Fake diplomas, Real cash NYT report uncovers Axact's fake degrees scam

 A detailed NYT report titled, "Fake Diplomas, Real Cash: Pakistani Company Axact Reaps Millions" written by New York Times Pakistan Bureau Chief Declan Walsh has outlined how local IT company Axact - referred to as the "secretive Pakistani software company" - allegedly earned millions of dollars from scams involving fake degrees, non-existent online universities and manipulation of customers.
The investigation asserted that Axact was involved in issuing fake degrees at a massive, global scale. It also raised questions about the funding by which the company was launching its upcoming media group Bol, referencing, "accusations by media competitors that the company is being supported by the Pakistani military or organized crime."
According to the report, Axact created a series of fake websites involving “professors” and students who were in fact paid actors.
The “university” websites mainly route their traffic through servers run by companies registered in Cyprus and Latvia, and employees would plant fictitious reports about Axact universities on CNN iReport, a website for citizen journalism.
Axact and its CEO, Shoaib Ahmad Shaikh, did not immediately respond to requests from AFP for comment.
In the statement on its website, Axact did not directly respond to the allegations but instead accused domestic media rivals of colluding with the New York Times to plant a slanderous story in order to harm its business interests.
According to an official in Pakistan's Federal Investigation Agency who did not wish to be named, the allegations raised by the newspaper would be a crime under Pakistan's Electronic Transaction Ordinance, punishable by seven years in prison.
The official added that the FIA was aware of the issue but had not launched an investigation because it had not received a formal complaint.
Responding to the New York Times' (NYT) article, Axact issued an official response on its website, terming the story "baseless".
"Axact condemns this story as baseless, substandard, maligning, defamatory and based on false accusations and merely a figment of imagination published without taking the company’s point of view. Axact will be pursuing strict legal action against the publications and those involved," said the company's response.
They also claimed local media groups Jang and Express were running a "defamation campaign" against Axact and Bol.
The response also alleged that Declan Walsh had devised a "one-sided story" without taking any input from the company.
"A last-minute, haphazard elusive email was sent to the company demanding an immediate response by the next day to which the attorney for Axact responded."
The response also stated that, "in an exemplary display of poor journalistic skills and yellow journalism, the writer quoted references from several imaginary employees to corroborate accusations made out of thin air."
Axact uploaded a detailed legal notice sent to NYT.
Aside from the release of its main report, NYT also published a separate post titled "Tracking Axact’s Websites" which listed "the sites for fictitious high schools and universities" that Axact is said to be running.
The NYT report said that "according to former insiders, company records and a detailed analysis of its websites, Axact’s main business has been to take the centuries-old scam of selling fake academic degrees and turn it into an Internet-era scheme on a global scale".
The accounts by former employees are supported by internal company records and court documents reviewed by The New York Times, it added.
Explaining its investigation, the report stated that, "Some of the details came from interviews with former employees of Axact, who identified roughly 50 sites, along with servers used by the company and blocks of custom website coding it developed. Starting from the list of employee-identified sites, The Times scoured the Internet for other sites that included similar technical details, servers, content and supporting links. More than 370 sites included at least some of those identifying components".
In academia, diploma mills have long been seen as a nuisance. But the proliferation of Internet-based degree schemes has raised concerns about their possible use in immigration fraud, and about dangers they may pose to public safety and legal systems.
Axact tailors its websites to appeal to customers in its principal markets, including the United States and oil-rich Persian Gulf countries, said the report.
Read the detailed NYT article here.
Read the list of alleged Axact-run sites here.

Quaid e Azam’s 138th birthday and Christmas on Dec 25

ISLAMABAD: Quaid e Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah’s, Father of the nation, 138 birth anniversary will be celebrated on December 25 with respect and dignity.

Similarly the Christian community of the world and country will celebrate Christmas with religious zeal.

File photo of Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah.

On this occasion there will be a national holiday. Electronic media etc television and radio channels will air especial documentaries related to the father of nation’s sayings and quotes.

