face of slander, threat and coercion and came out of the trauma as a stronger and better person – a role model for victims of similar tragedy.

“At some level or the other, art communicates – sometimes directly and at other times, not so much,” remarked Farrukh of the show. According to her, the aim of the exhibition was to dispel the widely held notion “that art is merely an elitist activity and expresses itself in an esoteric idiom.” In her address at the two-hour discussion/dialogue prior to the exhibition’s inauguration in Karachi on December 6, Farrukh stated that the initiative aimed to do three things: take the exhibition to different parts of the country, include the work of local artists and initiate a dialogue.

While the exhibition could not travel to several cities listed on the scheduled programme due to the worsening law-and-order situation in the country, it made it to Jamshoro, Khairpur, Islamabad, Lahore and finally Karachi. Similar discussions as the one in Karachi were held at these locations. Most of the students, particularly those in Jamshoro and Khairpur, were well aware of the crimes committed in the name of honour and the perceptions that existed in their respective societies. Not only were they very forthcoming in their discussions, but also contributed to the exhibition – selected works were added to the core exhibition.

At the event in Karachi, after the screening of Beena Sarwar’s nine-minute award-winning documentary Mukhtaran Mai: A Struggle for Justice, several speakers addressed the audience. Khadija from Shirkat Gah, one of the researchers who travelled to Naseerabad on a fact-finding mission, presented an overview of the widely practiced – and accepted – cultural practices in Naseerabad and its five adjoining districts. She said watta-satta, siyakari and karo-kari were rampant in the areas. Women were killed in the name of family honour – even on the pretext of leaving home unaccompanied or without the permission of a male member – and commonly used as barter for hefty sums of money

Amar Sindhu, an activist from Hyderabad, added to the discussion by informing the audience that the notion that the jirga system provides “cheap and easy justice,” did not hold true. As much as 1 crore 16 lakh rupees has been given as compensation money to settle disputes. ‘Honour’ crimes, said Sindhu, had become part of the country’s political economy, with feudal lords – some of whom are sitting in the assemblies – getting a percentage of the compensation money. Sindhu added that the perpetration of these crimes against women in particular was due to a lack of female representation in the jirgas. She gave the example of a female politician from Sindh, who despite being an elected representative of the area, was not allowed to intervene while an all-male jirga was in session. And despite the Sindh High Court’s ban on jirgas in 2004, they still operate, with ‘honour’ killings rising with each passing year.

Poet and activist, Attiya Dawood recited her poem, ‘To My Daughter,’ originally written in Sindhi but translated into Urdu, with “pyaar zaroor kerna” being the constant refrain. The floor was then thrown open to the audiences and a lively discussion ensued. One member suggested that events such as these should be held in areas where these crimes are perpetuated instead of urban centres. A female in the audience countered by saying that while women may not be killed as blatantly as they are in rural societies, the concept of family honour is linked to women even in the urban areas.

Moreover, members in the audience pointed out that it was people based in the urban centres who could effect change by approaching the relevant people and authorities, and further through their activism and agitation. The powerful and the influential needed to be converted, for even if they were not sanctioning the crimes directly, they were on occasion guilty of abetting the act. And some anti-women laws needed to be changed, as was pointed out by WAF (Women’s Action Forum) member Nuzhat Kidvai, and other laws in favour of women needed to be implemented.

All in all, the exhibition-cum-discussion managed to strike the right chord in most hearts.

So what was the problem that they were trying to solve? This is how they explain it.

Electrocardiography (ECG) is one of the tools of cardiac monitoring. The dilemma is that despite the installation of hundreds of ECG machines in hospitals and clinics throughout the country, patients with severe arrhythmic abnormalities are often misdiagnosed or mistreated usually in rural areas due to unavailability of expert cardiologists at the ECG monitoring station. Moreover, most ECG machines presently installed do not have capabilities like High Resolution signal acquisition, remote monitoring, real time data storage and patient database management.

The project proposed to develop a prototype system to demonstrate geographically distributed installation of network enabled ECG recording and analysis stations with normal and High Resolution digital ECG machines capable of self diagnosing a patient for different arrhythmic abnormalities as well as early detection of risks associated with fatal arrhythmias which can lead to sudden cardiac death by running state of the art signal processing algorithm. The system was to provide 24/7 ECG recording and analysis facility with universal connectivity through dialup, Ethernet, GPRS, Radio and Satellite for connection to the central server located in the Cardiac Control Center (CCC) of a Central Hospital. The system would also have the capability to provide expert opinion to patients with severe arrhythmic abnormalities by transmitting their physiological data to the cardiologists at a central hospital through a universal communication device already developed in CARE. Here the expert cardiologists would receive ECG data and profile of patients with severe arrhythmic abnormalities and suggest treatment in real time. The ECG record and the patient profile would be stored at the server and a database for patients and their cardiac history would be managed for future reference as well as for off-line analysis and data-mining.

