Going Global: Khaadi sets foot in London’s Westfield Malls

Local brand Khaadi to open two stores in London’s busiest shopping malls. PHOTOS: PUBLICITY

LONDON: 

Pakistanis living in London may have already spotted large hoardings at two of the city’s major malls, Westfield Stratford City and Westfield London, bearing witness to the fact that the much-loved local brand Khaadi will soon be opening in UK’s capital. While there is no exact date yet, it is expected to open around December 13, well in time for Christmas shopping.

According to CEO Rehan Syed, Khaadi’s first choice for an international location was the UAE as it was closer to home, but seeing the huge Indian and Pakistani community in the UK, it felt like the right step to take. However, it is not just the desi community, but the British one at large that they want to target.

“When you go international, you need to cater to international requirements. We will keep the more ethnic, Pakistani stuff but we will also have fusion clothing,” he said.

Another factor that proves it is not just the South Asian diaspora that is being targeted is the fact that Khaadi decided not to focus on desi-central areas like Green Street, where it would have been cheaper to open a store. Instead, it went to big malls that cater to a wider market.

Khaadi already plans to open more outlets in London in the future. “We are not doing this on an ad-hoc basis, we have done our research and identified the right partners and are definitely looking at more than two stores,” said Syed. He also added that he is very excited about the initial response received on Facebook over the news of stores opening in London, saying that it is encouraging and makes him confident of the stores’ success.

According to Eloise Berry, the HR Manager for Khaadi International, they have strived to keep the branding similar so that “you know you’ve walked into a Khaadi store… It should be the same experience.”

Khaadi is also opening a store at the Pavilion in Kuala Lumpur’s on November 29.

Once-bitten Sharif to appoint new Pakistani army chief

Like every civilian leader, Sharif will be keen to pick a commander who limits the army's involvement in politics. PHOTO: AFP/FILE

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s prime minister, Nawaz Sharif, will name a new army chief this week who, if all goes well, could help the nuclear-armed nation shake off a legacy of coups and instability.

The stakes could not be higher.

The last time Sharif chose an army chief, he was toppled by the same general, Pervez Musharraf, a year later.

Musharraf held power for nearly a decade from 1999 until the restoration of civilian rule.

The United States, which views Pakistani cooperation as vital to its strategy in neighbouring Afghanistan, will be watching closely, hoping for continuity before most foreign troops pull out of Afghanistan next year.

“What is best for the country may not be the best political option,” said Mahmud Durrani, a former general who served as Pakistan’s national security adviser until 2008.

“Nawaz will try to appoint someone who will do his bidding, not someone who is good for the army. And similarly, the new chief will be driven by the institution and not necessarily by any civilian leader.”

The post of army chief is one of the most powerful in Pakistan and anxiety rests on who will replace the taciturn, chain-smoking General Ashfaq Kayani, who steps down on Friday after six years at the helm.

Three senior generals, Lieutenant-General Haroon Aslam, Lieutenant-General Tariq Khan and Lieutenant-General Rashad Mahmood, are seen as main contenders.

Mahmood is the third most senior commander and, army insiders say, a Kayani favourite.

Khan commands a Pakistani army corps and is considered an important interlocutor with the United States. Aslam is the most senior military officer after Kayani, and thus his natural heir.

Kayani has won credit for reducing the military’s public role in politics although the army retains huge influence behind the scenes, especially over security and foreign policy. Like every civilian leader, Sharif will be keen to limit that sway under a new commander.

“Nawaz may trust in Kayani’s democratic credentials, but he knows that is no guarantee that the next guy will also stay in the barracks,” said a senior official in Sharif’s administration who declined to be named.

“He also knows full well that most senior army officers are not supporters of Kayani’s softer approach. This is an uneasy moment for Nawaz.”

The army has ruled Pakistan for more than half its 66-year history.

Changing Attitude

One of Sharif’s pledges in the run-up to his May election victory was to improve ties with old rival India.

Clashes between the two armies in the disputed Kashmir region just weeks after the vote put paid to that, for the time being at least, and Sharif will need to gain the support of Kayani’s successor to make any progress on that front.