On his tomb,change of the guards ceremony will be held in Karachi and special prayers will be sought to God.

Soldiers perform a ceremonial drill at the mausoleum of Pakistani founding father Muhammad Ali Jinnah, in Karachi on December 25, 2011. PHOTO: AFP

On the other hand, Christmas preparations are on full swing. In the country, Christmas trees have been built and all the churches have been illuminated with special lights.security will be high alerted on religious sites.

Business community opposes PTI call to shut cities

Islamabad—Business and traders community on Friday rejected call of PTI Chairman, Imran Khan to shut main cities, saying they oppose such a move which will hinder investment and weaken national economy. Lahore, Karachi and Faisalabad are the main industrial cities of the country and Imran’s call to block these cities is very disappointing. These three cities are the main hub of country’s economy, said Acting President of Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and Industries (ICCI), Muhammad Shakeel Muneer.

Talking to media here, he said both people and trade unions have rejected the call of PTI Chief, adding that “We do not think to shut our industries even in worse situation. We all need to focus on improvement of national economy for betterment of common man.” “Pakistani nation should have to think that Chief of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), Imran Khan has been working on agenda to destroy the economy,” he said. Shakeel further said that business community has rejected the call of Imran Khan, adding some of his own party’s leaders are against his decision.

All Pakistan Traders Association (APTA), President Ajmal Baloch said that trader community has been targeted by Imran Khan. Economy of the country has been coming on right track after better economic policies of present government. Such calls would create hurdles on the way to progress; he said and added the nation should have to think that Imran Khan has been working on agenda to disturb the economy

Farmers to reap rich dividends from support price of wheat: PM

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has said that timely decision of increase in the support price of wheat to Rs 1,300 per 40 kg, slapping of 20 per cent of regulatory duty on import of wheat and decrease in the petroleum prices particularly in the price of diesel, will reap huge dividends to farmers as they will earn an estimated extra income of Rs 3500-5000 per acre. This would have a salutary effect on the quality of their life, the PM, said and assured that the agriculture sector would be protected and encouraged so that the objective of food security in the country could be attained.
In a statement issued on Sunday, the prime minister said the government was fully cognizant of the problems of the people and was taking comprehensive long-term measures to significantly enhance their living standard by providing them all basic facilities of life.

This increase in the support price of wheat which was above the prevailing international price of wheat would encourage the agriculture sector as a uniform support price would provide a level playing field to all farmers in the entire country and thus encourage them to bring more land under cultivation, Nawaz said. Similarly, the recent reduction in oil prices will benefit the masses particularly the agriculture sector as it would reduce the cost of input, he emphasised.
The prime minister said that the present PML (N) government had taken a series of measures to encourage the agriculture sector in the country. Earlier, the prime minister recalled that in January this year the government had decided that imported as well as locally manufactured urea would be available at Rs 1,786 per bag and these rates would be stamped on each bag. The decision was taken to remove corruption due to difference in prices of imported and local urea and also to end exploitation of farmers by the middleman. It is pertinent to add that a middle man repacked imported urea and sold it out as locally manufactured thus pocketing the subsidy meant for farmers.
The prime minister said the government was bearing a subsidy of Rs 747 per bag as the present estimated cost of imported bag is Rs 2,527. He also said that a special subsidised tariff for electricity rates of Rs 10.35 per unit was being provided to the farmers eliminating peak time charges which were higher, so that their input costs were protected. The PML-N government, by affecting a uniform tariff of Rs 10.35 per unit for agricultural tube wells, has insured a reliability of input to the farmers.
The federal and provincial governments are procuring wheat from the farmers to ensure that not only they get correct price of their produce but also have sufficient stocks for the government for supplying to flour mills so that they can intervene to maintain a stable price of flour in the country.
The prime minister said that the present government was also working with full zeal to complete major infrastructure projects to achieve the goal of a better Pakistan by enhancing employment, generating economic activity and reducing poverty.

