PIA now flies to Salalah

Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) has added Salalah, Oman to its flight destinations. The inaugural flight, PK235, departed from Lahore at 12:30pm on December 1.

Flights on the Lahore-Salalah-Lahore sector will operate twice a week, every Thursday and Sunday.

PIA is already flying to Muscat, the capital of Oman, and with these additional twice-weekly flights to Salalah, PIA hopes to further boost the link between the two countries and within the region.

PIA CEO Bernd Hildenbrand said that PIA is expanding its fleet and flights on profitable routes are being increased, especially to places where there is a sizeable expatriate Pakistani community.

INCEIF papers win Best Paper awards at IFBBE 2016

Source: INCEIF. Dr Eskandar receiving the Best Paper award from State Bank of Pakistan Deputy Governor Saeed Ahmad.

Three papers written by INCEIF (the International Centre For Education In Islamic Finance) faculty and students have won Best Paper awards at the Islamic Finance, Banking and Business Ethics Global Conference (IFBBE) held in Lahore, Pakistan.

The three winning papers are:

• Income Structure and Stability: An Empirical Analysis of Islamic and Conventional Banks in OIC Countries, by students Mohsin Ali and Mohamed Shah, and Professor Mansor Ibrahim. 
• A Case Study of Malaysia, by student Irum Saba, and Emeritus Professor Datuk Mohamed Ariff Abdul Kareem and Associate Professor Mohamed Eskandar Shah Mohd Rasid. 
• Non-financial Traits and Financial Smartness: International Evidence from Shariah Compliant and Socially Responsible Funds, by student WajahatAzmi, Professor Shamsher Mohamed and Associate Professor Mohamed Eskandar Shah. 

The conference, held as part of the collaboration between INCEIF and Suleman Dawood School of Business, Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS), brought together scholars and professionals engaged in the growth and development of Islamic finance. Suleman Dawood School of Business, whose curriculum was designed in partnership with Harvard Business School and the University of Western Ontario, is among INCEIF’s growing list of renowned international collaborative partners across the globe.

Gulf Air opens new sales offices in North Pakistan

Source: Gulf Air.

Gulf Air, the national carrier of the Kingdom of Bahrain, has officially opened four new sales offices in the north Pakistani cities of Islamabad, Lahore, Peshawar and Sialkot. 

Gulf Air operates direct flights between Bahrain and the Pakistani cities of Islamabad, Karachi, Lahore, Peshawar and Sialkot with 23 flights a week in total. Flights to and from Pakistan can be booked either online at gulfair.com, through the airline’s 24 hour Worldwide Contact Centre on +973 1737 3737, through any Gulf Air sales office or at approved travel agencies.

The new offices will manage passengers’ ticketing and sales requirements and respond to any general enquiries. The new Gulf Air offices in Pakistan can be found at:

Gulf Air, Islamabad
Unit 1-A, Shahid Plaza, 

Blue Area Jinnah Avenue F-6/4, 

Islamabad.
Tel: +92 512 8100 2832

Gulf Air, Karachi
1st Floor, Kashif Centre, 

Shahrah-e-Faisal, 

Karachi.
Tel: +92 21 5675 2316

Gulf Air, Lahore
Lufthansa House 5-G/2, 

Block H, Gulberg II, 

Lahore.
Tel: +92 423 5763 4569

Gulf Air, Peshawar
UG-46, Deans Trade Centre, 

Peshawar Cantt
Tel: +92 9 1556 0778

Gulf Air, Sialkot
10 Ground Floor, 

Abdullah Trade Centre, Kutchery Road, 

Sialkot.
Tel: +92 524 2684 2831

Third International Halal Conference & Expo in Pakistan this May

Following two successful events in 2011 and 2012, the Punjab Halal Development Agency and the Halal Research Council are hosting the third International Halal Conference & Expo from 22 to 23 May at the International Expo Center, Johar Town Lahore in Pakistan in collaboration with Expo Centre Lahore, the Punjab Agriculture & Meat Company, the University of Veterinary & Animal Sciences and the Goverment of Punjab-Pakistan.

Source: International Halal Conference & Expo website.

The focus this year will be on increasing the export volume and opportunities of halal trade; field visits to showcase the halal industry in Pakistan; food safety management and halal certification, connecting importers and exporters, and promoting halal branding and marketing.

According to the organisers, Pakistan has a 100% halal livestock supply chain and stands to gain from the growth in global demand for halal products, a market estimated to be worth US$3 trillion.

The Punjab Halal Development Agency (PHDA) is a halal development organisation owned by Government of Punjab while the Halal Research Council works globally on halal certifications.