This was the solution that Dr. Shoab Ahmed Khan and his team researched and developed at CARE. This was the solution that won the top prize in the e-Health category in the P@SHA ICT Awards 2011. In November Dr. Shoab, Dr. Zaheer and Dr. Mohsin then accompanied the rest of the innovators from Pakistan, as well as the mentors and judges, to APICTA in Thailand. Here they competed against 162 other products in different categories and in the e-Health category they won hands down and came back with the winners’ trophy.

Last week Dr. Shoab and I went to show the coveted trophy to Dr. Aun Abbas, the CEO of the National ICT R&D Fund. It is important for us to show organizations like the National ICT R&D Fund that their investment in applied research helps innovators in this country to develop technology products that are useful to the citizens of this country and to the world and are actually world class products that can compare with the best in the region.

Pakistan was amongst the leaders at the APICTA event this evening. We were right up there with Hong Kong, Australia and Malaysia. Our friends from around the region came and shook our hands and remarked “Pakistan certainly has done well!” One could see the respect in their eyes, one could hear it in their voices. They had recognized the fact that Pakistan had truly arrived!

Team Pakistan comprised of 18 products which were benchmarking themselves with 162 competing products from the Asia Pacific region. 48 judges spent two long days evaluating and assessing the “best of the best” from the region.

Pakistan walked away with two golds in the e-Health and e-Logistics & SCM categories and 5 silvers in the Communication, Financial, Security, E-Inclusion & E-Community and E-Government categories. The Center for Advanced Research in Engineering (CARE) once again swept the Awards with the gold in e-Health and the silver in Communication, Security and E-Government categories. Lumensoft Technologies went for gold in the e-Logistics category with Infotech Group taking the silver in the Financial Apps category and Engro-Orix taking the silver in the E-Inclusion & E-Community category. Complete results have been announced on Jawwad’s blog.

We had been worrying about those who didn’t quite make it to the top slots from Pakistan but it was great to see how involved they became in celebrating the wins we had. All of them rose to the occasion and surrounded the winners, hugging them, patting them on the back, showing all-in-all how much the wins meant to Pakistan.

The CARE team comprising of Dr. Shoab Khan, Dr. Zaheer Ahmed and Dr. Mohsin were over the moon. They had worked very hard to get to this stage of the competition this year and as they went up to the stage over and over again to claim their rightful awards, several judges went up to them and offered their congratulations, told them how impressive they were and what a great contribution they were making to the country. Some of them offered to work with them, to form collaborations, to help position their products in other countries.

Abdul Aziz, CEO of Lumensoft, was competing for the second time at APICTA with a maturer product and a presentation that was crisp and clear and delivered extremely well. He last presented in Melbourne in 2009. When I asked him what he felt was the difference between his two attempts, he said unabashedly “My presentation in Melbourne was pathetic – no wonder I didn’t win!” A great example of a CEO who shed his ego, listened to the advice given by mentors and gave a 100 %. Well done!

The Infotech team was just as willing to take feedback and incorporate it into the build up for the Awards. Amir and Suresh presented well, answered every question with clarity and gave it their best. The Silver in the Financial Application category is a difficult one to attain because Infotech was up against some stiff competition. Preparation paid off in the end.

The Engro/Orix team were stupendous in the way they presented Eman in the E-Inclusion and E-Community category. Atif and Zainab put forward a presentation that wowed the judges and got for them the silver. It is a wonderful program and we hope that this win eggs them on to do other more interesting things with technology. As some of us are fond of saying, 125000 technology professionals cannot move ahead into the new developed age without taking the rest of Pakistan with us. It is for this reason that automation products like Eman are extremely important to the development of our community and our rural sector. Thanks guys for a terrific product. We hope to see more from you in the future.

Team Pakistan did us proud today and we were happy to see that the news brought joy to the faces of many and warmed and thrilled our hearts.

We have great plans for Brunei in 2012. Let us put the plans in action now!