India asks Pakistan to decide whom it wants to talk to

Pakistan should draw a "red line" whether it wants to talk to the government of India or to those who want to break India, Defence Minister Arun Jaitley said here Wednesday.
Speaking at the India Economic Summit, Jaitley said India is ready to speak to Pakistan and is willing to normalise the relationship, but then there were a few "red lines".
Recalling that foreign secretary-level talks with Pakistan were called off in August due to its high commissioner meeting separatists from Jammu and Kashmir, he said a new red line has to be drawn in Pakistan about who they want to speak to.
"Do they want to speak to the government of India or they want to speak to those who want to break India... So, unless Pakistan makes the conscious choice, a dialogue will not be possible," Jaitley said.
Jaitley, who also holds finance portfolio, referred to ceasefire violations by Pakistan and said the consequences of its "misadventure" would be "unaffordable cost for Pakistan".
He said India would like to normalise the relationship but whether Pakistan wants to do so depends on it.
Jaitley said the BJP-led government sought to improve ties with Pakistan and gave it three messages.
He said the first message was of India's willingness to talk, second was the decision to send the foreign secretary to Islamabad, and the third was that "situation in international border cannot go on".

PIA privatisation deadline postponed to October 2015: report

The Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) has had the deadline for its privatization delayed by four months as Islamabad struggles to contain political fallout associated with the airline’s unbundling.
The offloading of a 24 per cent stake in the carrier, part of the conditions Pakistan accepted in return for an International Monetary Fund (IMF)-provided USD6.67 billion Extended Fund Facility (EFF) agreed to last year, was slated to be done by December of this year only to be postponed to June of next year. It has since emerged that deadline has now been delayed until October 2015.

In September, Pakistan’s Minister of State for Privatization Mohammad Zubair, announced that PIA’s core business will be sold off with government to retain control of ancillary operations such as ground handling and hotels under a holding company. The state will then sell off each of its interests individually over time.
Though never officially confirmed, Emirates (EK, Dubai Int’l), Etihad Airways (EY, Abu Dhabi Int’l), and Qatar Airways (QR, Doha Hamad Int’l) were believed to have been among the contenders for the carrier’s core business.

CNG stations fined for overcharging

FAISALABAD: The District Administration has fined three CNG station owners with Rs 75000 for overcharging.

According to city district government, Assistant Commissioner (AC) city Shah Rukh Niazi conducted raids in different areas of the city and found out that three CNG station owners including Tamoor CNG Satyana Road, Laraib CNG Narwala Road and Akbar CNG Batala Colony were over charging.
The AC city imposed a fine of Rs 25000 each on these CNG station owners.

Exports of sports products witness positive growth in 1st quarter

ISLAMABAD: The exports of sports products from the country witnessed positive growth during the first quarter of the current fiscal year compared to the corresponding period of last year.

The sports goods worth $82.015 million were exported during July-September (2014-15) compared to the exports of $81.527 million in July-September (2013-14), showing a positive growth of 0.60 percent, according to the latest data of Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS).

The sports goods that contributed in positive growth included footballs, exports of which increased by 15.05 percent during the period under review compared the last year.

The football exports reached to $40.705 million in 2014-15 compared to the exports of $35.380 million during the last year, the data revealed.

Similarly, the exports of gloves increased from $27.776 million in 2013-14 to $28.738 million in 2014-15, showing a growth of 3.46 percent.

However, the exports of all other sports products decreased by 31.57 percent by falling from $18.371 million to $12.572 million.

Meanwhile, on year-on-year basis, the exports of sports products decreased by 18.38 percent in the month of September 2014 compared to the exports of September 2013.

The exports of sports products in September 2014 were recorded at $25.083 million compared to the exports of $30.731 million in September 2013.

Among these products, the exports of footballs decreased by 5.77 percent in September 2014 over September 2013 while the exports of gloves and all other sports products witnessed negative growth of 21.99 percent and 42.88 percent respectively in September 2014.

On month-on-month basis, the exports of sports products, increased by 13.70 percent in September 2014 when compared to the exports of $22.060 million in August 2014.