At home, the army has been wary of another Sharif campaign promise to open talks with Pakistani Taliban militants, battling the state since 2007 to impose their vision of a Shariah rule.

On the broader, decades-old issue of Pakistan’s army using militant groups to further objectives in Afghanistan and in confronting India, Western officials believe that under Kayani the army’s attitudes have been changing, largely because of the rise of the Pakistani Taliban.

Western officials believe that Kayani has been instrumental in pushing for negotiated settlements with insurgents on both sides of the Afghan-Pakistani border. They’ll be hoping that trend continues under his successor.

“Sharif can’t afford to pick a wild card right now,” a retired Pakistani general told Reuters.

“He knows full well that this is not a time for adventurism or any wild experiments.”

Fresh chaos as Bangladesh opposition holds vote protest

Bangladeshi police personnel stand guard during the second day of a nationwide strike called by the opposition BNP in Dhaka. PHOTO: AFP

DHAKA: Bangladesh opposition supporters went on the rampage Tuesday, blocking roads and ripping up railway tracks after rejecting plans for a January 5 election, plunging the nation into fresh political turmoil.

The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and its allies called a 48-hour nationwide blockade to press their demand for a suspension of the poll date announced on national television on Monday evening.

The BNP has been calling for Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to resign to make way for a neutral caretaker government to oversee the elections – demands rejected by Hasina and her party.

Police fired rubber bullets and tear gas at hundreds of protesters who took to the streets in the cities of Rajshahi and Khulna, leaving at least 30 people injured, television station Channel 24 said.

Police said one protester drowned in the northern town of Sirajganj after he jumped into a pond to escape the gas, although ATN News TV station said he died after being hit by a tear gas shell.

“He died on the way to hospital,” district police official Moktar Hossain said, adding that an opposition official was arrested as he led some 150 protesters in a blockade of a key highway.

A train was derailed at Gouripur, some 100 kilometre north of the capital Dhaka, after police said they suspected opposition supporters removed sleepers from the tracks.

“No one is injured. But it disrupted train communication between Dhaka and Mymensingh. We suspect the sleepers were removed by the opposition supporters,” Mymensingh police chief Moinul Haq told AFP.

Police also said the railway line between Dhaka and the port city of Chittagong has been cut since late Monday after opposition activists removed parts of rail tracks and sleepers, and tried to torch a railway bridge near the eastern town of Imambari.

Protests erupted across the country on Monday night immediately after Chief Elections Commissioner Kazi Rakibuddin Ahmad announced the vote plans and urged parties to take part in the contest for the 300-seat parliament.

One protester was killed in a small blast and scores were injured as opposition supporters hurled dozens of crude bombs, clashed with police and blocked roads and railways in major cities and towns.

On Tuesday, security was tight in Dhaka with police and paramilitary border guards out in force, police spokesman Masudur Rahman told AFP. Inter-regional bus services were suspended in case of violence, stranding thousands of passengers.

The announcement of an election date came after weeks of deadly protests by the BNP and its allies left at least 30 people dead and hundreds injured over the election process.

Hasina has rejected calls for a caretaker government and instead formed a multi-party interim cabinet last week which is composed of her allies.

She asked the BNP to join the cabinet but her invitation was bluntly refused by the opposition.

While previous elections have been organised by non-partisan caretaker governments, Hasina scrapped the arrangement in 2011.

She argued that the system had paved the way for the army to seize power in a country which has witnessed at least 19 coups since 1975.

Bangladesh has been plagued by political violence ever since it won independence from Pakistan in 1971 after a bloody war of secession.

Deadly clashes and a boycott threat by Hasina’s Awami League led to the cancellation of elections in January 2007 and a subsequent coup.

An army-backed civilian government remained in power for two years until it called elections in December 2008 which were overwhelmingly won by the Awami League.

China public backs air defence zone: Survey

File photo of China Marine Surveillance ship. PHOTO: AFP

BEIJING: The vast majority of Chinese back an air defence zone declared over disputed waters, a survey released Tuesday said, despite the move sharply escalating tensions in the region.

Nearly 85 percent of respondents believe the Air Defence Identification Zone over an area that includes islands administered by Japan would “safeguard (China’s) airspace security”, according to the poll by the state-run Global Times newspaper.

The newspaper, which is close to the ruling Communist party and often takes a nationalistic stance, said 53.6 percent of respondents believed the zone would help push the dispute over the islands – known as Senkaku in Japan and Diaoyu in China – in Beijing’s favour.

Another 39.5 percent felt it would “create a more stable landscape with an even power struggle formed between China and Japan”.

It added that 4.3 percent however felt the zone’s creation “will do harm to China as it may be used by Japan to play up China’s military assertiveness”.

The survey also asked for a suggested response when a “foreign aircraft illegally enters the air defence zone”.

Almost 90 percent called for the military to send planes to “intercept and drive off”, while 60 percent agreed with opening fire “after warning is ineffective”.

The zone – which would require aircraft to obey China’s orders – provoked strong objections from Tokyo and Washington, with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe calling on China to “restrain itself”.

More than 1,100 adults in seven major cities were surveyed by the paper.

Iran deal 'will lead to surge of oil to Asia'

Iran's deal with Western powers to curb parts of its nuclear programme is likely to lead to a sizable increase of shipments of oil from the Islamic Republic to Asia. PHOTO: FILE

LONDON: Iran’s deal with Western powers to curb parts of its nuclear programme is likely to lead to a sizable increase of shipments of oil from the Islamic Republic to Asia, analysts said.

If the interim deal struck this weekend in Geneva leads to a full lifting of sanctions, it could spark an injection of oil into an already over-supplied global market, many said Monday.

But while the agreement in its current form is unlikely to have a significant short-term impact on the market, the loosening of sanctions is likely to see Iranian oil shipments increase to China, India, Japan and South Korea.

News of the deal struck in Geneva led to oil prices falling, but the effect was limited.

In London, Brent North Sea crude for delivery in January fell 0.57 percent from Friday’s close to $109.23 a barrel at 1700 GMT, while New York’s main contract fell back three quarters of a percent to $94.07, after earlier dropping to $93.08.

The accord is “only a first step and does not impact the current sanctions on Iranian oil exports”, noted BNP Paribas analyst Harry Tchilinguirian.

But he said a wider lifting of sanctions on Iran’s oil production “would certainly allow oil supply conditions to ease, notably for crudes of medium and heavy quality”.

However, the analyst noted that “we are still very far from that outcome”.

The six-month deal reached by the United States and Western powers and Iran is aimed at buying time to thrash out a fuller agreement.

One effect of the current agreement is that Iranian oil will be more readily available to buyers in Asia, as European insurers will be allowed to insure oil shipments from Iran again.

“With sanctions loosened, oil shipments from Iran could increase again to China, India, South Korea and Japan,” noted Commerzbank’s analyst team.

The likelihood of an upsurge in Iranian oil heading east is also supported by the likelihood that a further tightening of oil sanctions against Iran by the US Congress has receded as a result of the Geneva deal, they noted.

Although Sunday’s deal is “an important first step that could eventually lead to the normalization of relations between Iran and the west,” a final deal removing the most important sanctions “remains challenging given that some key stakeholders could act as spoilers,” Barclays said in a note.

Barclays predicted the downward shift in oil prices after the deal “could be short lived,” given that a December 4 meeting of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries could lead to lower output.

The US granted sanctions waivers to several countries that could not easily source the right type of oil from other suppliers, but the insurance ban had crimped shipments.

Iran has 25-30 million barrels of crude that it could rapidly release on to the market, Credit Suisse estimated.

Several experts reckon that if a full agreement can be reached, another one billion barrels could flow into a market that is already well-supplied.

The sanctions against the Iranian regime over its nuclear programme effectively caused exports of oil from the Islamic republic to fall by more than one million barrels a day.

Exports fell from 2.5 million barrels a day in 2011 to 1.1 million in the first nine months of this year, according to the International Energy Agency.

Iran’s ability to rapidly increase exports is likely to be hampered by the effect that years of sanctions have had on its infrastructure, said Andrey Kryuchenkov at VTB Capital.

“It would be difficult to ramp shipments up quickly… given ageing and idling infrastructure,” he noted.

Credit Suisse are more optimistic – they believe that six months after a full lifting of the sanctions, Iran will have regained 75 percent of its lost production.