Compared to the month of August 2014, the exports of footballs in September 2014 increased by 22.90 percent whereas the exports of gloves increased by 7.81 percent.

The exports of all other sports products decreased by 1.22 percent in September 2014 compared to the exports of August 2014, the PBS data revealed.

It is pertinent to mention here that the country's overall exports during July-September (2014-15) were recorded at $6.015 billion against $6.695 billion during July-September (2013-14).

On the other hand, Imports during the period under review were recorded at $12.519 billion against $11.177 billion during the corresponding period of last year.

Based on the figures, the trade deficit during July-September (2014-15) was recorded at $6.504 billion against $4.482 billion in July-September (2013-14), showing negative growth of 45.11 percent.

SC allows govt for OGDCL privatisation

The Supreme Court on Monday allowed the government to privatise Oil and Gas Development Company (OGDCL).

Hearing the OGDCL case, the apex court in an interim order directed that OGDCL shares be sold out to companies with higher bids. Notices in this regard have also been issued to the concerned parties by the court and the hearing of the case has been adjourned for three weeks.

In a concise statement submitted before the Supreme Court on Saturday, the federal government said if the privatisation of 10 per cent shares of the OGDCL was not completed, Pakistan would be exposed to ‘great financial loss’.

The government requested the top court to dismiss the petition of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government against the privatisation of OGDCL. “It would be an irretrievable loss which would affect future prospects of foreign investments,” said the statement by Additional Attorney General Waqar Rana.

The federal government has alleged that the K-P government is attempting to create the impression of a national economic crisis which simply doesn’t exist.

Since the PHC passed the restraining order, the value of OGDCL’s share has depreciated by about Rs 20, it added. “If this uncertainty continues, there is great likelihood that the share value will further depreciate. The loss already suffered on this account runs into 100s of millions of rupees.”

Imran, Qadri’s ‘pathetic protests’ result in sharp economic fall

Islamabad—The “pathetic protests” of Imran Khan and Dr Tahirul Qadri have resulted in crippling the government’s machinery, slacken ongoing projects, and caused a sharp fall in economy, the Gulf News has reported. The leading daily of United Arab Emirates in its article ‘Politics on containers’ says that everyone inside and outside of Pakistan has been watching the chaos pervading Islamabad, that has stagnated all projected plans. The article said Pakistan, a few weeks ago, was lucky enough to run on a democratic track and was on its road to progress. However, such development turned to standstill when Imran Khan and Tahir-ul-Qadri brought their agenda.

“It disrupted the current developments and created a chaotic situation, first in Lahore and then in Islamabad, starting with the independence day of Pakistan,” the writer says. “It is ridiculous when Imran says that he wants to create a new Pakistan, what type of new Pakistan is he thinking of?,” he adds. The protests having entered fifth week, have resulted in postponement of visits of three foreign presidents including the Chinese president. These visits were considered to be highly important for Pakistan to support its flagging economy and trade, the writer says. Moreover, calamity added up when the country faced heavy rains and flooding that just added to the existing havoc.

“This is the time when Imran and Qadri must stop such unlawful and unconstitutional protests and get down from their podiums to help the flood victims, that is if they are actually patriotic and loyal to the poor as they claim to be.” The writer said it was enough for the people who were sick of hearing the speeches of protesting leaders every day, and suggested that instead they should join hands with the government to work for a better Pakistan. Another article titled ‘Pakistan in ferment’ published in daily The Statesman by Arun Kumar Banerji said it is against a grim background that one has to examine the sit-in demonstration launched by Imran Khan, Qadri and their respective supporters. The writer says that a realistic assessment of the performance of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s government over the last one year is not bereft of positive features. He mentions that since the present government took over, the stock market crossed the 30,000 mark; the rupee gained against the dollar; and after much delay, a military operation had been launched in North Waziristan.