The potential impact of an influx of Iranian oil on to the market remains unclear.

Julian Jessops, chief economist at Capital Economics, believes Brent could fall by $10.

But as Kryuchenkov points out, OPEC – of which Iran is a member – will fight to defend the $100 barrier, most likely by cutting output in the world’s biggest producer, Saudi Arabia.

Future dialogue: US-Iran détente brings fresh fervour to pipeline

Federal Minister for Planning, Development and Reforms Ahsan Iqbal speaking at the Allama Iqbal Open University (AIOU). PHOTO: INP

ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Planning, Development and Reforms Ahsan Iqbal said that the government aspired to pursue the Pak-Iran gas pipeline, terming it crucial for the country to meet its energy needs. Iqbal said that the government will hold discussions with Iran about the financial cost of the project while speaking at the Allama Iqbal Open University (AIOU).

Previously, Iran had been hit by American-led sanctions that forced countries to cut off relations with Iran’s central bank, effectively ending major trade with the country. The Iran-Pakistan pipeline was one such project. However, last week Iran and the Security Council permanent members plus German (P5+1) reached an interim agreement, which will be in place until a final one is reached within six months.

Pakistan, along with many other nations, hopes that a successful resolution of the issue will allow it to resume trade ties with Iran, finally resuming work on the much-needed pipeline.

The function was arranged by the Department of Iqbaliyat, the Directorate of Student’s Advisory, AIOU and `Rebaat-e-Iqbal Pakistan’. The minister acknowledged the government’s initiative to make the system more transparent and improve the tax collection process. “The government has increased tax collection significantly which was nine percent of GDP earlier.” He further said that the revenue generated through taxes will be diverted toward development projects, as the country will not be able to progress while depending on foreign aid.

Iqbal also said that Pakistan has made progress in the higher education sector. While addressing the youth, Iqbal said that dignity can never be earned through charity and one must earn it through education. Vice-Chancellor AIOU Professor Dr Nazir Ahmed Sangi, on the occasion, said that AIOU will continue its Iqbal day activities across the country until February 15, 2014. The university has 1.35 million students enrolled, among which 58% are girls, and is holding different schemes worth Rs100 million to support deserving students in pursuing their education

Iran, Pakistan to fast track gas pipeline: Foreign Office

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif (C) poses for a picture with his counterparts from Pakistan, Sartaj Aziz (L), and Turkey, Ahmet Davutoglu, during the opening session of a two-day ministerial conference of the Economic Cooperation Organisation (ECO), which groups 10 Asian and Eurasian countries, in Tehran on November 26, 2013. PHOTO: AFP

ISLAMABAD: Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Tuesday said that Iran and Pakistan had decided to accelerate progress on the Iran-Pakistan gas pipeline project in a meeting between the Advisor on National Security and Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz and Iranian foreign minister Dr Muhammad Javad Zarif.

“Iran and Pakistan have decided to fast track discussions on the I-P Gas Pipeline Project in order to formulate a road map and a more realistic time schedule for the implementation of this important project,” a press release issued by the foreign office read .

Sartaj Aziz is in Tehran to participate in the 21^st Meeting of the Council of Ministers of ten member Economic Cooperation Organisation.

The Foreign Office statement went on to add that, ”It was agreed that comprehensive technical commercial proposals on the I-P Gas Pipeline would be discussed in Tehran between Inter-State Gas System Ltd of Pakistan and the Iranian nominated company – Tadbir Energy Gaspar Iranian Co. in the first week of December.”

Aziz and Zarif discussed relations between the two countries and matters of bilateral cooperation among other global issues.

“It was also agreed to hold the next round of Joint Ministerial Commission in Tehran early next year.”

Earlier, while addressing the ECO Ministerial meeting, Sartaj Aziz reiterated Pakistan’s strong commitment to the aims and objectives of the Organisation.

“Recalling the ECO’s aim of promoting sustainable economic cooperation, the Advisor remarked that it had a solid program of cooperation, a forward looking agenda and an expanding horizon of activities.

“He observed that ECO had made reasonable progress and needed to show more proactive approach so that the benefits directly affect the lives of the people of the Region.”