“So not such a terrible record that the government needs to be changed four years before it’s tenure is up,” he adds. He said after all, the problems that Pakistan is facing now - sectarian clashes, terrorism, poverty - were not created by the present government nor can these be solved overnight. “So what is the larger agenda of Imran Khan and Qadri? They started their sit-ins with a one-point programme - resignation of the Prime Minister on charges of electoral fraud, though this claim is not supported by independent observers,” he said. The writer said had Imran Khan been serious about his allegations, he should have exhausted all legal avenues to unseat the Prime Minister before launching his undemocratic `movement’, which was criticised even by one of his senior party functionaries. Terming Imran Khan’s movement as “undemocratic”, he suggested that with 35 members of his party in the National Assembly, Imran should have sought the support of other Opposition parties.—APP

PAKISTAN ECONOMIC SURVEY 2013-14

CHAPTER NAME CHAPTER AUTHOR S. Ejaz Wasti (Economic Adviser) Team Leader Overview of the Economy Growth and Investment Dr. Imtiaz Ahmad Joint Economic Adviser Agriculture Omer Farooq Research Officer Manufacturing & Mining Attaullah Shah Assistant Economic Adviser Fiscal Development Nazia Gul Assistant Economic Adviser Money and Credit Nazia Gul Assistant Economic Adviser Capital Markets Absar Hasan Siddique Deputy Economic Adviser Inflation Ahmed Khan Deputy Economic Adviser Trade and Payments Absar Hasan Siddique Deputy Economic Adviser Public Debt M. Umar Zahid Financial Analyst (Debt Wing) Education Zaila Husnain Assistant Economic Adviser Health & Nutrition Ahmed Khan Deputy Economic Adviser Population, Labor Force and Employment Nargis Mazhar Assistant Economic Adviser Transport and Communications Manzoor Ahmed Yusufi Deputy Economic Adviser Energy Muhammad Shoaib Assistant Economic Adviser Poverty and Social Safety Nets M. Shamim Wazir Joint Economic Adviser Environment S.Natiq Hussain Naqvi Project Consultant Contingent Liabilities M. Umar Zahid Financial Analyst (Debt Wing) Tax Expenditure Nazia Gul Assistant Economic Adviser Impact of War in Afghanistan and Ensuing Terrorism on Pakistan's Economy Zaila Husnain Assistant Economic Adviser Economic and Social Indicators Highlights Pakistan Economic Survey 2013-14 Download Statistical Appendices

PAKISTAN ECONOMIC SURVEY 2012-13

CHAPTER NAME		CHAPTER AUTHOR
	S. Ejaz Wasti (Economic Adviser) Team Leader
	Overview of the Economy
	Growth and Investment	Dr. Imtiaz Ahmad Joint Economic Adviser
	Agriculture	Omer Farooq Research Officer
	Manufacturing & Mining	Attaullah Shah Assistant Economic Adviser
	Fiscal Development	Nazia Gul Assistant Economic Adviser
	Money and Credit	Nazia Gul Assistant Economic Adviser
	Capital Markets	Absar Hasan Siddique Deputy Economic Adviser
	Inflation	Ahmed Khan Deputy Economic Adviser
	Trade and Payments	Absar Hasan Siddique Deputy Economic Adviser
	Public Debt	M. Umar Zahid Financial Analyst
	Education	Zaila Husnain Assistant Economic Adviser
	Health & Nutrition	Ahmed Khan Deputy Economic Adviser
	Population, Labor Force and Employment	Nargis Mazhar Assistant Economic Adviser
	Transport and Communications	Manzoor Ahmed Yusufi Deputy Economic Adviser
	Energy	Muhammad Shoaib Assistant Economic Adviser
	Social Safety Nets	Zaila Husnain Assistant Economic Adviser
	Environment	S.Natiq Hussain Naqvi Project Consultant
	Contingent Liabilities	M. Umar Zahid Financial Analyst
	Tax Expenditure	Nazia Gul Assistant Economic Adviser
	Highlights Pakistan Economic Survey 2012-13
	Economic and Social Indicators
	Download Statistical Appendices